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By viv, 14 February, 2012 8:00 am

Below is a guest post from Daniel Raven-Ellison of Mission:Explore on the new GeoVation Challenge – How can we transform neighbourhoods in Britain together?

I’m very excited to see the new challenge on GeoVation. It’s an exciting opportunity to bring about real change through geography. Thinking geographically is a powerful way to see patterns, make connections, present ideas and crucially, scale-up projects.

We have been lucky enough to win GeoVation awards twice. For us this has not only meant significant and important financial support, but also access to support, guidance and thinking that has helped us to push our solutions forward far more quickly than they would have done otherwise.

Our project, Mission:Explore, is deeply connected to the question that sits at the heart of the current challenge ‘How can we transform neighbourhoods in Britain together?’. At the GeoVation powwow 16 people identified 104 problems and 7 themes. One of these was “how do we provide safe environments for our children to be active?” and this problem sits at the heart of what Mission:Explore is about.  Children being active in their community has a wide range of benefits of course, not least their personal physical and mental well-being as well as that of their wider community.

Through Mission:Explore our solution is to encourage and inspire more children and families to play outdoors. We are working to do this through our series of children’s books and social website that includes hundreds of quirky outdoor activities to do. On our website children and families can pick missions , collect points and earn rewards for doing them. Some missions can be done anywhere but others need to be done in specific places.

Last year we won funding from GeoVation to tackle the problem “How can we improve transport in Britain?”. Our work focusses on the National Cycle Network and using new functionality on the website to find ways to increase the number of children and families using the cycle paths. Focussing on 10 cities in England we’re going to be releasing 500 missions along cycle paths that support playful learning and with a mixture of reward types. Some rewards are just online badges but others will result in physical prizes. For this project the Technology Strategy Board’s Ideas in Transit project has been providing financial support, UWE is helping with research, Sustrans are providing logistical and cycle counter support and the dairy company Arla are supporting us with sponsorship through their energetic Kids Closer to Nature campaign. The website itself is built in partnership with the fantastic interactive agency, The Workshop, in Sheffield. Mission:Explore the National Cycle Network will be going live from the end of this month and will be in full swing before the summer holidays.

We’re currently looking for charities and public sector organisations that would like to use Mission:Explore to challenge children and families to discover new places and learn in creative ways. Later this month we will be launching private accounts which will allow schools to create missions that only their pupils will be able to see.

Our experience of GeoVation has been a powerful and inspiring one. I really recommend that you take part and see how far you can get. Good luck.

Mission:Explore are currently crowd funding their next children’s book, Mission:Explore Food. They are looking for people like you to contribute as little as £1 to help make the book happen. In return you can be illustrated into the book, request an experience day and much more. Visit Mission:Explore Food to be part of it.

Daniel Raven-Ellison
Mission:Explore

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By viv, 26 January, 2012 8:00 am

In September 2011, GeoVation challenge winner’s liftshare began development of ‘myPTP- A Travel Plan Just for Me’; an innovative web-based tool, designed to provide personalised travel plans to individuals at a fraction of the current time and cost.

liftshare’s myPTP Project Manager, Katie Lumley, gives us a most up-to-date progress report on how the tool has been shaping up over the last 5 months:

Since September 2011, the liftshare project team have been working hard to develop and refine one of our most exciting projects – myPTP – funded through GeoVation and the Ideas in Transit project.  myPTP will uniquely combine public transport, walking, cycling, and car-share options for individual journeys, and have the potential to help any organisation or community effectively deliver personalised travel plans (PTPs) at a fraction of the current time and cost associated with traditional approaches.

myPTP encourages and enables users to make informed choices about the way they travel.

Development began with design, before working to build, test, and refine the new and innovative web-based tool. During November, our biggest hurdle; accessing data for all modes of transport (walk, cycle, car-share, bus and train) across the UK, was overcome, and work to integrate data for all transport options then began in December.

Users will input individual’s journey information and in return will receive clear information on all transport options available to them, including maps, local provision options such as community transport, and any incentives the organisation has put in place to change their travel behaviour e.g. a week’s free bus pass. Ongoing communication is then possible to monitor modal shift and follow up changes in provision etc. Below is a sneak-preview of the online myPTP results:

Over 38 organisations have already expressed interest in using myPTP to deliver PTPs to individuals, and of those three organisations have been chosen to pilot the tool this February. These initial tests will be carried out in collaboration with researchers from the University of West of England, through the Ideas in Transit project, and will help us to evaluate the usefulness and usability of myPTP from an end-user point of view (that’s me and you!), as well as assess its impact ongoing on travel behaviours. We are looking forward to hearing feedback from the test pilots so we can keep innovating and refining myPTP to ensure it is useful and effective for all.

