Using Concept Maps to Understand Systems

 While most of the articles on this blog focus on the use of GIS maps, which I started doing in 1993 as I formed the Tutor/Mentor Connection,  I've used a few articles to show my use of concept maps.  Visit this section and this section of the Tutor/Mentor blog and you'll find many more.

Today I found another example of concept maps being used to help understand complex systems.  I'll show a few screen shots below, then I encourage you to go to the site and do your own exploring.

Open this link and you'll be introduced to a Child Care Systems map that "explores the current reality of the childcare system in low to middle income communities in India, Bangladesh, Viet Nam, South Africa and Kenya.  

On most KUMU maps the explanation of each node is shown on a left hand sidebar.  That's true on this map, too.  In this case, there's an in-depth explanation of what the map is trying to show.  All of the nodes on the map are shown in the above graphic.

At the top of the map are labels, such as "deep structure", "family and community", "gender equity", #policies and resources, and "social and economic development".

At the lower left is a legend that shows what category of information each color represents. You can click on any of these and get a view that only shows nodes of that category. 

Click on "deep structure" and you'll get this view. 

What I really like about this map is that while information can be seen on the left, this map includes clarifying information directly on the map.  Click any node and a "pop up" text box appears. Even the "orange arrows" surrounding some nodes have text boxes.

Click on "gender equity" and you'll see this view.

Click on "policies and resources" and see this view.

Click on "social and economic development" and see this view.

In this article on the Tutor/Mentor blog I showed slides from a Global Futures Society Network Map.

This map shows "who" is involved and how they are connected to each other.  If used in combination with a map like the Child Care Systems map, it seems that there could be a robust, on-going conversation that might lead to fixing some of the problems addressed on the Child Care Systems map.

In this article, titled "Mapping Event Participation" I show my own efforts since the late 2000s to map participation in conferences that I hosted, with a goal of connecting those who attended with each other, and building an analysis of "who's there" and "who's missing".  

These are powerful tools, if used in on-going planning, network building and capacity building.  

In this article I wrote about mapping assets within universities and of creating an on-campus Tutor/Mentor Connection, where students, faculty and alumni would do the work I've done for the past 30 years, and the work that I'm now showing about the use of concept maps.

If you've read this article, please share it with people in your network who have the wealth that could lead to funding a university-based Tutor/Mentor Connection, based on the ideas I've shared.  Share it with students who might want to do this work as independent study, or for information visualization courses, like the IVMOOC course offered at Indiana University.

Maybe someone in your network will be the 'tipping point' that make this a reality.

Thanks for reading. Please connect with me on one or more of the social media platforms that I show on this page.

If you're able please contribute to my December 19th 79th birthday campaign, or my Fund T/MI campaign.