Grants:Project/Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton/Pilot project with Observatório de Aves
Background edit
Observatório de Aves edit
"The environmental changes resulting from human activities have caused major changes on a global scale, in the physical environment as well in the living world. The ongoing accelerated extinction of species can be considered as one of the major resulting impacts. Raising public awareness on the issues related to the environment and ecosystems is an important strategy to involve society in the discussions about the current crisis of biodiversity, and might be an important strategy to promote changes in the way we treat environmental issues. The crescent process of urbanization, with people living in larger and densely populated cities, results in a progressive separation between humans and nature. One of the solutions to this problem is to reconnect people with the natural world, through actions designed having this purpose in mind, and also though the availability of information about the living world.
Instituto Butantan is one of the largest centers of biomedical research and production of vaccines, and it is part of the Secretary of Health of the State of São Paulo. Created in 1899, it is also an important centre of research in toxicology, animal diversity and emergent diseases. It is also an institution traditionally involved in science dissemination through its three museums and the park, which receives more than 120.000 visitors each year. The urban park where Instituto Butantan is built has 80 hectares of secondary forest, in the west part of the city of São Paulo. Since 2014, the first Brazilian Bird Observatory is also part of the Instituto Butantan. Bird Observatories are institutions devoted to monitoring bird populations for more than 100 years all over the world, especially in the north hemisphere, and offering educational and scientific dissemination activities for the general public. The Butantan Bird Observatory has five researchers committed to the monitoring of the fauna and vegetation of the park, and also to the monitoring through censuses and banding of the birds in other localities in Brazil. It promotes the use of citizen science platforms and seeks to engage the society in monitoring activities.
The researchers and volunteers conduct a monthly birdwalk, the #vempassarinhar, as part of these activities. The Brazilian Birding Festival, Avistar Brasil, is also organized annually at the Instituto Butantan, receiving more than 5.000 visitors during three days, for workshops, talks and symposiums on nature, art, birds, technology and other subjects related to conservation. All activities developed by the Butantan Bird Observatory aim to reconnect the society with nature, promoting the knowledge about the importance of conservation for the human well-being."
Project idea edit
What is the problem you're trying to solve? edit
Humankind have a very limited access for the knowledge about Nature, this problem is global and have a direct impact on how we interact with Nature. Wikimedia Movement, being on of the biggest protagonist in access to the knowledge should improve our communities around is theme.
Today, 54 percent of the world's population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 66 per cent by 2050. Urbanization has been promoting a disconnection between human and nature. The access to information about biodiversity has a critical role on contributing to sensitize urban people to biodiversity conservation.
Brazilian nature is one of the most diverse in the world, despite that the information available to the general public about Brazilian biodiversity is scarce, and we still have a little public knowledge about it. As a result, we have few articles, photos and books, accessible to the greater public, including at Wikimedia communities. For example, many articles such as muçununga do not have any photo, while others have a poor quality photo, and text, such as Floresta Estacional Sempre-Verde.
What is your solution to this problem? edit
Establishing a solid partnership with Observatório de Aves will, in a short therm, bring their photo collections with high quality will be brought via this project, for this pilot 200-300 photos - as they are researches they have access to parks and parks areas that would not be allowed to other people and they have years of documentations, so the educational value is tremendous. I also believe that with all the increased surface generate by this project we will see already improvements in the content. In a long therm, this partnership will bring more knowledge in natural science and possibly more volunteers to the Free Culture and being door in the Academy. This pilot it's just a first step to bolder activities, we have in our horizon whole courses at Wikiversity, videos, digitalisation of more comprehensive archives...
Project goals edit
- The priority in this pilot is establish an ongoing set of activities with Observatório de Aves, such as educational programmes, edit-a-thons, photo walks, courses, in order to focus on improving content around their knowledge trough the whole Wikimedia Movement spreading it for the Humankind;
- Improve the methodology of activities with partnership, including digitalisation, courses, workshops, photo walks.
- Bring high educational value images unpublished at Wikimedia Movement and inaccessible for most Brazilians;
Project impact edit
How will you know if you have met your goals? edit
For each of your goals, we’d like you to answer the following questions:
- During your project, what will you do to achieve this goal? (These are your outputs.)
