Atelier Cartographique

Atelier Cartographique is a partner of the project.

Atelier Cartographique is an interdisciplinary team of seven people specialized in cartography, software writing and information systems design. For five years this Brussels-based cooperative has been working for administrations, NGOs, citizens driven initiatives, companies, and academic research, engaged in developing methodologies and facilitating the most crucial steps teams have to go through in order to shape information systems. Atelier members are engaged as part time personnel at UGent for the research project. They come from the fields of mapping and graphic design focusing on setting solutions to manipulate and publish data, with a strong focus on the final audience. They explore the social aspect of technology and propose delicate and tailor-made approaches when developing new databases. Atelier Cartographique provides the technical support for developing the integrated and updated database and the set up of the sustainable information system.

Members of Atelier cartographique are Pacôme Béru, Sophie Boiron, Marine Declève, Pierre Huyghebaert, Pierre Marchand, Julie Vanderhaeghen, Nina Willems.

" We are a Brussels-based cooperative of cartographic practices (software writing, design and territorial research). Our role in the project is to create a Hyphenated Database to explore the possibilities of escaping industrial dynamics in the framework of the production of a software system. The sensitive issue of migrants requires an attitude towards software that is consistent with this. It implies a technical dimension but above all a reflexive in relation to the way we move our collective understanding of what an information system is. The full time position at UGent consists of 2 part-times dedicated to research (one 30% doctoral research position and one 20% postdoctoral research position) and 1 technical staff (50% position). But in practice there are also 4 other people behind it. The technological vector is not dominant in the project. We understand it like that to avoid this form of technocracy. This hybrid dedicated team combing research and technical staff is conducive to identifying other profiles inside or outside the workshop to address the uncertainties that emerge." (Ates ; Declève ; Marchand ; Stalpaert ; Zaides ; Zichari 2023)

Notes to self

Not putting researchers at the center of the project. Risk of being blind to the risks of our practices and the project. How would we be seen from the outside?