Workshop: Growing Information Infrastructures
(Santa Clara University, 1 May 2007)
*For discussion summary using Compendium Topic Maps see
http://kmi.open.ac.uk/projects/hyperdiscourse/maps/2007.05.01-SCU/2007.05.01-SCU_Outline.html
We invite you to join a short workshop to be held Tuesday, May1,
10AM-2PM at Santa Clara University's Center for Science, Technology and Society on the theme of "Growing Information Infrastructures."
This invitation-only workshop will build on our recent National Science Foundation report "Understanding Infrastructure: Dynamics, Tensions, and Design," on building cyberinfrastructure (download at http://www.si.umich.edu/~pne/PDF/ui.pdf.) The workshop will bring together leading social scientists studying the development of large scale information infrastructures with interested participants from Silicon Valley research labs. Following a brief orientation, we will proceed to an open-ended discussion centering around two themes:
1. 'Planner' vs 'Seeker' approaches to growing information
infrastructures. This is a variation of William Easterly's discussion of development in The White Man's Burden, where he contrasts the approach of planners, who try to maintain centralized control of very large scale projects (the Millenium Villages project is an example) to seekers, who find out what is working on the ground and try to grow synergistically from there. In the information technology world, the archetypal planner would be Microsoft, in contrast to the FOSS movement.
2. Strategies for information infrastructure growth. Where in the first session we will take a bird's eye view of contrasting approaches, in the second we will drill down to some specific strategies for information infrastructure growth. In particular, we will explore ideal relationships between industry, the academy and government. This discussion will be kicked off by a presentation of two case studies, which will allow us to ground the conversation.
This promises to be an exciting mix of people - we hope that you can join us.
If you can come, please rsvp to Sherrill Dale () and she will provide logistical details. A catered lunch will be provided.
Geoffrey C. Bowker
Center for STS
Santa Clara University
Paul Edwards
School of Information
University of Michigan
Steve Jackson
School of Information
University of Michigan