GENERAL NOTE: Other Blog Spaces
I also regularly add material, including photos and video, to the UVic Community Mapping Resource Centre pages. Charles
Presentation on the Art of Teaching/Learning Community Engagement
Presented at: UVic OCBR Community Green Map RoundTable, Friday 18 March 2011
Community-Based Health Research with Maps - By the People, For Healthy Communities
I'm giving an intensive 1-day workshop on mapping tools for communities in Port Hardy, 15 March 2010. Sponsored by:
BC Rural and Remote Health Research Network
More info here: http://mapping4health.eventbrite.com/
Mapping is an innovative and largely under-utilized tool that community researchers can use to explore and examine the unique health challenges facing rural and remote communities while building community capacity. Mapping is a broad term that encompasses desktop geographic information system (GIS) analysis to participatory knowledge gathering, exploration and dissemination, like community mapping. Community mapping is particularly useful in rural and remote health research because geographical factors contribute to make the localness or connectedness of assets that much more crucial. For example, consider the importance of the following to a rural/remote community: distribution and locations of health programs and services, local food production, recreational assets, green space and playgrounds, and economic opportunities.
FOSS4G Presentation
I'll be giving a presentation at this year's "Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial" FOSS4G Conference in Sydney, Australia, 20-23 October 2009.
Title: Building community information systems with Drupal and OpenLayers
Abstract: Coastal British Columbia indigenous communities seek solutions to their community information storage, sharing and processing challenges. They are looking for systems that provide basic GIS database, mapping and reporting functionality all in a web-based, open standards, secure, and multi-user environment. They are also keen to have these systems be very intuitive and embedded within their current web infrastructure. And, they would like these systems to serve many functions, from treaty and economic development support to language revitalization. We have developed community information systems (CIS) for several First Nations using Drupal and PostGIS. Key to these systems is the Drupal Open Layers module, which works with the Druapl Geo module to spatialize nodes (GIS features) stored in PostGIS. These nodes, such as archaeological and traditional occupancy/use sites, often have large amounts of attribute data and link to multimedia files. In this presentation we will show
3D Paris iPhone App
As part of the VisLab design project, we've been exploring multitouch devices. But who needs a touch table when you can do it all on you iPhone?
CORAL Laboratory Design
Over the past few months I've been helping Dr. Rosaline Canessa with the design for her CFI-funded visualization laboratory. I've been leading the research on systems and components and have compiled the draft specs into a series of web-pages. Any comments or suggestions would be most welcome.
Learn more about the Lab here: http://coral.geog.uvic.ca/vislab
What will collaboration (email?) look like in a year or two?
One of my research and professional interests is "how to leverage specialized data in community information systems". The building of information systems allows an exploration of this question. And, building systems is what I do with my business partner through our consulting company Geomemes Research Inc.
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Places Available - Continuing Studies Course - Spring 2009
We've just been notified that there are 26 people registered in the "Community Mapping for Sustainable, Vibrant Communities" Continuing Studies course. There are still several seats available (max 35).
Update: 32 was the final count.
Continuing Studies Course Spring 2009: Community Mapping for Sustainable, Vibrant Communities
Community mapping enables people to capture the power of place and the potential for change. Citizens of all ages can be involved in mapping their community, economic and environmental assets and creating maps of their communities and visions for change. This is a three-part fun and interactive workshop series, taught by three members of the Common Ground Mapping project (wwww.commongroundproject.ca)-a community-university project that has facilitated many community mapping and visioning projects from James Bay to Port Renfrew to the Highlands. Hear about inspiring local and global community mapping projects, learn how to create your own mapping project with your community or group and participate in a hands-on web mapping workshop. Course fee includes Mapping Our Common Ground booklet. Supported by the Department of Geography and the Office of Community Based Research. Subsidies available for community groups through the Vancouver Foundation-funded CBR Capacity Building Project.
Click "Read more" below and Click here for more at UVic's Continuing Studies site
Community Mapping Facilitation: Alert Bay Health
Mapping Assets and Opportunities for Healthy Alert Bay, a joint project of the Namgis Nation, Alert Bay Village and the Vancouver Island Health Authority - facilitated by Dr. Charles Burnett (Common Ground / UVic Geography) and Valerie Lannon (Lannon & Associates)
Educators as Futurists?
"Education, therefore, is a process of living and not a preparation for future living. --John Dewey
The work we do at the Community Mapping Centre at UVic Geography is all about getting learners immersed in their community and in their environment. We embrace Dewey's maxim, focusing not on rote learning of skills that might eventually be useful, and instead have learners educate themselves through experiences with members of their community and their community's challenges.
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ICT Summit 2009 - Multimedia Maps Workshop
I presented a 1.5 hour workshop at the ICT Conference in Vancouver BC, 19-22 February 2009. http://www.ictsummit.ca/ 
Exploring Indigenous Space: GEOG 491
I have had the pleasure of co-instructing a field-trip + seminar-based course exploring Indigenous Geographies course (GEOG 491) at UVic Geography this Fall 2008 term. Claire Hutton MRM (SFU) was my co-instructor. When we began to plan the course almost a year ago Claire and I set out some ground rules: this course was to be characterized by indigenous voices speaking about indigenous concepts of space, nature, law, ethics, resource management and tools - we would work hard as guides and facilitators. We guided the course towards experiential learning, self-reflective learning, cross-cultural awareness and community-based research. We wanted our students to come away with a better understanding of how place makes people (indeed how place made each of them), and with a strengthened sensitivity and respect for different knowledge systems.
More information about the course can be found at http://geog491.geomemes.com
The website is password protected - please email me for access (see Bio for contact info).
I hope to lead GEOG 491 in September 2009, with a field trip focused on Alert Bay. If you would like to take this course, please contact myself and the Department of Geography Chair, Phil Dearden.
