Each week, the Lab selects a document or project deemed particularly interesting and relevant and presents it in a few lines. This week, the Lab focused on the initiative OceansOnline, an example of a meeting between social media experts, researchers, and fishing professionals that opens up a new world of possibilities offered by digital technology for shared management and knowledge exchange in the maritime environment.
The digital ocean
Everywhere, digital technology is revolutionizing uses and knowledge of the world. The sea is no exception. Sharing information and the active involvement of all stakeholders in exchange networks are now an essential part of marine planning and management work. Each day brings a stream of new ideas and digital tools aimed at amplifying these digital collaborations, at the risk of drowning in them if skills do not keep up.
To draw attention to the available tools and the best ways to use them, OceansOnline, a parallel session of the 4th International Congress on Maritime Conservation, brought together a panel of experts in digital tools and social networks to discuss their vision of these digital tools and share some examples of innovative practices that engage fishermen, managers, researchers, and other sea users in a more integrated, transparent, and shared management of the ocean.
Digital theaterization in the service of scientific dissemination... and fishery management.
The 2014 CGDD report "Accounting for Material Flows in Regions and Departments" [4] highlighted the importance of developing material flow accounting at the territorial level (regions and departments) to observe the territorial metabolism and ensure the transition to a circular economy. Indeed, territories are privileged places for implementing an ecological transition policy due to their competencies acquired through various decentralization laws, mainly in the areas of land use planning, economic development, and environmental protection. However, local policymakers have little knowledge of the material flows passing through their territory. Yet, understanding these flows is necessary to identify generally underutilized local resources, substitute fossil products in favor of renewable resources, increase resource productivity, or further develop recycling. These measures could also help reduce the territory's dependence on the rest of the world by decreasing imports of materials.
“Instagram is the new IMAX“ Kat Middleton, science communications specialist at Laurentian University
@katmidds expressed in these terms to convey the influence that these new communication tools can have on the imagination and education of younger generations, who can now access live broadcasts of images or videos from an ROV submarine dive on their smartphones. on an abyssal pit.
This theatricalization can also serve professionals in the fishing and aquaculture sector to promote their products. Whether on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, many have already understood the importance of communicating the human aspect of their activity, which can become a differentiating asset and add value to their products.
Attending a conference on fishing between two tides: digital technology facilitates access to information for professionals wherever they are.
At the 4th International Congress on Maritime Conservation, a group of researchers, fishermen, and ICT experts presented the case of the blog "Through the Gaps ". This blog, managed by Laurence Hartwell, a former fishing captain and now a digital media expert, allows any connected fisherman to follow and interact during conferences where their professional interests are sometimes discussed, but their professional lifestyle often prevents them from attending. This tool was used, for example, during the European project conference GAP2, held in Barcelona in 2015, focused on collaboration between researchers, fishermen, and civil society representatives for fishery management. Thanks to this tool, over 300 fishermen located across Europe were able to join the discussion and interact with the audience and the present experts. This had a real and positive impact on the involvement of professionals in the co-management of resources and the sharing of information.
Vertigo Lab and open innovation for the blue economy
As part of its work on sustainable management and open innovation applied to the blue economy, Vertigo Lab has recently embarked on the development of projects aimed at bringing together fishermen, managers, researchers, creatives, and other non-institutional innovators such as FABLABs, Hackerspaces, and other third places, from which eco-sourced bio-materials, smart fishing nets, or other drones monitoring marine parks may emerge!
Join Vertigo Lab on Twitter, in French @vertigo_lab, and also now in English @vertigolab_EU
