Activities of the Center
The Center combines technical skill in interactive information design and programming with a substantive understanding of think tank, government and non-profit research data and processes — directed toward translating policy research into interactive online resources from their current print-oriented form. It engages in three activities:
Production
Creates a range of models for how static research can be made to live natively and interactively in new media — "beyond the PDF."
Initiates projects to produce its own interactive presentations based on existing data
Focuses on research from think tanks, government agencies, NGOs and educational institutions as its primary sources
Maintains a highly visible public presence at digitalinfo.org to showcase its work and the products resulting from its collaboration with research organizations
Collaboration
Works alongside research organizations to re-conceive their output and processes in new and effective ways for digital presentation
Forges relationships with funders, research organizations and government agencies, working collaboratively with their staffs to develop interactive research products from the ground up
Overcomes the language barrier between information generators (researchers, analysts) and interactive developers by marshaling each group's skills behind the common purpose of creating high-quality, informative digital products
Develops joint "information" grant proposals along with research organizations: rigorous research paired with state-of-the-art digital presentations of the findings
Co-publishes the resulting projects on digitalinfo.org and the organizations' web sites
Leadership
Provides needed leadership, context and vision to assist the entire research community in making the necessary transition from using new media to distribute to using new media to inform
Builds organizations' capacity to self-publish in digital media through knowledge sharing and technical assistance
Convenes meetings, conferences, and seminars to share knowledge, expertise and best practices
Recognizes examples of quality work being done outside the Center