- Once your project is over, how will it continue to positively impact the Wikimedia community or projects? (These are your outcomes.)
For each of your answers, think about how you will capture this information. Will you capture it with a survey? With a story? Will you measure it with a number? Remember, if you plan to measure a number, you will need to set a numeric target in your proposal (i.e. 45 people, 10 articles, 100 scanned documents).
Remember to review the tutorial for tips on how to answer this question.
For establishing more close relationship with Observatório de Aves, I will manage a bunch of activities for being closer to the communities around the Observatório, as birdwatchers, photographers... As we both (Wikimedia Movement and Observatório) believe that the knowledge not only relay on experts and should be accessible for all.
Digitalisation of one of their collections edit
The heaviest work will be the digitalisation of their archive of natural domains. They have around 200-300 photos in raw image format that I would have to select with them, edit (mandatory in this format), categorise, and upload. This activity is the backbone of the project, as it determinate duration, theme, and all the other activities will gravitated around it. Choose the best photo to illustrate Wikipedia articles and entries at Wikidata will be part of this work, the creation of entries and non existent articles partially will be created by the grantees, and part via edit-a-thons.
- Output: Establish a digitalisation work flow with Observatório, to be used in more future and complex projects. Around 100 high value educational images of Brazilian natural domains, and improvement in illustration of articles at Wikipedias, and entries at Wikidata.
Off-line courses edit
Conclusion course edit
At the end of this project we will manage a 5 days course to summarize the knowledge being worked here in this 8 months to an open public. We didn't stablish the exactly content, however we will include workshops passing trough the whole Wikimedia Movement, we will touch the main theme of this pilot that is the Brazilian Natural Domain, and nature conservation trough birdwatching the main work of Observatório. One scholarship will be provided to a Wikimedia volunteer interested in participate on it, the selection will be open one month before the course.
- Output: One course with at least 10 attendants.
Photographic course edit
To spread the photographic knowledge increasing the range of people able to contribute illustrating the nature in a near future, we will manage a course to how to photography nature. The Observatório already have a course called: Nature and Scientific Photography - I will united this to the course that I've being giving in universities about how to create an educational value in a photography and inserting it in the Free Culture world trough Wikimedia Movement. One scholarship will be provided to a Wikimedia volunteer interested in participate on it, the selection will be open one month before the course.
- Output: One course with at least 10 attendants.
Photo walks edit
They already have a close relationship with Fotoclube de Natureza do Butantan ("Nature Photoclub of Butantan"), the idea is create a photo walk in conjunction with them, and do a small workshop about Wikimedia Movement after it.
- Output:Achieving at least 20 people with this workshop, stimulating their contribution.
Workshops at Passarinhar edit
Passarinhar is a monthly birdwatching event organized by two organizations (Observatório de Aves and SAVE Brasil), they take turns managing the event, each month the event is in the responsibility of one of them. The focus here is different from a photo walk, as the priority in the event is to create a database around the birds found and spread the birdwatching to more people. In this event we will at least in one of them, until December 2018, create a presentation about Wikimedia Movement, in this case Wikidata, Wikispecies*, Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons will be the priority.
- Output:At least one presentation, reaching around 20 people.
Workshop at Avistar edit
Avistar is an annual event promote by SAVE Brasil (already cited), Observatório de Aves and Instituto Butantan (also cited), this is the biggest event around birdwatching in Brazil, it is a union of a congress, workshop event, and festival. So have activities for pay attendants, and for an open public. I'll right a workshop proposal to the event, showing all the Wikimedia communities related to birdwatching.
- Output: At least one presentation, reaching around 20 people.
On-line exhibition edit
One activity that we will test is a bimonthly on-line exhibition, the idea is to create a space (probably inside Wikimedia Commons) where we will exhibit a pool of images around a theme, in this case, the main theme of this year would be Brazilian Natural Domains. The idea is to show a set of pictures that illustrate a natural domain per exhibition, and to spread the knowledge about it. In addition to that, for a better integration with community and Brazilian society, we will encourage contributions in the month before the exhibition and the best ones will also be displayed, so the exhibition will include pre-existing Wikimedia Commons content, but also new ones.
