Supporting the sustainability of Australia's local news ecosystem. This project aims to understand how Australia’s main public broadcaster, the ABC, can best support public interest journalism in rural and regional communities, with a specific focus on fragile and underserved areas of the nation’s local news ecosystem. The project will develop new knowledge around media power and how news providers can work together to secure the sustainability of local news. Expected outcomes include a framewor ....Supporting the sustainability of Australia's local news ecosystem. This project aims to understand how Australia’s main public broadcaster, the ABC, can best support public interest journalism in rural and regional communities, with a specific focus on fragile and underserved areas of the nation’s local news ecosystem. The project will develop new knowledge around media power and how news providers can work together to secure the sustainability of local news. Expected outcomes include a framework to identify and define areas of news need, an assessment of existing interventions and road-tested approaches to improve information quality. The project should provide benefits by supporting forms of local journalism that ultimately enhances the demographic health and social fabric of small towns and cities.
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Social media in times of crisis: learning from recent natural disasters to improve future strategies. This project will analyse and evaluate how social media was used by emergency authorities, media organisations and citizens during recent natural disasters, including the January 2011 Queensland floods and Tropical Cyclone Yasi. The project will develop a framework for longer-term strategies for public communication during emergencies.
Engaging with Social Media in Museums. This project will prototype the use of social media in museums to produce a new source of high-quality cultural information, and link regional, rural and international users with city-based institutions. It implements National Research Priority Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries: promoting an innovation culture and economy and smart information use.
The Australian museum sector is undergoing a period of substantial c ....Engaging with Social Media in Museums. This project will prototype the use of social media in museums to produce a new source of high-quality cultural information, and link regional, rural and international users with city-based institutions. It implements National Research Priority Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries: promoting an innovation culture and economy and smart information use.
The Australian museum sector is undergoing a period of substantial change in response to policy and technology initiatives, yet little formal collaboration exists between museums and researchers. This project brings some of the country's major museums together with the Smithsonian Institution, one of the world's foremost cultural institutions.Read moreRead less
Assessing the impact of new communication technologies in developing countries and disadvantaged communities. This research will enhance understanding of the role of new technologies in communication with, and education of, disadvantaged groups as well as exploring the social changes they bring. Australia is committed to reducing poverty, to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and measuring the impact of development. Understanding how communication interventions may be better understood i ....Assessing the impact of new communication technologies in developing countries and disadvantaged communities. This research will enhance understanding of the role of new technologies in communication with, and education of, disadvantaged groups as well as exploring the social changes they bring. Australia is committed to reducing poverty, to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and measuring the impact of development. Understanding how communication interventions may be better understood is important to revealing how they support the achievement of better health, wellbeing, education and conflict reduction. This research will strengthen Australia's potential to lead in this field, to develop more effective development assistance and to apply such methods to Australian community development initiatives.Read moreRead less
Finding a Voice: Making Technological Change Socially Effective and Culturally Empowering. New information and communication technologies (ICTs) are heralded as remarkable tools for the development of marginalised communities. Research has shown that ICTs can contribute to development, but need to be introduced in ways that recognise local social networks and cultural contexts. This project takes a participatory approach to research, aiming to empower people through finding their own voice. We w ....Finding a Voice: Making Technological Change Socially Effective and Culturally Empowering. New information and communication technologies (ICTs) are heralded as remarkable tools for the development of marginalised communities. Research has shown that ICTs can contribute to development, but need to be introduced in ways that recognise local social networks and cultural contexts. This project takes a participatory approach to research, aiming to empower people through finding their own voice. We will establish a research network of local ICT initiatives across Asia and the Pacific region. Using ethnographic action research the network will be populated by local researchers in each of these initiatives, trained and supported by Australian researchers. This will increase understanding of how ICTs can be both effective and empowering.Read moreRead less
