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He Sapa Makiyuta EA/EIS Study

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Team 20 maps wildcard prototypes on a whiteboard Raw photo location: hero.jpg

One sentence on impact: In three days we surface wildcard ideas from across the Innovation Summit and translate them into prototypes, visuals, and next-step pilots that decision makers can act on.

Draft project brief (PDF/A) · View shared code · Explore data

About this site: This is a public, in-progress record of Innovation Summit Team 20. Update anything here in your browser: open a file → pencil icon → Commit changes. The page is structured so we can talk through the project in under two minutes.

How to use this page (for the team)

  • Edit this file: docs/index.md → ✎ → change text → Commit changes.
  • Add images: upload to docs/assets/ and reference like assets/your_file.png.
  • Keep text short and visuals first. Think “storyboard captions,” not full reports.

Day 1 — Define & Explore

Our product 📣

  • A dashboard/interactive search tool to more easily comb through 2,400 Environmental Impact Statement/Assessment documents from the US Forest Service.

Our question(s) 📣

  • How can we create a tool for non-technical tribal decision-makers to access and understand meaningful information about extractive activities in the HeSapa through EIAs?

Hypotheses / intentions

Why this matters (the “upshot”) 📣

  • HeSapa is sacred to multiple tribes
  • The information will be accessible to non-technical audiences
  • Supports corporate accountability & transparency; environmental justice; and treaty rights around extractive activities in the HeSapa

Inspirations (papers, datasets, tools)

Field notes / visuals

Sticky-note clustering during kickoff Raw photo location: day1_whiteboard.jpg Caption: Mapping questions from the first round of ideation to identify gaps in our wildcard atlas.

Different perspectives: We debated whether to focus on one flagship prototype or map the broader landscape. The atlas approach won because it keeps doors open for other teams to plug in.

Day 2 — Data & Methods

Focus: ingest submissions, prototype clustering + scoring, ship a first visual.

Data sources we’re exploring 📣

  • CyVerse form exports (CSV) — structured responses from the summit intake form with text summaries, stage, and contact info.

First look at wildcard clustering output Raw photo location: explore_data_plot.png Snapshot: BERTopic clusters highlighting recurring needs around monitoring, storytelling, and rapid response.

  • Facilitator note uploads (Markdown) — qualitative summaries from each session (internal link in community folder).
  • Lightning talk slides (PDF) — quick cues for visuals to include in the atlas.

Methods / technologies we’re testing 📣

  • Semantic embedding of idea descriptions with SentenceTransformers + BERTopic.
  • Lightweight scoring model that blends facilitator rankings with novelty heuristics.
  • Observable-style prototype for the “Wildcard Atlas” landing page (embedded via iframe screenshot for now).

Challenges identified

  • Not all submissions include clear geographic or beneficiary info, making scoring harder.
  • Slides are graphics-heavy; extracting text for clustering requires extra preprocessing.
  • Coordinating permissions for idea owners before publishing summaries.

Visuals

Static figure

Early shortlist of wildcard candidates Raw photo location: figure1.png Figure 1. Top five clusters with novelty-impact positioning. We’re drafting spotlight cards for each one.

Animated change (GIF)

Prototype score updates as new submissions arrive Raw photo location: change.gif Figure 2. Real-time scoring animation showing how priorities shift as late submissions land.

Interactive map (iframe)

Open full map

If an embed doesn’t load, place the map link directly underneath. We’ll swap in the live atlas view once we finalize hosting.

Final Share Out — Insights & Sharing

Focus: synthesize signals, highlight the top wildcard prototypes, outline hand-offs.

Team 20 with the first atlas draft Raw photo location: team_photo.jpg

Findings at a glance 📣

  • Three clusters account for 60% of wildcard excitement: community sensing, generative storytelling, and rapid mutual-aid logistics.
  • Low-effort data packaging unlocks action: publishing CSV + thumbnails let three partner teams request follow-up conversations immediately.
  • Summit alumni want a shared backlog: half of survey respondents volunteered to champion at least one wildcard if we keep the atlas updated.

Visuals that tell the story 📣

Atlas cards for high-priority ideas Raw photo location: fire_hull.png Visual 1. Sample atlas layout showing priority ranking, owner, and next milestone.

Storyboard for the wildcard showcase booth Raw photo location: hull_panels.png Visual 2. Draft storyboard for the expo booth we’ll host on Day 3 to gather more feedback.

Tracking prototype maturity over time Raw photo location: main_result.png Visual 3. Funnel view of idea maturity; highlights which prototypes need technical assistance versus storytelling.

What’s next? 📣

  • Finalize two-page atlas brief and share with summit organizers + CU leadership.
  • Host a 45-minute virtual ideation to assign owners for the top three wildcard prototypes.
  • Coordinate with CyVerse staff to pilot a persistent “Wildcard backlog” workspace for the 2025 cohort.
Project brief PDF
Read the brief 		View shared code
View code 		Explore data
Explore data

Team

Name Role Contact GitHub
Avery Lee Lead facilitator avery.lee@example.org @avery-lee
Jordan Patel Data & methods jordan.patel@example.org @jpatel-data
Sky Ramirez Storytelling & comms sky.ramirez@example.org @skyramirez
Morgan Blake Partnerships liaison morgan.blake@example.org @morganblake

Storage

Code Keep shared scripts, notebooks, and utilities in the code/ directory. Document how to run them in a README or within the files so teammates and visitors can reproduce your workflow.

Documentation Use the docs/ folder to publish project updates on this site. Longer internal notes can live in documentation/; summarize key takeaways here so the public story stays current.

Cite & reuse

If you use these materials, please cite:

Wildcard Topic Innovation Summit Team 20. (2025). Wildcard Topic Innovation Summit 2025 Repository. https://github.com/CU-ESIIL/wildcard-topic-innovation-summit-2025__20

License: CC-BY-4.0 unless noted. See dataset licenses on the Data page.

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