Visually Interactive Resource Map

(I hope this is in the right category)

Hi all, just joined the forum but have been lurking for quite a bit.

I wanted to share my project with you all and try to generate conversation and solutions. You all seem like an interesting bunch. The project is a lot more in depth than this explanation but to give you a general idea:

Together, as manufacturers and as consumers, we can create PACTTS, that is, Production with Accountability working Collaboratively using Transparency and Traceability to achieve Sustainability.

To achieve our PACTT we can use:

A Visually Interactive Resource Map (VIRM). A dynamic process business management tool. A proactive long-term business model and platform that increases available information, creates incentives for efficient use of productive resources, accelerates innovation and aides in automating resource management and impact analysis.

A tool to make manufacturers processes open-sourced and easily searchable. To be able to view product creation processes from start to finish and to see product resource inputs and outputs.

To create for manufacturers: A resource management tool with social accountability, transparency and traceability.

In each and every company we are ALL stakeholders and every company has a social responsibility, a CSR. All manufacturing companies are controllers of resources that often impact their environment in a negative way and a CSR has direct impact on the sustainable development of society. With VIRM we can examine and expose product performance and impact, we can review strengths and weaknesses and strategically plan improvements. What are we doing now? What could we be doing instead? Where do we go from here? VIRM offers measures of success, impact of changes, full product history tracking, product quality improvement, increased productivity, increased visibility, and synchronised advancements. VIRM is a tool for long-term infrastructure planning and investment optimisation.

To create for prospective manufacturers: The ability to easily analyse manufacturing processes and to be able to create projects with the interest of developing improved manufacturing processes. VIRM is a tribal environment and facilitates prospective manufacturers in realising and achieving their objectives.

To create for end-users/buyers: The ability to scan product and see “all-hands” that were involved in product creation and to view what resources were used and/or wasted. The potential to have social equity and make informed purchasing decisions, to demand responsible market behaviour and to discourage irresponsible and inefficient use of natural resources. The capacity to view through a social, environmental, and governance lens a perspective on the long-term impacts of product. The power to perform company social audits even without manufacturers approval. VIRM provides information to help us live life within our means.

This all has a common goal of achieving resource sustainability, it is not about money or profit, it is about creating better systems that have us ALL in mind. Market prices should incorporate social, ecological and economic benefits and costs, and participants should know the consequences of their marketplace actions. In order to succeed businesses and society must succeed together.

To make this more visual as VIRM describes, imagine the following maps being interactive and real-time (belinen.com, rapanuiclothing.com). Each circle/square being a manufacturer, each clickable and expandable, each showing processes, reports and audits, each showing resource inputs and outputs. Add a search bar, connect all the dots and what you have is a visually interactive searchable representation of local and global production.

Let us forget websites that are mere marketed representations of producers, let us instead get real facts and real numbers. Let us innovate and PACTT together.

Is this something you would like to see or use? Any thoughts? How could one apply it to the MaidSafe technology?

Cheers all,
James.

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I imagine that it is possible to create a file that one can edit or many can edit and update like a wiki in such a way that there are the file locations to these VIRMs which any user can go directly to;

The host file of this list could include reviews and details.
Some could also be pay per view, and rank using a reputation system.

The safe network could make your project profitable without needing to sell anything or advertise anything. The safe network pays developers according to the popularity of the application.

Thanks for the reply, with no funding and as a non-developer how can I generate developer interest in the project? It was my hope that posting here might spark some interest. It would be excellent if VIRM worked on MaidSafe. VIRM is designed for the people in order to help the people.

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Hi, thanks for your input, it sounds pretty simple the way you describe it there. I am a non-technical user, compared to most here I believe. Do you have any advice on how I could get a model VIRM started using a model manufacturer? Basically, any advice on how to get a beta VIRM started? Maybe a big question, sorry. Create a file using what language and how would that integrate visually?

I guess I would need experienced developers willing to put in their time. I really believe VIRMs can help resource management and generate better business practices, and at the same time contributes to consumer awareness. As prospective/new manufacturers it gives the ability to learn processes quickly and easily and to communicate with current manufacturers.

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Definitely the right category and one of the best projects I’ve seen touted for SAFE both in terms of suitability for living on the SAFE network, and the goals it aspires to.

These are key questions and I’m no expert. I think at this stage you need to go out there and make a noise about it.

If you haven’t already, look for similar initiatives - for ex Open Farm, Open Corporates, and there was a green business index website/app live a couple of years ago - all those sound relevant to help you see what is possible, how it is done, and to help you communicate your idea by saying: “like X but with the following differences…” where people might already be familiar with X.

While looking, talk to folk at those initiatives, ask them how they got it done, understand (if you can) how their systems work, at least the processes involved if you can’t get into the engineering.

Do what you’ve done here. Shout about it. Present at anywhere with “Open”, “Decentralise”, Maker, Hackspace etc etc types attending / write some articles, social marketing via twitter etc.

I think an idea like this will appeal to people, so once you’ve got a small team together - it could just be to produce project definitions, ideas, a proof of concept, rather than the whole thing - and try a kickstarter project or other crowd funding method (I suspect @dirvine has something up his sleeve for SAFE to support, but if he doesn’t, someone will!). Pitch to “Angel” investors who are not looking for a share of profit/equity (if you can find any :-)). Its such a “good” project I think it could attract charitable style help, so it doesn’t have to have VC appeal to get funded.

Hope that helps. Its not something I can speak about from having done myself, but hopefully some of it is useful.

Hello @happybeing thanks for taking the time to provide your input. Your compliments made me beam :). I will do some looking into the things you suggested and update here when I find more information or advance any. This project has been a year+ of research and I strongly believe it is something we will see in the future regardless if it uses my approach or not. Consumer demand is increasing for these types of things. Hopefully my approach is used as it has no hidden agendas, its goal is Sustainability, for the future generations. On the whole I have had very positive feedback for my project but trying to get people involved is another story. I will remain positive and persevere.

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I’m glad you found my words warm, and I hope they prove helpful in a practical way. What you’re trying to do us really important, and the effort you’ve put in shows and I think will help you get more people involved - you just need to find them!

Maybe another thing that would help is a mentor, @dirvine would be amazing, someone who’s been there and who shares these values, as well as can provide some practical input.