The Ethos Group and Acorn Active Media are working with leading local broadband researchers to enhance collaboration amongthose who study local communications infrastructure. The purpose of this project is two fold: 1) To move the field closer to a less confusing, shared taxonomy. 2) To identify opportunities for collaboration in data collection and analysis across the field.

Project Summary

The Pubic Interest Communications Infrastructure Taxonomy Project lays
the groundwork for a data-commons for the field of local broadband
research and advocacy, establishing a published data-model and a
publicly searchable data-set based on that model. Prospects for
deeper data coordination will be researched including direct query of
the data-set as a web-service, as well as data sharing between trusted
sources.

The Public Interest Communications Infrastructure Taxonomy Project Goals

Increase Coordination: We can minimize redundant data collection by understanding how other researchers define their taxonomies, what they are interested in collecting and where overlaps occur.

More Accurate, Extensive and Robust Data for the Field: Our aim is to point a path to more extensive and more credible data sets on local broadband. By surveying both the “what” of data collection in this field and also the “how,” we can propose methods and tools that will both simplify and amplify collection and analysis across the field.

What is Required to Participate?

Public interest researchers are encouraged to contact project coordinator Dharma Dailey (dharma _at_ ethoswireless.com) to participate. Interviews will be scheduled through the end of January 2008. Confirmed participants include The Alliance for Community Networking (AFCN), The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), the New America Foundation, and the Community Wireless Information Research Project (CWIRP).

Researchers must have at least some interest in possible collaboration on data, including making data publicly available.

Researchers must agree to two 30-45 minute phone interviews.

The first interview will focus on the nature of the data that you hold, your data policies, and data needs. After the first interview, you will be supplied with a Summary of Partner Data Profiles and a Draft of a Data Model for the field. The second interview will comprise your feedback on the summaries and draft.

Interested reseachers should contact us.

The Ethos Group has composed a statement on our work in the context of the media reform movement. You can read it here.

Ethos principals and associates are participating in several panels at the National Conference for Media Reform, especially:

“Owning Our Own Media Infrastructure” on Saturday at 9:00 am in the Chicasaw/Mississippi room, and

“The Growth of Wireless Internet” on Saturday at 11:00 am in L-14.

We encourage you to attend both sessions.