Analysis of Ocean Memory Project Methodologies to Produce a Written Report and Toolkit
The Ocean Memory Project (OMP) has brought together a diverse group of thinkers and doers to explore the idea of Ocean Memory. This has been achieved by borrowing, inventing, implementing, and iterating on methodologies to help gather a diverse community and support its productivity. These practices emphasize integrative processes that allow multiple views to coexist and cross-fertilize each other, and which thrive in the specificity yet expansiveness of OMP’s initial question (Does the Ocean have Memory?). It is essential to identify and share the unique methodology contributions of the transdisciplinary OMP, both in service of exploring the concept of Ocean Memory, and more generally eliciting and integrating knowledge and the production of transformative ideas and practices.
The analysis phase of this project has three primary goals: 1) codify OMP methods, tools, and activities based upon analysis of OMP documents, web traces, interviews and surveys; 2) review existing toolkits and methods developed by other groups similarly working to bring together diverse minds to address complex problems; 3) identify the complementarity, overlap, and uniqueness of OMP methods with these others. From this, we propose two outcomes: 1) An article for Elementa, describing the unique practice contributions of the OMP; 2) An online toolkit of methods and tools for OMP members and others to adopt, benefit from, and continue to develop this array of Ocean Memory practices. We aim to solidify the legacy of OMP and its methodologies, and create a capability for their continuance and evolution into the future.
