jeremy ottevanger mcn2009: digital sustainability and the art of decision-making
DESCRIPTION
Paper given to Museum Computer Network Conference 2009 in Portland, OR by Jeremy Ottevanger, PhD student at Leicester University and web developer at the Museum of London. Looks at conceptual issues around digital sustainability in museums and the environment within which we operate. The Flash version on Slideshare isn't showing the credits for images. They're in the downloadable PPT or in the transcriptTRANSCRIPT
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Digital sustainability and the art of decision-making*
Jeremy Ottevanger
University of Leicester & Museum of London
* this title is no longer all that appropriate but I still quite like it
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What is “sustainability”?
environmental stewardship?
financial stability?
the ability to “keep stuff
working”?
hmm...
California Academy of Science roof by mrsmullerauh http://flickr.com/photos/frankenhut/2869204328Foreign currency and coins by bradipo http://flickr.com/photos/bradipo/1435739708
Car fail by Tony G/Fail Blog http://failblog.org/2009/05/20/car-fail-5/Blind monks examining an elephant by Hanabusa Itchō http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Blind_monks_examining_an_elephant.jpg
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A balancing act
Proposition: A resource is “sustained” if it continues to yield value.It is only “sustainable” if one can justify the cost of ensuring this.
Street Theatre, Sacre Coeur by Taylor Dundee http://flickr.com/photos/thepatersonsphotos/3980109705/
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Three legs
Value
Factors promoting or
inhibiting value
Resources
Milking stool from http://www.harvestofhistory.org/primary_source_detail.html?ps_id=42
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Value
…falls out of your mission
Sequoia plantation in Washington Park by eyeslikeacavefish http://www.flickr.com/photos/cavefish/4091463549/
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Factors
…how you generate value (or overcome barriers to it) e.g. Keep content current Build new bits Moderate forums, curate UGC Fix broken software …and so ad infinitum
Worm tube with lots of tiny cool things by eyeslikeacavefish http://www.flickr.com/photos/cavefish/3744445344/
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Resources
• $£¥€₪₣• ♀♂• The big one: Opportunity cost
Original picture WWF currency donation bowl by MarkPritchardhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/toobeautiful/469568511/
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Decision-making
• Effective measurement of value• Effective identification of all the costs• Uncertainty, attitudes to risk• Communication of value and
resource requirements
friction = failure
Yarn choice by eyeslikeacavefish http://www.flickr.com/photos/cavefish/4094800304/
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Scenarios of change
Not too sure of the provenance of this I’m afraid. Looks like Teahupo’o to me.
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The balance upset…
Scenarios of change to Value Beneficial factors Barriers Resourcing Decision-making
Original pic Spill: disaster in the making by Kami Jo http://www.flickr.com/photos/kamijo/1680558931/
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Lessig's Modalities of Regulation
From http://www.socialtext.net/codev2/index.cgi?what_things_regulate. I dearly hope this is CC
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Legal constraints
Copyright and licensing in flux
Kindling by oskay @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/oskay/3470579202
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Market constraints
Recession
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Norms
Evolving patterns of:
Digital usage
Authenticity
Authority
Thanks, TriMet
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Architecture
“The world as it is”
(or as we’ve made it)
Millau Bridge by eyeslikeacavefish http://www.flickr.com/photos/cavefish/2828267787/
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The architecture of technology
− Operating systems− Programming
languages− Lots of big software− Hardware− Infrastructure− The internet…
Today's ‘Underappreciated Technology of the Day’ by kevindooley http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagedooley/2234031789/
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Building and operating
Capital and operating costs
Decision making after build
Build phase (and its economics) influencing the operating phase. Accountability of builders to operators.
Various models of build and initial operation in a project-oriented world, such as:
− funding to build and then run for limited period
− build only
− build with business model for the futureb
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Seeing Europeana as a constraint
A market constraint:
− competing with Google
− possibly tied to funding for digitisation Technical and infrastructural architectureT
...but a constraint over which we have some influence
Legal constraint: licensing deliverables. Will it connect with legal deposit?
Norms...?
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Thanks for hearing me out :-}
Jeremy Ottevanger
University of Leicester/Museum of London,
with the support of Lexara
Twitter: jottevanger
Blog: http://doofercall.blogspot.com