Wikinvironment

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This is a proposal for a new Wikimedia sister project.
Wikinvironment
Status of the proposal
Statusclosed
ReasonInactive proposal. --Sannita (talk) 16:29, 21 September 2013 (UTC)[reply]

See the proposal at the proposed projects page.

This page is a formal project proposal for the Wikinvironment project.

Mission[edit]

The purpose of the Wikinvironment project is to connect residents of the planet to information regarding the environmental state of their area and the world, and by doing so encourage positive environmental change. Collaboration by ecologists, environmentalists, economists, companies, and regular people will build a virtual encyclopedia of our environment. Through analysis of the collected data, Wikinvironment will be able to construct a virtual, fluid 'report card' that will help everyone understand their role in sustaining our planet.

Goals:

  • Information Pooling: Knowledge concerning our environment is widely scattered. By collecting information in one place people will not have to feel overwhelmed to research their environmental concerns.
  • Location Specific Information: Specific environmental information organized into city, country, and company/organization levels would be compiled.
  • Environment Report Card: From the general and location specific information pools Wikinvironment would generate an Environment Report Card for each city, country and country/organization based on pollution levels, 'green' efforts, sustainability, etc. This report would allow individuals to measure the city/company's environmental impact at a glance.

These goals are not immediately attainable. A series of phases would need to be implemented to facilitate this idea's growth into a project. These phases would include a discussion and clarification of the proposal's mandates, an introductory phase in which environmental "experts" and others collaborate on the framework for information presentation and location report cards, and the final implementation of Wikinvironment as a tool for everyone.

Vision[edit]

Wikinvironment has the potential to connect people with our environment so that they may have a better understanding of the personal impact each individual has on our planet. By creating a forum where environmental information can be presented and discussed in both easy to understand and complex scientific ways, a bridge between the scientific and public communities is established. This exchange of information could potentially fuel a positive understanding of the environment and lead to individuals taking more action to improve the environment in their area and country.

Possible software needs[edit]

The Wikinvironment report card may require modification of the MediaWiki software. An general equation would have to be established to generate a quick overview of the information provided in a city, country or company context (ie a Report Card). This would be a summary, possibly a graphical representation, of the environmental impact (positive or negative) that the actions of a community or company have on their area.