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Scientists hope a sediment-laying strategy can help preserve the marine highway while restoring marshlands in Georgia. Can similar efforts work in Northeast marshes? Would it be worth it? [This article is a representative sample of content The Commons may publish in cooperation with our partners.]
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Climate Knowledge Ecosystem – two-year editorial plan
The Commons is an organization, a digital medium – thecommons.ai, and a knowledge-base application – Habitat. Our infrastructure, our editorial strategy and Habitat foster public-content relationships that create local climate knowledge. We are strategic about how this evolves.
From a single vine.
Preface
Think of our editorial strategy as a curriculum for language learning. Over time, the kinds of words/stories we publish teach Habitat about the impacts and trends of climate changes here. At the risk of oversimplifying, in Habitat's studies the big picture, for example "climate," is an ontology, a subject area.
A domain, in The Commons' case, are particular areas of focus, for example "farming." A poly-domain (WomenFarmingClimate) extends the structure. The stories we publish carry domain_ontology insight, and our editorial strategy considers how we teach Habitat at the same time we share information with the public.
Two-year editorial overview
This two-year plan establishes core editorial pillars and a poly-domain training approach while explicitly tying everything back to the local context of Martha's Vineyard. It provides a clear pathway for readers to connect their immediate environment to larger regional, national, and global patterns, making the content both personally relevant and broadly informative.
This approach should help foster a deep understanding of how local actions and changes fit into the larger picture of global climate dynamics, while evolving Habitat along fundamental domain_ontology and poly ontology dimensions.
Editorial layers
Local Focus (Martha's Vineyard and immediate surroundings)
Regional Scope (New England coastal areas)
National Context (United States)
Global Connections
Year 1: Establishing Local Roots and Regional Connections
Q1-Q2: Local Foundations
Launch with "Ecological Interconnections" pillar
Theme: "Watershed Moments" on Martha's Vineyard
SubTheme: Develop initial WomenFarmingClimate ontology focused on local farms
Content approach: Heavy emphasis on Community-Contributed Insights
Local focus: Martha's Vineyard ecosystems Regional connection: Compare with other New England islands National context: Island ecosystems across the US Global link: Island communities worldwide facing similar challenges
Q3-Q4: Expanding to Regional Narratives
Introduce "Human Cultural Adaptations" pillar
Theme: "Heat Signatures" in New England coastal communities
Initiate IndigenousKnowledgeClimate ontology, starting with Wampanoag perspectives
Enhance Habitat Curation to draw regional connections
Local focus: Martha's Vineyard temperature changes and adaptations Regional scope: New England coastal climate trends National context: Heat adaptation in US coastal vs. inland areas Global link: Coastal heat adaptation strategies worldwide
Year 2: Bridging Local Insights to Global Narratives
Q1-Q2: National Contextualization
Emphasize "Social Dynamics in a Changing World" pillar
Theme: "Roots and Migrations" focusing on climate-induced movement
Launch RuralPlanningClimate ontology, comparing Martha's Vineyard to mainland communities
Implement Interdisciplinary Collaborations, connecting local experts with national researchers
Local focus: Changes in Martha's Vineyard population and land use Regional scope: Migration patterns in New England National context: Climate migration hotspots in the US Global link: International climate migration trends and policies
Develop OceanEconomyClimate ontology, starting from local fishing industry
Enhance Temporal Diversity, projecting local changes onto global future scenarios
Local focus: Martha's Vineyard's changing maritime economy Regional scope: New England's evolving relationship with the Atlantic National context: US coastal economies and climate change Global link: Worldwide innovations in sustainable coastal livelihoods
Continuous Local-to-Global Content Strategies
Local Changemakers Spotlight
Profile local climate activists and innovators
Show how their work resonates regionally, nationally, and globally
Climate Data Localization
Translate global climate data to local impacts
Use Habitat to visualize how local changes connect to global patterns
Sister Community Connections
Partner with similar communities worldwide (e.g., other islands)
Create content that compares and contrasts local experiences
Policy Ripple Effects
Examine how national and global climate policies affect Martha's Vineyard
Explore how local initiatives could inform broader policy
Habitat's Evolving Local-Global Map
Develop a visual tool in Habitat that allows users to "zoom" from local to global contexts on any issue
Continuously enrich this tool with new poly-domain connections
Seasonal Local-Global Comparisons
Track seasonal changes on Martha's Vineyard
Connect these to regional, national, and global seasonal shifts
Citizen Science Aggregation
Encourage local environmental monitoring
Show how this data contributes to national and global datasets
Global Expert, Local Application
Invite global climate experts to address specific Martha's Vineyard challenges