We are very excited with the progress of myPTP so far; both internal development of the tool itself, as well as its seeming ability to appeal and meet individuals, organisations, and transport operator needs. If you would like to:

• Help individuals make informed smarter choices about their mode of travel, as well as improve accessibility.
• Better understand transport patterns of your organisation, to increase efficiency and save time and cost.
• Help Local Authorities determine shortfalls in provision and help local transport operators determine what services will best satisfy demand.
• Have on-going communication with individuals about their travel options to achieve real modal shift, and to relay any possible changes in provision.

myPTP could be your solution. For more information please feel free to contact me, Katie Lumley, on: (01953) 451166 or katie@liftshare.com.

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By viv, 19 January, 2012 8:00 am

If you’re wondering how our GeoVation Challenge winner, AccessAdvsr is getting on with development, then find out more below in an update from Neil Taylor:

Since our last blog we have been working closely with our software developers, Realistic Digital, to create and refine the AccessAdvisr website on the basis of the specification we drew up in the autumn.  As total newbies to the field of web-app development this has been a great experience for our team, and we have been learning a massive amount about the process (and pitfalls!) of working to create an innovative web-based project.

The great news is that we now know our webservices from our browser optimisation, and are almost ready to start proof-of-concept testing with real live people here in Nottingham.  This is also excellent news for our colleagues at ITP, who will soon be able to speak to us about the weather, sports, current affairs and other projects without fearing they may get drawn into a debate about ‘Where the search bar should go’, or ‘Should the favourites button be bigger’ (I still say it should…).

We are also looking forward to collaborating with colleagues at Loughborough University’s Design School through the Ideas in Transit project.  They have been helping us to draw up an evaluation plan that is rooted in various innovation and end-user behaviour theories to give us the lowdown on what people actually think about the concept, the site itself, and the way they use it.  This iterative process will be the first acid test for the site, and will no doubt pose us as many questions as answers.  Nonetheless we are really looking forward to hearing people’s thoughts and views.

Here is an ‘in-development’ screenshot for a sneak preview of how the site is shaping up:

If you want to learn more about AccessAdvisr, then please contact me, Neil Taylor at ITP on 0115 9886903, or email: taylor@itpworld.net.  Access Advisr is also now on Facebook, so you can ‘like’ us to keep up with all the latest project developments.

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By viv, 23 December, 2011 8:30 am

Bikemapper.org.uk is new website looking collecting information to plan a revitalised London Cycle Network.  On the site you can upload photos and of parts of the network to build up a picture of what is working or not working and if anything is missing. Below Simon Parker tells us more:

I am pleased to be able to tell you about the launch of a new website, www.bikemapper.org.uk, which I hope you will be interested to visit.
The purpose of this website is to facilitate the study of a proposed design for a revitalised London Cycling Network. Primarily I am seeking to establish which sections of this network are functional and which are not, and from here it should be possible to build up a complete picture of the current cycling environment. It is hoped that, in turn, this would help to inform the debate about where future investments in cycling would be best placed.

The website is aimed mainly at people who have an interest in developing an amenable cycling environment in the capital, though naturally I would be delighted if the general public also felt inclined to contribute. In particular I ask that people upload any photos they may have of the London streetscape.

Bikemapper was made possible because of a number of people, beginning with Ben Irvine from Cycle Lifestyle, who is responsible for the London Cycle Map Campaign,, and who has done more than anyone to give my proposal a more polished edge. My sincere thanks to him, and also to a remarkably talented young man named Fela Maslen, who very patiently and competently has worked with me to develop the website.

I am extremely grateful to Martin Lubikowski from ML Design, Jon Haste from KOLB Illustration, Stuart France from Stuff Animated, Josh Coleman and James Nash from Bike Dock Solutions, and Willy and Guy Pearson from Pearson Cycles. Lastly I would like to thank my family for all their support over the years.

Simon Parker
simon@bikemapper.org.uk

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By viv, 22 December, 2011 8:30 am

‘Seeds of Change’ was the name of the Tasting the Future’s third assembly which as held on 28 November 2011. Tasting the future is a community of practitioners working towards a sustainable food future. The purpose of the assembly was to connect, hear inspiring stories and learn.

Conversations tackled a diverse range of issues facing us in the transition to a sustainable food future. These included: supply chains, climate friendly beef, urban agriculture, business models, sharing, supermarkets, GMOs, biodiversity, hubs & possibilities, sustainable food for everyone, food waste, food mapping, working together for systems change, getting people to act, connection and sustainability as a starting point for innovation.

Chris from GeoVation was one of the 11 speakers during the afternoon session. Chris spoke about GeoVation’s work on Mapping Local Food and how geography can support sustainable food enterprises. Also speaking was Pete Boyce of GeoVation Challenge winner City Farmers who told the assembly about their experiences of local growing and the opportunities for influencing and changing policy.

Niamh Carey from Tasting the Future shared the story behind the idea, the values behind the work and what the team would like to see grow. The final session allowed feedback from everyone in the room on how to take this forward.

To find out more about the assembly and Tasting the Future visit their website

You can also see the report of the Local Food Mapping Workshop we held in July

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By viv, 21 December, 2011 8:30 am

In a week Christmas will be over and the New Year will be nearly upon us. How about starting 2012 with a resolution to buy locally produced food? The benefits are savings on packaging and food miles and you can add some variety by trying new varieties of ‘seasonal’ food.

