First, a note.
I had a look at the Riverspace.com.au
website recently, and decided to review it for the newsletter of the Peter
Cullen Water & Environment Trust, ‘BRIDGING’. It is an appropriate subject for that newsletter because, as stated in my review, Siwan
Lovett and Deborah Nias are both closely associated with the Trust (which is generally
known as the Peter Cullen Trust). Further, Riverspace is mainly focused on
water and the environment.
From a relatively brief exploration of the website
I can see it has potential to be the ‘go to’ URL for anyone who wants to find
out what is happening in or near Australia’s rivers, whether that ‘happening’
is human or ecological, research or recreation or business. For example, say five disparate groups are working on or using a particular stretch of the same river. By checking on Riverspace you would be able to find out about all five at once, if they have uploaded information to this site. You would be able to see how the activities overlap in time or impact, whereas otherwise you might know only about one of them.
I am republishing my review of Riverspace.com.au here to help make
the website more widely known, especially now (mid-2015) while there is no
cost for uploading new information (for details, see the website tab called ‘Join Riverspace’).
Permission
to republish has been granted by the CEO of the Peter Cullen Trust.
(For information about the Trust, see http://petercullentrust.com.au/.)
(For information about the Trust, see http://petercullentrust.com.au/.)
…………
The Riverspace website (www.riverspace.com.au)
is a central independent location where people working on or beside inland
waters anywhere in Australia can publicise their activities, progress and
results.
The site has the potential to provide readers with information about anything
and everything happening on, in and around rivers and wetlands
everywhere. Typical contributors could be not-for-profit and community groups,
government (all levels) and statutory bodies, river or wetland-based
businesses, fishing and boating groups, managers of land beside the waters,
research teams and many others. There is
normally a small–medium cost, depending on type of group and number of
projects.
This central oneness of Riverspace is a timesaver for readers. The
website should be ideal as a first ‘port of call’ to find out about an area or
about types of activity across Australia – much more convenient than having to
brainstorm what might be happening in an area and then delve through a
series of disparate websites where information is probably not arranged by
location or activity.
Riverspace is an initiative of Peter Cullen Trust Fellow (2010) Dr
Deborah Nias and Trust Friend Dr Siwan Lovett, both of whom manage
not-for-profit businesses and have for some years been leading, managing and
communicating about rivers and wetlands and their environmental values.
The site claims to be the only website of its kind in the world. Its
novelty may partly explain why the content on Riverspace is relatively sparse
so far.
Ease of use
Quoting from the site: ‘Riverspace uses a sophisticated, yet well-known
Google map interface, enabling users to zoom in and out and discover a wealth
of information at a range of scales.’
Information is entered under topics (‘stories’) in 10 categories, and by
State or Territory (‘locations’). Clicking on an icon on the map zooms you in
to the information/story about that site. When reviewed there were around 30
sites and stories on the website, with at least one in each state or territory
and many in NSW, Victoria and Queensland. Some appear in several
categories.
For people uploading information there are guides on the website, and
the backroom team provides (quoting) ‘an independently managed website, staffed
by a professional and experienced science communication team, who can advise
and assist on the best way to feature the work [you] are undertaking in ways
that make it relevant and meaningful for people’.
Relevant, and designed to grow
Riverspace appears to be a valuable online resource through which to
spread the word about work on inland waters to a keen audience that is engaged.
Not surprisingly, some entries involve Fellows of the Trust. Under
‘Community Involvement’ is the story of 2012 Fellow Dr Ben Dyer. Among several
other examples, two (under Riparian Revegetation) are the Rivers of Carbon
project part-run by Lori Gould (2014 National Water Commission Fellow of the
Trust), and the Glenelg River Restoration Project in which Dr Adam Bester (2014
VDEPI Fellow of the Trust) had a major role.
This reviewer can think of a number of other projects, plans, research
teams and groups (beyond the Peter Cullen Trust) that could usefully upload
information to Riverspace – potentially benefiting both themselves, by greater
exposure, and the way rivers and wetlands are valued by the general public. The
more the groups and businesses that are aware of and publishing on Riverspace,
the more useful the site will be. The
more widespread the information, the more the visiting readers, and the better
the exposure for contributors.
Overall
In concept Riverspace is innovative and appears an ideal and convenient
way of bringing together a wide range of types of information about inland
waters. It is surprising that the site is not more populated already.
The text for each story usually includes links to further information
and to the providers, adding to the value of this website as a starting point
in a search.
In practice, for readers the operation of the site is smooth,
particularly once you know that you can jump or scroll down the page as soon as
the ‘View more’ text has appeared (this reviewer had to be told).
Overall, Riverspace deserves to be in wide
and frequent use, both by providers and by readers. It is to be hoped that
Siwan’s and Deborah’s generous offer of free posting (see note above) will help
the site become a great ‘place for rivers, wetlands and people’.
To find out about free uploads, email: hello@riverspace.com.au
