Public Awareness of Pollution in the Savannah River
Presentation Type
Research Study
Release Option
Event
Description
.
Abstract
Public awareness of local water system pollution remains limited in the United States. Environmental agencies publish data that is often fragmented, difficult to access, and difficult for non-specialist audiences. This project used the case study of Savannah, GA to assess the methods for making water quality knowledge more publicly accessible. Taking inspiration from the experimental digital humanities project The Feral Atlas (https://feralatlas.supdigital.org/, Stanford University Press, 2021), the project focuses on two problems with conveying environmental information--comprehensiveness and accessibility. It uses two different software applications (Knightlab's Timeline and Wix's mobile-friendly website builder) to address these two problems, and then experiments with weaving these together with the help of interview data about public understandings in Savannah gathered from the city's principal environmental reporter for the past three decades, Mary Landers (Savannah Morning News, and The Current). It demonstrates that the kinds of strategies employed by experimental Feral Atlas have value when simplified and used on a local level to address gaps public information and can help resolve issues related to comprehensiveness and accessibility. Public awareness of local water system pollution remains limited in the United States. Environmental agencies publish data that is often fragmented, difficult to access, and difficult for non-specialist audiences. This project used the case study of Savannah, GA to assess the methods for making water quality knowledge more publicly accessible. Taking inspiration from the experimental digital humanities project The Feral Atlas (https://feralatlas.supdigital.org/, Stanford University Press, 2021), the project focuses on two problems with conveying environmental information--comprehensiveness and accessibility. It uses two different software applications (Knightlab's Timeline and Wix's mobile-friendly website builder) to address these two problems, and then experiments with weaving these together with the help of interview data about public understandings in Savannah gathered from the city's principal environmental reporter for the past three decades, Mary Landers (Savannah Morning News, and The Current). It demonstrates that the kinds of strategies employed by experimental Feral Atlas have value when simplified and used on a local level to address gaps public information and can help resolve issues related to comprehensiveness and accessibility.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Robert Batchelor
Department of Primary Presenter's Major
Other
Location
Lobby
Symposium Year
2023
Public Awareness of Pollution in the Savannah River
Lobby
Public awareness of local water system pollution remains limited in the United States. Environmental agencies publish data that is often fragmented, difficult to access, and difficult for non-specialist audiences. This project used the case study of Savannah, GA to assess the methods for making water quality knowledge more publicly accessible. Taking inspiration from the experimental digital humanities project The Feral Atlas (https://feralatlas.supdigital.org/, Stanford University Press, 2021), the project focuses on two problems with conveying environmental information--comprehensiveness and accessibility. It uses two different software applications (Knightlab's Timeline and Wix's mobile-friendly website builder) to address these two problems, and then experiments with weaving these together with the help of interview data about public understandings in Savannah gathered from the city's principal environmental reporter for the past three decades, Mary Landers (Savannah Morning News, and The Current). It demonstrates that the kinds of strategies employed by experimental Feral Atlas have value when simplified and used on a local level to address gaps public information and can help resolve issues related to comprehensiveness and accessibility. Public awareness of local water system pollution remains limited in the United States. Environmental agencies publish data that is often fragmented, difficult to access, and difficult for non-specialist audiences. This project used the case study of Savannah, GA to assess the methods for making water quality knowledge more publicly accessible. Taking inspiration from the experimental digital humanities project The Feral Atlas (https://feralatlas.supdigital.org/, Stanford University Press, 2021), the project focuses on two problems with conveying environmental information--comprehensiveness and accessibility. It uses two different software applications (Knightlab's Timeline and Wix's mobile-friendly website builder) to address these two problems, and then experiments with weaving these together with the help of interview data about public understandings in Savannah gathered from the city's principal environmental reporter for the past three decades, Mary Landers (Savannah Morning News, and The Current). It demonstrates that the kinds of strategies employed by experimental Feral Atlas have value when simplified and used on a local level to address gaps public information and can help resolve issues related to comprehensiveness and accessibility.
