pibinko.org Newsletter #9: Anniversaries, Towers, and “maker” workshops

Announcements

Friday, June 9, was the ninth anniversary of the BuioMetria Partecipativa project. Anniversaries always incline to look at things in perspective, and you can read a simple post about this: the focus is …not just citizen science. Browsing old folders I also found the BuioMetria Partecipativa animated GIF, which I had completely forgotten.

Concerning events for the current week:

  • Thursday, June 15 in Pisa, meet us at the Torre del Luppolo to plan together the upcoming BuioMetria Summer monitoring campaign. Please note that the flyer indicates 6-8PM as the time of the event but -due to a train strike starting at 9PM- we will have to close shop at 7PM.
  • Even more exotic and, as far as we know, a world premiere: the first course to learn how to make the ball of the game of palla a 21. This will be with Ilo Ferrandi in Torniella on Sat. June 17, from 3 to 6PM, the the room of the Philarmonic Association. English (French, Portuguese) spoken.

There is also an interesting live music part of the week. Dario Canal (Etruschi from Lakota) with his parallel porject “Amish from Jack White” will be in Monterotondo Marittimo (Grosseto) and Baratti (Leghorn), on Fri and Sat 17, respectively.

The week will close on Sunday, June 18, in  Roccatederighi. As a part of the celebrations for the 140th anniversary of the Band of Roccatederighi, the Band of Torniella is also invited.

Geomusic at GIT 2017 (Gavorrano, Southern Tuscany, June 12-13, 2017)

Compositions, Maps

Our geomusical activity continues, after the launch at the Farma Valley Winter Fest (December 17, 18 and 19, 2016), the presentation at the FOSS4G conference in Genua (9-2-2017), the international webinar for Geo4all/ASPRS (7-4-2017) and the lecture at  Politecnico di Milano (30-5-2017).

At the 12th conference of the Geomatics and Information Technologies section of the Italian Geology Society (aka: GIT 2017), held in Gavorrano, Southern Tuscany on June 12 and 13 2017 we presented:

  • A poster called Participatory methods for territorial protection and promotion centered on a free/open source approach: case studies from Southern Tuscany( (by Andrea Giacomelli, Mario Straccali, Andrea Bartalucci, Claudio Spinosi)
  • An oral presentation by  Etruschi from Lakota’s, Dario Canal, on the subject of Participatory mapping in a geothermal area: first steps from the Cecina Valley.
Dario Canal at the beginning of his talk (a wide-angle shot would have worked better!)

We don’t know of geologists going to contests for professional musicians…in our case we had a young professional musician and singer giving a talk in a geoscience conference (and kudos to Dario for taking up the challenge).

This was not a weird experiment, since we are collaborating with the band on on participatory mapping projects, and they are actually based in an area of great interest for geology (and geothermal activities), but surely it was an unusual and stimulating presentation.

Should you be interested in collaborating with the Val di Cecina participatory mapping campaign, which follows the work started in 2015 in the Farma Valley, please write to  info@pibinko.org.

 

Nine years of BuioMetria Partecipativa: not just Citizen Science

Announcements

On June 9, 2008, in Ribolla, Southern Tuscany, a conference was organized to discuss how culture, environment, and open innovation may be integrated to generate new opportunities for rural areas. Two of the four talks concerned the developments following the mission to promote the ancient game of palla a 21 in Chicago, Illinois, in July 2007. This operation, in turn, generated invitations to propose the game in two festivals in Italy (Verona and Mantova), plus the idea of setting up a photo exhibition (presented first in Ribolla a couple of months later in San Francisco, California) and a contest to shoot photos of the ball during the 2008 tournaments.

A third talk was about free/open- source mapping, by Stefano Costa, a young archaeologist with a significant experience in this field.

The fourth talk, given by Francesco Giubbilini, was -in fact- the launch of the BuioMetria Partecipativa project. This came after about four months of planning and preliminary tests, together with Andrea Giacomelli.  In this phase we also investigated about other similar projects internationally, and we learned that -as of Spring 2008- globally there was only one other initiative following the same approach (i.e. conducting measurements of night sky quality by lending sensors to citizens), in Hong Kong.

The initiative immediately gained national media coverage, with an interview for  RAI Radio Due, and started its public operations.

The road since then has been long, and according to some observers excessively winding in complexity and complication. However, we found we have the possibility of intertwining topics, methods and people with different background, so we just do it. Many observers -in time- have revisited their initially puzzled opinions, and are now following with interest our work.

We are now nine years into collecting light pollution data in “citizen science” mode, providing awareness raising on issues related to artificial light at night from the standpoint of environmental engineering and with an interdisciplinary approach, we use advanced technologies for data management (geographic information systems), and we advocate -and adopt- open source and open data models to share knowledge.