- Output:At least 3 On-line exhibition, bringing attention to the theme.
Edit-a-thons edit
We will run at least one edit-a-thon for the main theme and one around birdwatching. I did not decided if the edit-a-thon around the birdwatching theme will be for improving content at WP-pt, or if will be a good way to start a course at Wikiversity , but for the Brazilian Natural Domains thematic the focus will be Wikipedia, and will be sooner as possible, probably before July, to be a text base for the on-line exhibition.
- Output: two edit-a-thons, consequently improvement in articles at Wikipedia and possible entries at Wikidata, and maybe Wikibooks and Wikiversity.
Going on camp to photograph edit
We know that they have a vast collection of a giant variate of photos to illustrate natural domains, however they could have some holes on it, important subjects that are not well illustrated according to our judgement. To fulfil this gaps, myself and one researcher will go to the location guarantee the photo, as we also have now access to new technologies, they have, for example, 360-Degree Cameras in their pool of tools, we can reach this locations and register what was not register before, quadcopters ("drones") also open new possibilities. Remembering that some parks have access restrictions and also photographic restrictions, and this could be an amazing opportunity to bring this photos.
- Output: High technical quality and extraordinarily high educational value images.
Create a bridge between WikiAves and Wikimedia Movement edit
WikiAves is a wiki alike website that happens to be the biggest encyclopaedia of birds in the world, and it's only about Brazilian birds, only in Portuguese, however it's a proprietary website. I tried a long time ago conversation with them but it was a superficial effort and nothing was established. However, as they have a pretty close relationship with Observatório, I will try to create a bridge between us, as they have a far more content that pt-p and Wikidata about Brazilian birds, and far more volunteers contributing with the theme. Photos, for example, they have more than 2 million, ~5% of what in have at Commons, even having a very restricted scope and rules about description. In the past free licenses were available for photos contribution, I'm not seeing it any more. As this website have a wiki structure we can also use it as an identifier at Wikidata.
- Output: this output is indeterminate, as far I can see it will take a while to have an actual result, but we need a first step and this is a good opportunity.
Documentation edit
Being a project inside a Free Culture this should have sources enough to be reproduced, studied, replicated... Having that in mind, I'll manage to have the most detailed as possible (without disturbing the process) documentation to able other volunteers with the intention to create a solid partnership in Brazil. This case of study could help others in an analogous situation or that will run similar activities. The idea is going beyond the report and create steps to facilitate the volunteer approach.
- Output: Documentation around the partnership and activities manage during this project
Do you have any goals around participation or content? edit
- At least 200 pictures
- Of that 50 QI
- Having at least 50% of used in other wikis
- By experience, VI and FP I can't create a measure, is quite random.
- At least 20 articles improved/created at Wikipedia in Portuguese.
- At least 20 people reached by presentations;
- At least 10 by courses;
- And the documentation of this partnership to create a improved methodology.
Project plan edit
Activities edit
For all this activities happen, including digitalisation, I'll have to dedicate 40-48 hrs per week, as the digitalisation will demand a huge effort, having previous experiences, the digitalisation will occur in six months, and one month for preparation, and one month for the closuring. So 8 months of work. This is enough for all this happen. However to reach more people, to ameliorate the process, to have a better assistance to participants in the course, workshops, etc, and most importantly: increase the bus factor: will be better to have a second person also responsible for the outreach, upload, categorization, manage the process...
- Before the grant project
- Independently of the approval or not, I'll already give a lecture about wiki in one Passarinhar.
- I'll also upload a small part of their collection, as I'm on vacation and I'm a Wikimedia Commons volunteer. Unfortunately I can not do the whole collection without this project.
- And write a proposal to Avistar
- May 2018
- Evaluation of the whole material, they have a lot of pictures, so I'll have to sit down with the researchers/ornithologists and see what's the ones that makes sense in this scenario, as they bring the idea, they already provide a number of pictures, around 200 pictures to be digitalised. This could take the whole month, as will have to digest this files, seeing the best pictures; (80 hrs myself + researchers);
- In this month we will define the calendar, the exact days of the activities and already start to talk with all agents responsible to this occur; (3 hrs myself + researchers)
- Define the necessities for eventual trips (2 hrs myself + researchers);
- Participate in Avistar 2018 (16 hrs);
- Stablish themes for on-line exhibitions (3 hrs myself + researchers);
- Create support pages for all activities (30 hrs myself + assistant);
- Run an intern training to level up the whole team (30 hrs myself + assistant + researchers).
