Opasnet brochure

Scope

Opasnet brochure is an easy-to-read promotion leaflet about Opasnet. It should tell the basic idea and major functionalities of Opasnet. The target audience is anyone who hears about Opasnet for the first time and is interested in learning what it actually is and where it can be found.

Definition

It's title should be the main slogan: "Anyone can solve common problems". The title should be described in one paragraph.

It should contain the descriptions of the five main properties:

• Completely open participation.
• Systematic information structure (research questions and attempted answers).
• Everything is subject to scientific criticism.
• Formal argumentation is used to resolve disputes.
• Quantitative estimates are uploaded to a database where anyone can use them.

It should invite the reader to read more from Opasnet and contribute in other ways.

It should tell about some real assessments where the reader can contribute.

It should have a few illustrative figures.

The format of the brochure should be double-sided, colour-printed A4. It should be folded once (to size A5) or twice (height of A5, width 1/3 of the height of A4). It should also be available as a PDF file.

Intarese instructions

Title

Author1, Author2, Author3, Author4

1) Institution name and address 2) Institution name and address 3) Institution name and address 4). Institution name and address

Corresponding author: Name, e-mail address

Keywords: Please identify 3-5 keywords.

Aim: Please kindly keep the total length of Aim and Abstract to approximately 350 words. Font size 12, Times New Roman. Abstract: Acknowledgements:

Please submit your abstract to Dr. Kornelia Jumel (k.jumel()imperial.ac.uk) by 7 January 2011

Result

See the Power Point file for printing out the brochure: File:Opasnet brochure.ppt. The texts in the brochure are presented below.

Anyone can solve common problems

The world is packed with common problems awaiting for solutions - global warming, urban air pollution, contaminants in drinking water and food to name a few. Many people would be willing to make an effort in solving these problems but so far have been lacking practical means to contribute. Now a tool exists to address this need. Opasnet is an open workspace in the internet where anyone can bring in their knowledge and values to inform decisions and actions on common problems.

What is Opasnet?

• Opasnet is an open workspace in the internet (www.opasnet.org) that is used for collecting, synthesizing and communicating knowledge and values for the purpose of guiding societal decision making.
• Like Wikipedia, it builds on the power of mass collaboration.
• Opasnet is available to anyone. You can initiate new assessments, contribute to existing assessments, or just read about existing assessments on practical problems.

How Opasnet works?

• Opasnet consists of a wiki-type web system and a database for storing large amounts of quantitative information.
• Opasnet relies on systematic information structure, which supports effective knowledge collection, synthesis and communication.
• Mass collaboration is made possible by splitting information into chunk-size pieces. This way a person with some small valuable piece of knowledge is able to contribute, and the small pieces of knowledge eventually grow into a large body of information.
• Openness is a means to guarantee the integrity and quality of information, because all contributions are openly subject to scientific criticism.
• Formal argumentation, taking place within the Opasnet itself, is used for structuring critique and resolving disputes about the content.

Get involved with Opasnet!

Go see Opasnet at en.opasnet.org and find out how to participate by:

• Reading Opasnet content
• Commenting Opasnet content
• Participating in polls
• Editing and creating Opasnet content
• Providing data to the Opasnet base
• Peer-reviewing Opasnet content
• Moderating parts of Opasnet

You can also check out and contribute to the on-going assessments on e.g.:

• Impacts of emission trading on city-level
• Impacts of heating in small municipalities
• Climate change, air quality and housing
• Costs and benefits of composite traffic
• Benefits and risks of eating fish