NUDGE Project – current

Project content

Environmental Education in Digital Services: Conservation Information as Open Data

With our current funding project, we aim to answer the question: Why do we follow rules in nature? We are enhancing the Digitize the Planet datasets with information on the conservation purpose to promote acceptance of environmentally responsible behavior on digital mapping services and platforms.

Communication in and about protected areas is essentially analog and relies on local channels. It typically reaches visitors only once they are on-site, through signs and information centers. However, with the increasing digitalization of our world, particularly in how we plan our leisure activities, new and digital communication methods must be developed to reach visitors during their planning phase and through their usual channels, such as platforms (Komoot, Outdooractive, Google) and mapping applications.

The goal is the digital processing and publication of the rationales behind the rules for the use of nature and landscapes, which are directly targeted at outdoor enthusiasts. The processed information is machine-readable and can be automatically integrated, georeferenced, and disseminated by digital systems such as platforms and mapping services. Published as open data, this information is freely accessible and available globally. Together with stakeholders from conservation, digital providers, tourism, and sports, we are actively working on this solution through joint events.

A user-friendly input interface, which requires no digital expertise, allows protected area managers to enter information into the database. The database then automatically standardizes and processes this information. Through a digital interface, the data is made available for platforms and other data systems to retrieve and integrate automatically. These digitized details enable, for the first time, the ability to reach visitors regardless of location, time, or language—even during the planning phase of their activities. This allows for the effective and targeted communication of vital conservation information to millions of visitors individually. Available in the global digital world, these conservation details contribute to increased acceptance, awareness, and the prevention of conflicts.