[Foundation-l] Wikipedia and sustainable development

[Anthere]

Hello,
 
Wikipedia has been invited to participate to a french meeting about the use of Internet technologies in sustainable development, which will take place in february 2005, www.tic21.com. I am not sure it will be possible that we indeed participate to the meeting itself, for it is *expensive*. However, external financial support might be an option (sponsorship).

In any cases, the meeting has been advertised in several ways, among which a first newsletter sent in spring 2004.
The first newsletter may be visible here : http://www.tic21.com/intro.php?Page=lettreTIC21.htm
 
A second newsletter will be send to all participants soon.  This newsletter will include a collection of texts written by several implicated actors, such as french administration, french academics, France Telecom, Unesco, Fing, Agora21, local committee 21 etc...
I have been asked to participate to it for Wikipedia.
The organiser of the meeting suggested that I explained how the website www.planetecologie.com and Wikipedia could collaborate together (an idea on which we have been working before summer), and how and if collective intelligence could possibly be useful within sustainable development.
 
Hmmmm.
I can obviously stay at the level of short description of Wikipedia, plus add a nice paragraph of fluttery thoughts on how giving free access to information to the largest number of people is indeed a participation to sustainable developement TO MY OPINION... supporting social integration, helping making informed decisions, favoring cultural understanding hence peace, participating democracy, blablabla
 
 
However, I would love being *much* more practical, and give REAL examples of our work :
 
I have distinguished 3 potential directions of interest, 
* my pet topic, the ecoregions project
* the brand new wikispecies and the tree of life
* the Gemet
 
I need help on the last two.
I would love it if I could have a short resume of the current state of wikispecies and tree of life current state of development, and hopes of the editors participating to it. Who would be available to discuss this with me ? on irc or by mail.
Second, I just could not find back the mails sent to the ml (which ml ?) about the Gemet and its integration in wiktionary. I have just no idea what the state of this project is (except that I see it is mentioned on the Gemet page itself...). Again, I would love to know more about this.
 
I think that mentionning REAL projects, citing facts, pointing out to work already done, will speak more than a thousand words. And I believe it could have much impact on how our implication is seen by some big organisations.
 
 
Who can help me ? 
 
Anthere
 
 




		
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