- June 2018
- Start the digitalisation (100 hrs myself + assistant);
- Start the first call for the on-line exhibition; (4 hrs myself + assistant)
- Run the first edit-a-thon. (4 hrs myself + assistant + researchers)
- Open scholarship submission for Photographic course (2 hrs assistant);
- July 2018
- Continue the digitalisation (190 hrs myself + assistant) ;
- Workshop at Passarinhar (1 hrs myself);
- Run the on-line exhibition. (4 hrs myself + researchers)
- Choose the scholarship (5 hrs myself + assistant + researchers);
- August 2018
- Continue the digitalisation (135 hrs myself + assistant) ;
- Mid-term evaluation (5 hrs myself + assistant + researchers) ;
- Create a partial report (10 hrs myself + assistant);
- Creation of partial documentation around this partnership project (10 hrs myself + assistant);
- Creation of solutions and better optimizations ( 5 hrs myself + assistant + researchers);
- Call for the second on-line exhibition ( 1hr assistant).
- Curate the second on-line exhibition ( 5 hrs myself + assistant + researchers)
- September 2018
- Continue the digitalisation (140 hrs myself + assistant) ;
- Run the Photographic course (40 hrs myself + assistant + researchers);
- Run the second on-line exhibition (1 hrs assistant).
- Open scholarship submission for Conclusion course (1 hr assistant);
- October 2018
- Continue the digitalisation (180 hrs myself + assistant) ;
- Run a photo walk (4 hrs myself + researchers) ;
- Call for the third on-line exhibition (1 hrs assistant).
- Choose the scholarship (5 hrs myself + assistant + researchers);
- November 2018
- Finishing the digitalisation (170 hrs myself + assistant);
- Start the construction of the Conclusion course (10 hrs myself + assistant + researchers);
- Run the on-line exhibition (1 hr assistant) ;
- Run the second edit-a-thon ( 5 hrs myself + assistant + researchers).
- December 2018
- Run the conclusion course (40 hrs myself + assistant + researchers);
- Evaluation of the project, fixing possible issues (how much it cost myself + assistant) .
- Creation of the final report (30 hrs myself);
- Creation of final documentation around this partnership project (40 hrs myself + assistant) ;
- Preparation for the next year activities (10 hrs myself + assistant + researchers).
Budget edit
| Title | Amount | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Project manager (myself) | 9600 USD (8*1200) | As I'll be dedicating at least 40-48 hrs per week in this project, it will be necessary a subsistence allowance, also as I'll have to do a great part of this work using my own resources and from home I had to take this into account. (Duration 8 months) |
| Assistance manager | 6400 USD (8*800) | This will be a 30-40 hrs per week work and part of my own resources I'll share with him/her, and the great part of this work could be done at Observatório.(Duration 8 months). For notice, I already have a list of people (4 people to be more precise) to this position that worked with me in other situations and can well fit and works well with me. However as this is an uncertain position, and be open only in March if this grant get approved, I couldn't selected one or ask assurances for any of them. |
| Courses | 2000 USD (1000*2) | Catering for 5 days for 10 people (125 BRL per people in 5 days, 10 people ~400 USD) and scholarship for one volunteer (~600 USD 5 night + flight ticket) |
| Photowalk | 300 (2*150) USD | Catering for 30 people (15 BRL per person) have a possibility for more photowalks is good, the agenda is tight, however exists the possibility to manage more than once. |
| Equipment | 3000 USD | It would be nice have a possibility of having a quadcopter [Mavic Pro ~1000 USD in US/~1700 USD in BR] (and a spare, as this things could crash or fight away even taking care) to well register some of the locations that we will visit. It will be more than nice, I'll say mandatory have a insurance for the camera. I'll use the camera obtained via rapid grant in a case of trip, as the limitation of rapid grant was not possible to request more money for a insurance, unfortunately we live in a violent country so the risk of lost this investment is huge, even in indoor locations. This cost around 10-15% of the actual price of the equipment in Brazil, I have to guess between 200-400 USD for converge of 12 months, as I made quotes that varied a lot between months. A 300 USD Outex (Brazilian brand, also available in US) case to prevent sand and water damage. Also an extra battery 64 USD. |
| Trips | 5000 USD | We don't know yet how many trips would be necessary, however travel inside Brazil could be more expansive than travel abroad. Having at least two people taking a flight, and maybe needing to reach a certain point far from civilization could have a cost, that's why I'm living a room here. |
Community engagement edit
How will you let others in your community know about your project? Why are you targeting a specific audience? How will you engage the community you’re aiming to serve at various points during your project? Community input and participation helps make projects successful.