In its basic form, i.e. the citizen science level, the project has been engineered to operate with minimal resources, which we have covered in time via awards, small funding from European projects, and a partial support of the key local communities involved. In parallel we are always seeking new opportunities to develop parts of the project which are currently in a preliminary form, but which would not be difficult to deliver -once we find the right stakeholders and appropriate resources- given the long-term expertise of our team on environmental monitoring.

Next to the awareness raising thread, we also propose services, consulting and training concerning “the other half of the landscape”, and a vision on artificial lighting which is often a complement to professionals engaged in the lighting business. We also have the differentiator of being based in the Farma Valley, Southern Tuscany. This is a lesser known portion of this region,  in one of the areas with the darkest night skies in Italy, which is generally renown to be a country with quite high levels of lighting and light pollution…we decided to build the project in a rural context, far from smart cities and broadband communications, but always maintaining a wider view on things happening.

In time, our team has evolved. Of the initial “line-up” only one remains (i.e. Andrea Giacomelli), but other experts have appeared, also increasing the skill set adding expertise in natural sciences, photography, construction and maintenance. In spite of these transitions, the project has maintained its alignment with respect to its original objectives. It has also obtained recognition from different counterparts in Italy and abroad, is receiving increasing attention from various market sectors, as well as from the scientific community.

While we prepare the tenth anniversary of our Palla a 21 at the Art of Play of Chicago story, we are also tuning our upcoming BuioMetria Partecipativa Summer campaign. This year activities are taking shape in collaboration with the University of Pisa (Departiment of Biology), and with the National Research Council’s Institute of Biometeorology, and  it will focus on parts of the Tuscan coast. To learn more about this, you can show up on Sunday, June 11, in  Montarrenti (Siena), on Thursday, June 15 in Pisa, Saturday, June 24, in  Gerfalco (GR), o write to info@pibinko.org.

Jun. 15, 2017, Meet the BuioMetria Partecipativa project in Pisa, for a more aware use of artificial light at night

Announcements

We continue our thread of 2017 events on participatory night sky monitoring activities and outreach on a more aware use of artificial light at night (and at day…). For more information, check out the  BuioMetria Partecipativa web site or write to buiometria@attivarti.org.

We will be at the Torre del Luppolo from 6PM to 8PM. Italian, English, French, and Portugues spoken.

Save the date: Sat. June 24, Buiometria Partecipativa in Gerfalco, Southern Tuscany

Announcements
Gerfalco (credits: turismomontieri.it)

Sturday, June 24, at 10PM at the Casa Rurale ex Croce Rossa in Gerfalco, we will have a BuioMetria Partecipativa evening.

Andrea Giacomelli, MS and Phd in environmental engineering, creator of the project in 2008, will help the participants in conducting measurements of night sky quality, while learning about various issue related to artificial light at night and gaining insights on nightscapes.
The inner parts of Southern Tuscany are in fact one of the areas with the lowest level of light pollution in Italy. This allows residents and tourists to benefit of night skies which are comparable to those of much more exotic locations, while enjoying in parallel the unique historical, cultural (and food) heritage of the Tuscan territory.
The event takes place in the context of a collaboration which started with the Municipality of Montieri last Fall, given the interest of this administration to promote its territory starting from its lesser known peculiarities. These found a good match in the outreach and citizen science activities which were started nine years ago by the  BuioMetria Partecipativa project, which also created important links both nationally (National Research Council and Universities) and internationally (with the active presence in networks for the promotion of night skies).
After a brief presentation, there will be a walk in the village and its immediate surroundings, in order to verify with the BuioMetria instruments both the level of light pollution in the areas, as well as the lighting levels and types of illumination used in various sites.
Should weather conditions not allow the outdoor measurements (overcast or rain), a presentation will be given providing in any case information on how to conduct the measurements, showing various clips concerning light pollution, and planning with potential volunteers future data collection activities.

Admission to the event is free

For more information: Andrea Giacomelli, info@pibinko.org

Save the date: Sunday, July 2, 2017, 7th Farm Valley MTB Trophy

Announcements
Pro Loco Piloni-Torniella is organizing for Sunday, July 2, 2017, the seventh Farma Valley Mountain Bike Trophy. This is half way between Siena and Grosseto, in Southern Tuscany.
The departure will be at 9.30AM in the main square of Torniella, arriving in Piloni after 39 kilometers and about 900 m of altitude difference.
For those of you less in shape, but still curious of visiting the valley’s woods, we have the possibility of a non-competitive trail, to be decided with those who will show up. For the really lazy folk, it will also be possible to get to know the itinerary, together with other parts of the valley with the Farma Valley Community Map, which is in the process of being completed and offers an unusual view of this territory.
This is the track, developed during the years a passionate group of resident MTB fans (clicking on the image will open a higher-resolution image):
Regulations
  • A helmet is mandatory during the race.
  • Participation is open to any member of an association affiliated to ACSI, FCI, or sports promotion associations acknowledged by CONI.
  • Categories: Beginners, Junior, Senior, Veterans, Gentlemen, S. Gent. A. e B – Ladies
  • Prizes to be assigned to the first three arriving for each category.
  • Registration due by June 30 2017 (by e-mail to gianni.giannotti74@yahoo.it)
  • Registration fee: 12 Euro
  • Payment: at the Bar La Combriccola in Torniella before the race.
There will be the possibility of having a shower at the end of the race, in the premises of the football field.
Lunch: pasta party, free for all riders. For the others: 15 Euro for adults and 5 Euro for children.
The organizing parties decline all responsibilities for accidents which may occur before, during, or after the competition.
Medical assistance will be insured during the event.
For issues not covered by this notice, please refer to the national regulations by ACSI Ciclismo.
For more information: gianni.giannotti74@yahoo.it

