Blog

Hands holding a postcard with a child’s drawing of a rowing boat on the sea and a beach. The postcard is tied to a wooden structure with a piece of twine. The structure is made of crossed wooded slats. There are other postcards tied to the structure.

A Postcard from Ynys Môn.

As a ‘Bard’ working on the Public Map Project over the summer, I used the humble postcard as a starting point for conversations with children and families about the good places on Ynys Môn. I discovered a deepfelt passion for the Island and desire to protect its unique landscape, shared by visitors and locals alike, while hearing inspirational stories of family, community resilience, and connection to place.

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Lisa Hudson
07/12/2024
Aaliyah running a play disrupt workshop with a group of young people

Empowering Welsh Students Through Creativity and Culture

The Public Map Platform demonstrates the potential of an open, flexible approach to education. By teaching students the power of mapping, it highlights the positive impact this practice can have on communities. Through the integration of creativity and culture, Public Map Platform brings theoretical concepts about creative learning into real-world application, showcasing how effectively these methods engage and benefit children.

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Aaliyah Owen-McVey
02/12/2024
A hero image depicting the gradual evolution of mapping, smoothly transitioning from a hand-drawn paper map to a modern digital map on a tablet screen.

The Evolution of Mapping: From Paper to Digital in Community Projects

In this blog, Joseph discusses the transition from traditional paper maps to digital mapping tools like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and open-source platforms such as OpenStreetMap (OSM). He highlights how digital mapping enhances accuracy, facilitates collaboration, and empowers communities to document their environments. Despite challenges like the digital divide and data privacy concerns, emerging technologies such as LiDAR and AI offer opportunities for improved spatial data analysis. Joseph emphasises the importance of integrating local knowledge with advanced mapping technologies to support sustainable community development.

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Joe Smith
12/11/2024
A desk filled with paper and cut outs

Mapping through Zines

This blog explores the concept of zines—small, self-published booklets that allow individuals to creatively express their views, personal stories, or experiences. It highlights the potential of zine-making as a tool for political expression, particularly for young people who feel disconnected from formal politics. Drawing on personal experiences and political aesthetics, the blog discusses how zines can empower individuals to share their perspectives in an accessible and creative way. It also introduces a project combining zine-making workshops with a public map to showcase young voices and experiences on Anglesey.

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Maya Lee
07/11/2024
An intergenerational indigenous Cayambe family eating a meal at a table and smiling warmly at the camera

The Beating Heart

In this blog, Tansy Rogerson draws on her experiences in Gracia, Barcelona and Otavalo, Ecuador and her work as a Community Mapper on Public Map Platform to advocate the importance of a sense of place, the love and warm hug of the community that makes you feel like to belong, safe, the tender care, the protection, the real beating heart which is the community.

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Tansy Rogerson
28/10/2024
This picture was taken on The Mappers Passion Project Presentation day and shows some of the mapper team, alongside Flora – Public Map Platform project lead, Zara - Faculty Manager, and Aeronwy and Fliss – Project Coordinators.

Creating a Community of Mappers

We’re creating a community of Mappers! The Public Map Platform is working towards an ideal in which everyone is able to map what’s important to them in the space in which they live, to help shape the future of that area in ways that are meaningful to them. We are doing this by enlisting the help of our Community Mappers. They are local people with valued insight and knowledge as to what’s important for the future of Ynys Môn.

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Aeronwy Williams
14/10/2024
‘Be connected like a net’ - It is a net woven by participants for the Rural Roaming Room. We hope the Ynys Môn local residents can become more connected through the antifragility map.

Shaping Ynys Môn’s Future Together: Your Opinions Matters to Us

Discover how your voice can shape Ynys Môn’s future! Join Dr. Kewei Chen and Dr. Ronita Bardhan in their mission to research the impact of the Public Map Platform (PMP) as it tackles the social, cultural, and environmental challenges facing Ynys Môn. Find out why your input is crucial to the project’s success and how you can help build a brighter future for our communities and the island.

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Multiple authors
30/09/2024
A mapper is sitting at a table engaging with two children inside one of the wooden looms. The children are undertaking creative activities.

A Journey of Creativity and Connection: Designing and building the Rural Roaming Room, Lle Llais

Owen of PEARCE+ guides us through the design and construction process of our innovative Rural Roaming room, Lle Llais.

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Owen Hughes Pearce
16/08/2024
The Mandala of Ynys Môn: An outline model of Ynys Môn made of cardboard. The inside of it is divided into sections, each part filled with a different  kind of object, e.g., corks, spectacle lenses, stones, LEGO, stones, pine cones, marbles and shoelaces.

What is a Map?

Play:Disrupt are reminded that children will always outplay them as they experiment with methods for co-designing digital maps

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Malcolm Hamilton
26/06/2024
The image depicts an abstract digital artwork with lines and shapes resembling interconnected nodes or a cosmic network. The background is black, resembling outer space with scattered white dots representing stars. In the centre, there are two larger blue shapes, one appearing like an atom or nucleus with orbiting lines, and the other resembling a swirling vortex or spiral pattern. Slender, glowing blue lines crisscross the image, creating triangular and geometric patterns, connecting the central forms to each other and to the surrounding space. The overall effect evokes a sense of interconnectivity, complexity, and a visualisation of unseen forces or networks in the cosmos.

The What and Why of Inclusion

This blog looks at the importance and power of working inclusively within a team that is working in two languages, across cultures, with multiple organisations, a diversity of academic disciplines, each with its own technical language and a range of access needs and different communication styles.

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Dr. Anne Collis
04/06/2024
A macquette of a structure made with cardboard and sticks

Designing the Rural Roaming Room

An innovative space to imagine a better future

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Dr. Tristian Evans
08/04/2024
Prof. Flora Samuel giving a presentation to the crowd

The PMP Whole Team Meeting

Reflections on the PMP whole team meeting

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Prof. Flora Samuel
12/03/2024
Working towards a future that prioritises the wellbeing of people and planet.
Public Map Platform is being led by Cambridge, Cardiff and Wrexham Universities and is part of the Future Observatory - the Design Museum’s national research programme for the green transition. The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.