‘How can Britain feed itself?’ GeoVation Challenge winner, Foodnation have now launched their retro-appeal Foodnation Android app making it easier than ever to locate your local farm and subscribe to a produce box scheme.

Combining the mobile app and website, Foodnation aims to help foodies find their local farm using OS OpenSpace. You can browse your farm’s tasty produce in the online marketplace. Then, using the secure e-commerce section, it’s easy to buy a one-off gourmet box or register for weekly or fortnightly produce boxes.

Foodnation also works well for Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) schemes. With several already on board, it’s easy to find your local CSA and get involved through buying an ongoing subscriptions/share in its produce.

Louise of Foodnation says:  Our farms offer delicious produce, which is not only seasonal but offers more choice in plant and animal varieties.  Foodnation is all about making produce box schemes convenient for the consumer. We hope we’ve made New Year’s resolution No.1 that little bit easier for people to commit to.

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By viv, 14 December, 2011 8:30 am

Cyclescape is a comprehensive online campaigning toolkit to assist cycle campaign groups around the UK which is being created by GeoVation Challenge winner, CycleStreets.

Cyclescape will enable members of the public and campaigners to pinpoint where cycling is difficult, prioritise what to work on, make geographical data such as collision data and accessibility easily available, and automatically notify and involve the cyclists in the area who have an interest in seeing issues fixed.

They are just moving into beta phase now, with testing of a closed early beta started by members of one of their stakeholder groups and their designers working on the overall design and page templates.  You can follow their progress and see design screenshots on their website.

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By viv, 13 December, 2011 8:30 am

Foodnation’s website is open for business and you can be amongst the first to access it. 

You can add your farm, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or veg box scheme to the Foodnation map (which is using OS OpenSpace) and reach 1,000’s of potential customers ready to subscribe to fresh food deliveries in your area. If your local farmer is already registered you can find and buy from them.

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By viv, 16 November, 2011 8:30 am

We are really excited and pleased to be supporting National Geographic Education this Geography Awareness Week with our GeoVation, Mission:Explore. We’ve worked closely with them to create a series of missions that challenge children to go on adventures in their communities, explore their backyards and take action on issues that they care about. Young explorers can unlock points and collect online badges for the efforts. All the details of how you can take can be found on their website at www.geographyawarenessweek.org and the resources will be useful well beyond this week.

As part of this work I’ve been getting email alerts when newspapers, blogs and other media channels mention Geography Awareness Week. It’s exciting to see so many reports that focus on our creative and experiential approach to exploring local communities, but far too many have included and resorted back to the pub quiz style ‘name the capital’ quizzes that mask the opportunities of geography.

I personally find it infuriating that travel has become divorced from geography in the minds of so many people. Travel is usually a gulf away from geography section in book shops (if there is one). This is despite travel being arguably the biggest possible opportunity for the geography community to engage the wider public with the subject in an entertaining and enjoyable way. Exploration and travel are one of the physical manifestations of geographical enquiry and it’s time we reclaimed them. I believe making the explicit link between travel and geography will help to bring new life to geography, demonstrate that it is not just about factual knowledge building and reshape the way the public understands the subject.

The question is, how?

Daniel Raven-Ellison, Mission:Explore

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By viv, 7 November, 2011 8:30 am

Since winning the ‘How can Britain feed itself?’ GeoVation Challenge, City Farmers, have been incredibly busy. Below, Helen and Peter give an update of what they’ve been doing:

After attending the Incredible Edible Lambeth Harvest Party and reflecting on this growing season, we realized how quickly time has passed, and how much City Farmers has done over the past six months.

In Spring, funding from both Ordnance Survey’s GeoVation and Timberland’s Earthkeepers funds, enabling us to buy materials and services to get our projects of the ground. So what have we done? It would be impossible to list all the amazing projects we’ve been part of, but here’s a taster of what we’ve been up to:

• We’ve participated in several community events, giving out growing starter packs and advice.
• We have started two new community gardens with the residents at Rupert Gardens, with plans to support least seven more new ventures across Lambeth soon.
• We are providing logistical support to a wide range of existing growing groups, filling a much-needed role in the community.
• We spoke at Kew Gardens’ Start festival, and represented Incredible Edible Lambeth at Jamie Oliver’s Big Feastival.
• We had a stall at the Lambeth Country Show, where we gave away hundreds of plants in exchange for hundreds of completed surveys about growing habits. We also premiered our three maps, and gave advice on growing in our community.
• We’ve helped community projects like the Brixton Energy Co-op and the Remakery in a variety of ways from copy-writing to engineering.
• We’ve set up new initiatives in the community like upcycling estate windows into greenhouses, and our new project, to be announced this week. Stay tuned; it involves hops, growing and beer…

We have had such a positive six months, participating in exciting projects and talking to inspiring people. Thanks everyone, and happy harvest!

Helen and Pete, City Farmers

You can find out more about City Farmers work by visiting their website