learn more about the theirwork project, what it does, and how you can get involved

What is theirwork?

TheirWork is a free online map about local communities. Groups of people in a community can add information to a map about their locality, creating a dynamic snapshot of how people feel about where they live. Individuals can mark places on the map, and comment on why they feel the places are important or of interest to them.

How is theirwork different from other maps?

Most maps are strictly defined by a small group of people, who often have never even visited the place they are mapping. In a theirwork map, the value system is defined by those who live in the actual place, and so shows the true character of the area.

What types of information do you expect people to contribute?

We don't expect anything! People can contribute facts, opinions, stories, photographs, drawings - whatever they want. The content could be factual (animal and plant data, pollution hotspots, fishing and biking trails), or the content could be about people's feelings (stories, favourite walking spots, memories or their concerns for the future). What we'd really like to see is people taking the map and making it into something that will express how they feel about their area.

Why was it put together? What does it hope to achieve?

It was put together to give people the chance to easily record things about where they live, and communicate and share those feelings with others. The map also allows you to see how other people feel about the space you share. By sharing these facts and feelings online, theirwork aims to build up a rich picture that will help you to realise how important your everyday space is, and protect it for current and future living.

How does the map work?

The map focuses on a particular area - for the moment, we're just dealing with the Loe Pool, a small freshwater lake in Cornwall. People living in that area contribute their knowledge and feelings about the lake and it's surroundings. They go for walks and talk about what they see, they tell stories about the history of the area, they discuss how they feel about it. All of this information is added to the map as 'places', which anybody can view online. In fact, anyone who accesses the website can immediately add their own places, which means that it becomes a constantly changing, collaborative representation of a physical space.

How successful has it been so far? Where is theirwork being used?

TheirWork is in the early stages of development and is currently being piloted in the LoePool area of Cornwall, the largest natural lake in the county. To help develop the project, eight people who use the lake are working together to test the website. The area has been chosen because of its proximity to two towns (Helston and Porthleven) and the sea.

What's up next for the project?

TheirWork would like to pilot more areas that are of significant environmental and cultural interest. We want to reach out to other people who would like to map their area. Areas don’t have to be like LoePool, they could be business districts, cultural spaces, surf spots, your back garden. We're also looking for technical people who are interested in getting involved by developing the project in their area, and helping us to improve the software that drives it.

Who owns theirwork? Does it cost anything to use?

Nobody really owns the project, or the data that it contains. The project is licensed in a way that allows people to access and use the content of the map for free, as long as it's not for commercial use. The source code of the project is also free (or open source), which means that anyone can download it and independently develop their own version of the project, or use it as a starting point to build new software of their own. For more information, see here.

What is open source software? Why is theirwork open source?

Open source means that the code that runs the computer program is available for free to anyone to download their own copy and modify in any way they want. Theirwork is open source because we see it as a more sustainable way of working, and hope that it may help others to easily make a better or new type of map. For more information, you can view the software's GPL licence here.

We plan to make the first version of the software available to download in February 2006.

If I add something to the map, do I retain copyright of that information?

As described above, all information that is added to the map falls under a Creative Commons licence that allows anyone to use that content for non-commercial projects. This means that you are the owner of the content that you generate, but if anybody wants to reuse it they can do so, as long as they credit you as the original author. For more information, you can view the Creative Commons licence here.

Who is behind theirwork?

Theirwork was conceived and created by Dominica Williamson and Emmet Connolly. Dominica is an artist and designer living in Cornwall, and is trying to get greener, whilst more digital. Emmet is an artist and software developer living in Galway and studying a Masters in Digital Art and Technology at the University of Plymouth. They see users of the tool, particularly pilot users, as co-creators of the project.

How can I find out more?

There are a couple of things you can do if you are interested in finding out more about the project:

How can I get involved?

Email dom(at)theirwork(dot)org if you want to get involved with the LoePool pilot project or you want to make a TheirWork map of your area. Email emmet(at)theirwork(dot)org if you want to get involved in the technical development of the project or have any questions or comments about the software. We are actively seeking people to collaborate with us, so don't be shy, drop us a line if you are keen.