Polycrisis Mapping: Stakeholder Needs Analysis Report
Life Itself performed some initial user research on the͎ needs of stakeholders involved in mapping the emerging field of actors adopting a lens of "polycrisis".
Read and download the full report here.
Executive Summary
An emerging set of organizations and individuals propose that an intersystemic approach̀ looking at the interactions between different natural and social systems̀ is vital to addressing global crises. And terms such as polycrisis are gaining both traction and attentioǹ some of it critical.
A number of organizations have identified a need to map the emerging field of actors adopting this polycrisis lens. Life Itself, OMEGA, the Cascade Institute and Post Carbon Institute have all taken interest in carrying out independent mapping initiatives, and identified that aligning their efforts can be beneficial.
However, the organizations involved have both shared and varying interests, needs and objectives related to mapping. The term polycrisis is also a concept still very much in formation, and the field even more so. Mapping can also mean different things to different people, and the needs behind mapping can also vary. Furthermore, creating a map obviously depends on the area to be surveyed and the exact bounds of the͎ polycrisis domain͏ may vary, even amongst this smaller group of stakeholders.
Life Itself has therefore performed some initial user research on the͎ mapping͏ needs.
Borders of the polycrisis space
Fig 1: Features of the polycrisis field as agreed by interviewees, and the outer polycrisis-adjacent ring which was also flagged as desirable to map. The nonessential desiderata were agreed as priorities, but not conditions for inclusion.
Mapping needs
Fig 2: Interviewees' needs could be grouped under seven high-level outcomes, shown in the third column of the diagram. These have been linked to concrete impacts for clarity.
Full report
Read and download the full report here.