by Brian Healey So far, my year of research has been filled with copious amounts of spreadsheets, Facebook pages and Google street views, all in an effort to create an interactive database for farmers across the state of Indiana. This project consists of seven maps, each one filled with different layers of data points I have collected alongside Jodee Ellett, the head of this project. The areas that the maps cover range from Food Producers to Food Education, Technical Assistance and everything in between. We are mapping anything and everything an Indiana farmer could want or need all in one place. Collecting all of this data in one spot has never been done by the state before. The challenge of finding the information that I need is that it is scattered across different web pages and files buried deep within one of the hundreds of state websites and countless Facebook pages. This, is one of the problems Jodee and I have been hoping to solve with this project. Besides the monotony of looking at lists of different aspects of the food chain for hours on end, the work can be very interesting, and I am hoping that the final product will be widely used once it is up and running. Thankfully, the majority of the data collection work is behind me and the process of creating the maps has begun. As of writing this post, I have one of the maps fully completed with another nearing the same point. Seeing the endless flow of spreadsheets turn into a visible and usable map is an extremely rewarding experience. I got a sense of accomplishment when the first map was complete because despite only being 1/7th of the way through the project, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Recently, Jodee and I met with Eduardo Brondizio of the IU CASEL lab to discuss the process of getting our research out into the world. Eduardo and his team helped us visualize how our project will be presented. This meeting went great and lifted a weight off both of our shoulders as the destination of the maps was the last big unknown regarding the project. Now that the location of the final maps is taken care of, we can focus on the process of creating and refining the maps to the point that we are satisfied and hopefully to the point that the users are satisfied as well. One way we plan to maximize the ongoing accuracy and value of the project is our community initiative where we hope that members of each community the maps are presented to, help to provide feedback and information that would otherwise be unavailable. I hope that my work ends up being appreciated and used for years to come. I believe that farmers new and old will find this site helpful in furthering their livelihoods, whether that be by expanding their area of operation, getting routine assistance or finding new distributors. I think that this project has the potential to become a “go to” for Indiana’s farm community.
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