Back in February I emailed (see below) the Dutch geographical information register (NGR) about why I think many developers shun it. My main observation was that a number of key features are so buggy that it’s impossible to use the site effectively (actually: at all). The best way, I wrote, to fix the bugs (and […]
Week #35 – Participatory space making
Smart Citizens build cities Last week I hinted at my interest in the vision of a smart city in which connected and engaged citizens bring smartness about instead of sensors, feedback loops and algorithms. One of the many ways this smartness surfaces is urban farming. Another manifestation of this smartness that I find deeply fascinating […]
Week #34
OpenStreetMap buildings in Bulgarian protected nature zones A friend’s Facebook post prompted me to start work on a small script/workflow to extract OpenStreetMap (illegal) buildings in Bulgarian protected nature zones. I’ve the feeling these may be numerous as Bulgarian laws often dance to the sound of dubious financial sources. @antitoxic and @yurukov are aiding me (thanks!) by looking for data […]
Biweekly notes #1
In an attempt to write more often I’ve decided to start a biweekly series that illuminates my activities, thinking and readings. In doing this I’ll be following the ways of Charl and Alper. I’ve marveled plenty at their ability to push posts on a regular basis and have finally collected enough courage and content to […]
Surveying the river Geul
On the 11th and 12th of September I helped students from the Sint-Oelbert Gymnasium to measure a meander of the river Geul in the vicinity of Epen. The project is part of the school’s scientific week in which the students are introduced to the scientific method. Throughout the week students participate in projects that revolve […]