Mesh Networks and the Digital Local

Three ways local networks can bring value to geographic communities

written by Ben Valentine with An Xiao Mina

Mesh networks, peer-to-peer networks that operate independently of the larger backbone of the internet, have been getting some attention lately. Though mesh networks are often seen as replacing the larger backbone of the internet, there are compelling examples of how mesh networks extend and enhance the larger internet.

While the effectiveness of FireChat—a phone-to-phone mesh network of sorts run on Bluetooth—in Hong Kong is up for debate, we wanted to talk with someone who’s been closely working with communities and mesh networks to understand their broader potential. We interviewed JR Baldwin, the designer and creative technologist behind the Interface Foundry, a platform for browsing and building location-specific apps, and Tidepools, a community mesh network platform that’s been used in Occupy movements in New York and Istanbul as well as for community organizing in Red Hook and Detroit.

In a long interview with The Civic Beat’s Ben Valentine, here are three things JR talked about:

1. Mesh technology is technically feasible. The important next step for technologists is to focus on community building.

Here’s what JR had to say about their project in Red Hook:

I wasn’t as interested in whether a mesh network could be technically constructed – the technology works and isn’t going anywhere. Communities, on the other hand, fluctuate immensely over time. I wanted to capture the Red Hook community in flux, and build a platform from the ground up with the community members…. As an outsider trying to implement or craft new tech in a community, don’t assume you can fix something there by swooping in and saving the day. I’ve learned that listening before speaking is absolutely essential to building a long term relationship of trust with folks you’re working with.

2. Localizing the platform with language and images is critical to usage, whether that’s Red Hook or Gezi Park.

The Red Hook implementation of Tidepools contained names for and by the community that Baldwin removed in any public-facing documentation, at the request of community members who wanted these names to remain private. The local-ness and specificity of the platform made it more effective.

And when implementing Tidepools in three cities in Turkey, Baldwin’s friend Hilal Koyuncu translated everything to Turkish and developed custom iconography:

Hilal designed and replaced the “items” one can add to the map with new, #gezi-relevant ones (such as “wounded”, “health”, “shelter”, “fire”, etc.), while seamlessly translating the entire interface into Turkish, and designing a mobile iteration of the interface to complement the desktop/tablet original. The modular code Tidepools was built on allows any community to change the style, maps, and items on the map and in the data feed to reflect their needs and aesthetic. This made it easy to swap out and convert the interface for use in Turkey.

3. Mesh networks augment but don’t replace the larger internet.

Importantly, how and when users of Tidepools can interact with the internet is up to the community. Here’s what JR said about Red Hook’s decision to include New York City APIs like Open311 and MTA bus data:

The decision to include outside APIs for pulling in or transmitting data is specific to each community that uses Tidepools. Usually those decisions are made during meetings where the pros and cons of each module are discussed among attendees.

The ability to share links to the Gezi Park instance of Tidepools may have been hampered by interference from government supporters (a known tactic), and afterward, visits to the site decreased significantly, reflecting the continued importance of mainstream internet sites. Similarly, the software for Tidepools and access to the Interface Foundry, a repository for local software and platforms, both depend on the broader internet for distribution.