Attach a digital camera to a balloon or kite, and what do you get? An easy tool for public participation in land use decisions, says Eymund Diegel of the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science.
Diegel was participating in a panel at an event given by the European Journalism Centre. He explained why kite photography is useful for community engagement:
"Google maps is great if you live in the US or Europe, Diegel explained. But in countries like Peru there are no street-level maps. And besides, these Google maps do not allow you to collect information on issues that you yourself find important. For instance, the balloon and kite mapping technology was used to map oil spills on the Us Gulf Coast, and in Lima Peru to to measure the health of vegetated areas."
FULL STORY: How kite photography can empower local communities
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research