Platform Functions
Personalized User-Accounts
Firstly, the Amsterdam Energy Collective, while publicly navigable by all, makes use of personalized user-accounts- building upon research on mechanisms of moving the energy transition movement forward, and the potential of a high level of User Experience Technology. Through personalized accounts, users can receive more relevant information, can be more easily connected with or to relevant other actors and can indicate more action-oriented information. These “users” can range from individuals, to organizations, and other initiatives. Where possible, each user indicates where and at what scale they are active (whether it is at the level of a concrete buildings, neighborhood-wide, across neighborhoods, or city-wide). The spatial references can be translated directly into points on the digital map, allowing for a geographic overview of where initiatives are occurring spatially; or at least in which general area they are active (e.g. city-wide or in specific neighborhoods). In proposing a digital platform, a critical reflection is needed on how power structures of different actors can either remain unnoticed or be brought to light in the functioning of the platform. Thus, in the creation of the user-account, questions can be included to let the user self-identify several characteristics that provide insight into the position of the user, such as the membership base and available fund- this will allow for a clearer overview of the role that various actors can play in the movement, and how their objectives influence the collective as a whole.
Tag-Indicators
In addition to a spatial overview of where various actors are active, the platform aims to improve the collective overview by attaching concrete goals in relation to the energy transition to each initiative, through a tag-system- thus, each individual, project and organization represented on the map has a set of tags attached to it, that indicate the main focus of the initiatives in relation to the energy transition movement. This will increase the overview of collective organizing and allowing for better coordination, collaboration and communication among the network. Users can continuously update the goals they are working on by selecting different tags through their account.
There are three types of goal-tags in phase I of the Amsterdam Energy Collective, that together allow for a clear indication and categorization on which challenges are addressed by individuals, projects and organizations. Firstly, there are Municipal goals: these are overarching, larger goals that have been set by the municipal government in relation to the energy transition, and that include both concrete, quantitative goals, as more general areas and themes. The prototype version of the Municipal Goal Tags are as follows.
Co-Creation of Projects
In addition to creating new tags, phase II aims to stimulate the action potential of residents through the option to propose or create new initiatives- this can include proposing a Sub-Goal to lager geographic area (“City-wide”; “Amsterdam East”), or can be more specific by adding an initiative to a specific location on the map through the “Add Initiative” option. The creation of a new initiative follows three simple steps. 1. A user indicates the geographic location and/or scale that they are focusing on: this can be a specific point on the map, and/or through a general location indicator tag (e.g. “Amsterdam East”; “Amsterdam Westpoort”; “City-Wide”, etc.). 2. A simple form structures the data gathering on the initiative, that involves a brief description of the imagined initiative, and which topics it addressed, once again drawing upon the goal-tags. 3. Action-oriented collaboration with other users is stimulated, by the ability to add concrete “Action steps” to advance the initiative. Users of the platform can support specific initiatives through either anonymously liking the proposal, or by supporting the proposal through a user account- this will allow to sort through initiatives based on the number of people that support the initiative and are collaborating on it, and contributes to data hierarchy on the platform.
Shared-learning
In addition to new goal setting and , the platform aims to stimulate a design-based democracy by facilitating easier replication of projects. Thus, through self-identification and organized workshops, relevant information can be distilled from successful projects- such as the financial model, used resources, main organizational strategies, and the return of investment. These components can then be flagged or indicated on the digital platform as potential places or assets for the initiation of a new project. The following visual provides an example of how a successful energy project can be evaluated and contribute to the creation of new initiatives.
The example looks at a recent (2019) project to place solar panels on a primary school (De Dapper) in Amsterdam East. 1). The platform provides a self-reported overview of the project, such as: the involved actors; the key working mechanisms; the financial model that underlies the project; and several of the platform’s goal-tags (see figure XYZ, 1). 2). Users will have the ability to indicate similar potential assets in different locations. For example, in the example of the Solar Panels on De Dapper project, several other primary schools with large roof surfaces have been indicated- these points now provide anchor-points for the creation of new solar energy initiatives.
