SCC-IRG Track 2: Innovations for Community-Held Infrastructure

互联网接入已成为城市基础设施的重要组成部分，提供了无数服务，包括就业、银行、公民参与、教育等。尽管如此，数十亿人，即使在高度互联的城市环境中(例如，我们的家乡西雅图有5%的人)仍保持离线状态。为了满足这些需求，研究人员和从业者已经开始探索社区网络，以探索新的商业模式和连接范例。社区网络是互联网接入网络，由选民拥有、运营和管理，而不是由传统互联网服务提供商拥有、运营和管理。利用当地的能力和兴趣，这些网络有望开发新的接入模式和技术，以便可持续地连接数字鸿沟的“长尾”，并在纽约市、底特律、乌蒂亚格维克和许多其他地区取得成功。这项提议将利用参与式方法和与社区组织者、技术研究人员和社会科学家组成的独特的跨学科研究和实践团队共同开发一系列社区网络创新。研究人员将与技术从业者和社区利益攸关方合作，确定当前的技术条件和社区需求，并开发直接支持当地社区的新型社会技术系统。这些议程将得到合作伙伴社区内的STEM教育规划的支持，这将为当地构思、创建和支持技术设计、实施和部署提供背景。该项目与合作伙伴的初步讨论以一系列初步方向为基础，这些方向将根据社区研讨会的结果进行调整。这些创新包括以下社区主导的创新：(1)新颖的网络服务，如本地化内容交付网络、社区(非执法主导)危机管理和数字素养培训；(2)传感系统，如交通碰撞探测器(与上述危机管理相结合)，以及空气和土壤监测；以及(3)相关安全方面，如网络安全和基于社区的信息和数据隐私。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Internet access has become a critical component of urban infrastructure, providing innumerable services including employment, banking, civic engagement, education, and others. In spite of this reality, billions of people, even in highly connected urban environments (5% of people in our home city of Seattle, for instance), remain offline. To meet these needs, researchers and practitioners have begun to explore community networks in order to explore novel business models and connectivity paradigms. Community networks are Internet access networks, owned, operated, and managed by constituents rather than by traditional Internet Service Providers. Leveraging local capacity and interest, these networks hold the promise of developing new access models and technologies that allow for the sustainable connection of the “long-tail” of the digital divide and have seen success in diverse areas such as New York City, Detroit, Utiagvik, and many others. This proposal will develop a series of community network innovations using participatory methods and co-development processes with a uniquely interdisciplinary team of research and practice oriented community organizers, technical researchers, and social scientists. Researchers will work with technology practitioners and community stakeholders to identify current technology conditions and community needs and develop novel socio-technical systems that directly support local communities. These agendas will be supported by STEM education programming within partner communities, which will provide a context for local ideation, creation, and support of technology design, implementation, and deployment.This project's preliminary discussions with partners have grounded this proposal in a set of initial directions that will be adjusted based on community workshop outputs. These include the following community-led innovations: (1) novel network services, such as localized content delivery networks, community (non-law enforcement-led) crisis management, and digital literacy training; (2) sensing systems, such as traffic collision detectors (coupled with the above crisis management), and air and soil monitoring, and (3) related security aspects such as network security and community-based information and data privacy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.