Overview

What if you could easily find great examples of transformation, and do so with confidence on their quality? What if decision-makers could see what other people have already tried? What if researchers could get closer to the leading edge of what is happening?

We believe there are many brilliant efforts that go unnoticed too often. If these examples from the edge were more easily available, and more prominent, then people could imagine broader futures, and take bolder decisions.

Here is a good use for rising digital technologies. The coming 5G connectivity supports the edges of physical networks. Therefore, there will be more and more data about things and people who are on the margins.

Also, machine learning forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can quickly search through a lot online. With the right guidance and training, they can find the most relevant examples of solutions. These technologies also mean we are closer than ever to people being able to video themselves one day, explaining or building their solution, and that data being available around the world in a searchable format. This could be a powerful tool in acceleratinge the learning we need for transformation.

Our thinking on this is inspired by the work on Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom. She was pivotal in carefully creating a rich database of real-life examples that addressed a problem (so-called ‘Common Pool Resource’). The new data from the edge demonstrated that the orthodoxy of the time was wrong (the ‘tragedy of the commons’ was not inevitable, but a special case). We will use similar research methods to inform the Inspirations platform approach to data collection.

So, the Inspirations search function helps decision-makers be bold in their choices, and researchers change the ideas that drive the choices we all make.

Purpose

  • Make it easy for people to find excellent examples of political, social, cultural and economic innovation, and for those examples to help people see the interlinkages and synergies between different approaches on different issues.
    • More evidence available for decision-makers. This will make it easier to make the bold choice.
    • More examples for researchers. This will bring them closer to the current leading edge, and so change the ideas that frame the choices that are available.
  • Define the emerging terms in the new field of ‘transformation for global prosperity’ by creating an ontology. This will have the knock-on effect of making the whole field more established and tractable.
  • Influence which examples rise to the top of searches through other search engines.
    • The new ontology will allow for good examples to be tag, which will then be used by other search engines.

Approach

[DIAGRAM]

We are using a research process modelled on systemic review:

  • Someone has a question. In the first instance, the questions will come from the Africa Assembly [LINK] and the Academic Community for Transformation (LINK).
  • Global search function from various sources. A new ‘ontology’ will guide the bots on what to look for. (The Global Prosperity Interface Ontology will codify terms which are critical to moving from climate emergency to prosperity but which are, as yet, undefined.) Partners will be needed to provide private datasets and citizen scientists can submit their own suggestions.
  • The first output is a long list of relevant examples.
  • These are evaluated against criteria.
  • The output: a short-list that are worth diving into because they are transforming tomorrow.
  • That quality data quality set can be used for inspiration and analysis.
  • Those findings are then available for wider distribution.

The year ahead

  • March: Have a mock up for people to understand and experience.
  • Summer: co-create different elements:
    • Global Prosperity Interface Ontology (where ‘interface’ means that it engages with existing ontologies, and only defines terms which are currently missing elsewhere).
    • The user need, experience and interface, both for decision-makers and researchers. The primary vehicles for this will be the Africa Assembly and the Academic Community for Transformation.
  • Develop the evaluation criteria.
  • October: launch a minimal viable product for wider use.

How you can get involved

There are different ways of participating:

  • A professional ontologist , attracted to develop the next ontology.

  • A potential user who wants to be part of developing thisthis, so it really serves your needs.

  • A researcher who has a body of work which can inform the evaluation criteria.

  • Someone with great examples which you want to make sure are in the data set.

  • An institution with a private dataset who wants to pool that in a structured and positive way for deep change.

  • Someone with feedback, positive or negative, which we can use to improve.