DIY Aerial Photography: Civic Science and Small Data for Public Participation and Action

First used during the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Public Lab’s DIY aerial photography toolkit-- composed of balloons, kites and cheap point and shoot cameras-- has gained increasing popularity. Hundreds of... [ view full abstract ]

First used during the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the Public Lab’s DIY aerial photography toolkit-- composed of balloons, kites and cheap point and shoot cameras-- has gained increasing popularity. Hundreds of kits have been distributed or constructed and hundreds of maps have been created around local issues by people across the globe. In a time in which high quality aerial and satellite imagery is more accessible than ever, the question that rises is how DIY aerial photography is gaining such popularity?

In a world of Big Data, public participation is being pushed aside by increasingly data-centric and techno-centric societies. Top-down decision making processes are controlled by small groups of experts who produce, interpret and apply data in decisions that affect many. A Small Data approach is one where people collaborate to produce their own data as a means of creating packages of information that address specific problems. Locals know more about their backyards than officials do, and by rigorously patching together their detailed observations, they can gain new powerful grounds for advocacy. Easy-to-use, affordable, visually and technically engaging DIY aerial photography toolkits are helping people to leverage their knowledge with that of decision makers.

In this session we take the opportunity to examine the power of DIY aerial photography for engaging people to act on issues that matter to them and to visualize information for effective advocacy. Contributing to the theme of the conference, this symposium provides discussion on innovative methodology designed to engage communities in creating active dialogues geared towards solutions. We will present four different use cases bringing stories of engagement and change ranging from the Los Angeles River (Lila Higgins) and Gulf of Mexico (Scott Eustis), to Uganda (Maria del C Lamadrid) and Palestine-Israel (Hagit Keysar).