WiserEarth | WiserPlatform
The WISER Platform is the technology that makes the collective awareness, support, and communication possible. The software and information generated by WISER is created under open source license as governed by the Open Source Initiative (OSI), and the code and the application will be made freely available for the good of the community, when time and resources allow full documentation. It allows for certain terms, which allow modification and further redistribution of the code and software without payment, but restrict users from selling it. Any and all iterative improvements made to the code by subsequent users are available to all users. The theory of open source is simple: when code is subject to modification and change by many programmers, it rapidly evolves and improves. It is the same principle that informs all of WISER. If we can provide a means to freely exchange information and communicate ideas, it will vastly accelerate understanding, social evolution, and adaptation.
The core elements of the platform that will be common to all uses are:
- Relational database structure housing information on organizations, businesses, individuals, responsible practices, and resources including books, conferences, events, other databases, definitions, magazines, articles, podcasts, streaming audio and video, maps, research reports, and educational opportunities.
- Categorization of and ability to search all information by areas of interest, geography, organization type, industry type, scope of activity, practices, and profession or pursuit (for individuals).
- Community editing and contribution tools to create content.
Questions? Contact technical director Arash Boostani at boostani@naturalcapital.org.
You may remember the story of how the devil and a friend of his were walking down the street, when they saw ahead of them a man stoop down and pick up something from the ground, look at it, and put it away in his pocket.
The friend said to the devil, 'What did that man pick up?"
"He picked up a piece of the truth," said the devil.
"That is a very bad business for you, then," said his friend.
"Oh, not at all," the devil replied, "I am going to help him organize it."
I maintain that truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or coerce people along a particular path.
—Krishnamurti