 

Thanks for their support to

  • ACSI Ciclismo
  • B.M. srl – Torniella
  • Falegnameria Mugnaini – Torniella
  • Parrucchiera Cristina Muzi- Torniella
  • F.lli Giannotti Legnami- Torniella
  • Termo Service – Torniella
  • Foto Ottica Vainigli – Monticiano
  • Casa Bazar – Torniella
  • Edilmark – Grosseto
  • Ristorante pizzeria affittacamere il Boscaiolo – Torniella
  • Bar Vineria la Combriccola – Torniella
  • Cicli MBM – Grosseto

An update of the Farma Valley Billboard (as of June 3, 2017)

Compositions

After the quick’n’dirty first setup of the Farma Valley Community billboard, here is our first update. You can find it entering the village of Torniella from the South, on your right, just after the post office.

In addition to an updated and enriched list of events, going through August, we added a proper title on the top left, and highlighted the palla a 21 ball construction course,  scheduled for Saturday, June 17, in Torniella, as this is the first time for a very peculiar initiative.

We also remind you that the billboard includes both initiatives taking place in the central part of the vally (essentially, the hamlets of Torniella, Piloni and Scalvaia and their surroundings) in addition to events where organizations based in the valley are invited in other locations (at present, this applies to: Banda di Torniella, BuioMetria Partecipativa, and palla a 21 teams).

Save the date: Tue. June 6 in Grosseto (Southern Tuscany) the pibinko.org Summer calendar presented @ Caffé Ricasoli

Announcements


Tuesday, June 6, from 4PM to 8PM at Caffé Ricasoli, in via Ricasoli 20, Grosseto, there will be a presentation of the second part of the 2017 combined calendar of events, by pibinko.org, Attivarti.org and other partnering subjects.

2017 started as a peculiar year, as it marks the tenth anniversary of an initiative which was a true milestone for the organizers of next Tuesday’s event, i.e. the mission of  palla a 21 to Chicago, Illinois . With this, a delegation of players of palla a 21/palla eh!, a Southern Tuscan variant of hand-ball games played throughout Europe but practiced only in six tiny hamlets (Torniella, Piloni, Scalvaia, Ciciano, Tirli e Vetulonia) was part of the Summer Calendar of events by the  Department of Culture of the Windy City. Our idea was then not only to demonstrate the game, but also to present the territories where it survives.
The peculiarity of this story was that it was developed by people with no prior experience in international event management, and that it was mainly supported with creative fundrasing, such as Winter card game tournaments or lotteries in the villages (especially Tornielly, Piloni, and Scalvaia).

This first project laid the foundations for more initiatives. These were initially considered by most somewhat weird, albeit intriguing, and subsequently acknowledged by more and more people as interdisciplinary projects for the protection and promotion of local assets, with an international vision, and the possibility of including scientific aspects in parallel to communication and marketing. We will mention here the BuioMetria Partecipativa citizen science initiative, the photo contest Between Dusk and Dawn, the Farma Valley Community Map or the “Culture, Environment, Open Innovation” series of meetings.  Please also refer to the “more details on...” section of pibinko.org for some specific focus topics we have started to compile, as a part of our ten-year anniversary operation.
Starting from last Fall, within our team we started thinking of a proper way to remind people about the “palla 21 in Chicago” experience, not in a “good old times” blue mood, but with initiatives to be directly connected to our ongoing work. The first initiative generated by this intent was the Farma Valley Winter Fest, on Dec 17-19, between Torniella and Grosseto, and after this we had at least two events per month, touching various Italian regions.


The June 6 meeting is meant as a turning point, from our Winter calendar to a Summer mode, with outdoor activities, and thinking about games (such as Palla a 21, but not only), always with some cool music in the background.

Our planning schedule is in fact directly available online at http://www.pibinko.org/calendar, and is regularly updated.
However, if you will visit us at Caffé Ricasoli, you will directly meet some of the folks who are part of the story. Last but not least, should you be interested to host one of our events, or propose new topics which may interact with our network, the Tuesday June 6 event will be the right place to talk.

At present from our team we have confirmations by:

For more information: info@pibinko.org