- All activities we will invite via Village Pump, all communities, also notify via mailing lists.
- The courses and consequently the opening of the application for scholarship we will use the sitenotice to all Lusophones, as the cost is the same for bringing one person from Luanda (Angola), Lisboa (Portugal) or from Natal (Brazil).
- The on-line exhibition I'll talk to Wikimedia Commons community and find out the best approach for us (Commons);
- We also will use other forms of communication, including the ones that Observatório is responsible.
Get involved edit
Participants edit
- Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton
Wikimedia volunteer since 2006, having hundreds of QI pictures at Commons, and some FP (yeah, I don't count :/). Working in third-sector coordinating projects since 2011. And participating GLAM projects to wiki community, editing to improve photos from MAV GLAM, featuring some pictures as Avestruz alta.jpg. And photographing and coordinating the Matemateca GLAM project, resulting in images as Paraboloide circular 02.jpg. I'm also did a lot different activities for community, including educational projects.
- Erika Hingst-Zaher
Bachelor's degree in Biology from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (1990), master's in Ecology from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (1995), doctorate at Genetics from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (2001) and post-docorate in Zoology from Universidade de São Paulo. In 2009 in Science Communication at [[:wikipedia:School of Communications and Arts, University of São Paulo|]] (2009). Researcher at the Museu Biológico of Instituto Butantan, conducting research in vertebrate zoology and ecology, as well as science dissemination. Responsible for the long-term monitoring of the fauna and vegetation of the park of Instituto Butantan. Has experience in Zoology, with emphasis in morphometrics and morphology and its application in evolution of vertebrates. Coordinated fauna inventories in State and National Parks in the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Amazon, and participated in the elaboration of Management Plans of Protected Areas in Southeastern Brazil. Worked as a consultant specialist in vertebrates for Environmental and Social Impact Assessment reports and due diligence of infrastructure projects, especially hydroelectric dams, transmission lines and oil prospection in Brazil and South America. In the field of Museology, has collaborated in exhibits focused on Natural History, and in the production of videos for science dissemination. Part of the team that organizes the Brazilian Birding Festival, Avistar Brasil, at Instituto Butantan since 2015. Develops Citizen Science projects, promoting the participation of non-scientists in data collection and analyses, as a support for for conservation and human health. Member of the American Society of Mammalogy, Brazilian Society of Ornithology, Brazilian Society of Herpetology and Brazilian Society of Mammalogy. Editor of the periodical Boletim da Sociedade Brasileira de Mastozoologia since 1992, and ad hoc reviewer for the Biological Journal of Linnean Society, Journal of Mammalogy, Brazilian Journal of Zoology, Neotropical Ichthyology, Iheringia, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia and Arquivos do Museu de Zoologia.
- Luciano Moreira Lima
Bachelor's at Biologia from Universidad del Turabo (2007) and bachelor's at Ciências Biológicas from Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro (2008), master's at Zoology by Universidade de São Paulo. Researcher of the Instituto Butatan, where he is the Technical Coordinator of the Bird Observatory - Instituto Butantan. His main lines of research include biogeography, ecology, natural history and neotropical bird conservation, with a special focus on the Atlantic Forest. He also has experience with birds of the Cerrado, Caatinga, Chaco, Amazon and aquatic and marine ecosystems.
- Alcides Dutra
Volunteer of the Butantan Bird Observatory, giving support to all education and dissemination activities promoted.
Community notification edit
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