Creative digital industries in Australia: innovation in quantitative and qualitative mapping. The creative digital industries have been identified as a national priority for research, policy analysis and industry development as they are a high growth sector of the global and Australian economy. The project will innovate in both quantitative and qualitative analysis. It will enhance the statistical base for this emerging part of the new economy, and examine creative enterprise dynamics as well as ....Creative digital industries in Australia: innovation in quantitative and qualitative mapping. The creative digital industries have been identified as a national priority for research, policy analysis and industry development as they are a high growth sector of the global and Australian economy. The project will innovate in both quantitative and qualitative analysis. It will enhance the statistical base for this emerging part of the new economy, and examine creative enterprise dynamics as well as digital outputs within the creative industries and wider service industry sectors including education, health and government. Project results will be used by policy makers, industry analysts, and sector leaders in formulating strategies to develop the sector.Read moreRead less
The Queensland Historical Atlas: Histories, Cultures, Landscapes. An Historical Atlas of Queensland will provide a unique perspective on the interaction between environmental and cultural forces in the shaping of Queensland's history. By bringing together a wide range of existing but dispersed areas of expertise, and making innovative use of the latest digital technolgies, it will produce new knowledges of Queensland's geography, biodiversity, rural and urban development, communications and cult ....The Queensland Historical Atlas: Histories, Cultures, Landscapes. An Historical Atlas of Queensland will provide a unique perspective on the interaction between environmental and cultural forces in the shaping of Queensland's history. By bringing together a wide range of existing but dispersed areas of expertise, and making innovative use of the latest digital technolgies, it will produce new knowledges of Queensland's geography, biodiversity, rural and urban development, communications and cultures.Read moreRead less
The Place of Communication and Consumption: A Case Study of Australian Regional and Rural Cinema Exhibition. The project provides important, up-to-date analysis of a vital sector of Australia's growing service and knowledge economy. It will help government, film industry, arts and business organisations in the formulation of better policies and programs to assist in improving the quality of life for Australians living in regional and rural areas. It enhances research and training environments fo ....The Place of Communication and Consumption: A Case Study of Australian Regional and Rural Cinema Exhibition. The project provides important, up-to-date analysis of a vital sector of Australia's growing service and knowledge economy. It will help government, film industry, arts and business organisations in the formulation of better policies and programs to assist in improving the quality of life for Australians living in regional and rural areas. It enhances research and training environments for junior researchers and postgraduate students, adding value to investigations already in progress. The research also extends consultative and collaborative capacities in cultural experience enhancement and access, community media development and cultural tourism.Read moreRead less
Place through moving image: A case study of the Gold Coast. Relocation of populations in urban and cosmopolitan centres increasingly makes our sense of place an imagined one. Yet, although film and television are intimately involved in this process, there has been little systematic attempt to explore the profound social and cultural meaning of such a relationship. Using the Gold Coast as a case study, this innovative, multidisciplinary project fills this gap, increasing theoretical knowledge i ....Place through moving image: A case study of the Gold Coast. Relocation of populations in urban and cosmopolitan centres increasingly makes our sense of place an imagined one. Yet, although film and television are intimately involved in this process, there has been little systematic attempt to explore the profound social and cultural meaning of such a relationship. Using the Gold Coast as a case study, this innovative, multidisciplinary project fills this gap, increasing theoretical knowledge in relevant disciplines. The research also provides significant practical results for building community identity, cultural tourism and regional promotion.Read moreRead less
School to work transitions: A study of school-industry partnerships in small and medium enterprises in SouthEast Queensland. The transition from school to work in contemporary times is difficult due to changes in school, work and society. The Gold Coast region represents a unique region where there are above national and state average completions of traineeships. This project investigates the forms of school-to-work traineeships in the region in order to identify elements of best practice, and t ....School to work transitions: A study of school-industry partnerships in small and medium enterprises in SouthEast Queensland. The transition from school to work in contemporary times is difficult due to changes in school, work and society. The Gold Coast region represents a unique region where there are above national and state average completions of traineeships. This project investigates the forms of school-to-work traineeships in the region in order to identify elements of best practice, and to propose benefits and costs to key stakeholders including youth, employers and schools. The project's significance lies in its documentation of key industry and school partnerships in terms of cognitive, social and economic benefits for the long-term sustainability of youth and employment. Read moreRead less