Farther Afield takes Tech to Conservation
By Justin Madron, President and Managing Director of Farther Afield
https://www.fartherafielddesign.com | IG: @farther_afield_design
Farther Afield is a design and technology consulting firm that specializes in geospatial solutions, map creation, and design. Founded in 2020 in Richmond, VA, the company has a strong focus on non-profit organizations, conservation communities, inequities, and community-based decisions through geospatial inquiries. Their love for the outdoors, public lands, and the environment are the key drivers for why they are in this business.
With extensive experience working with non-profit organizations and community groups, Farther Afield believes in supporting conservation efforts for access to the great outdoors; because of this, they partnered with 2% for Conservation in 2021 as further commitment to supporting conservation efforts.
Justin Madron, President and Managing Director of Farther Afield, has over 12 years of experience in the geospatial & mapping industry. His love for both the outdoors and technology led him to launch Farther Afield with his thesis research on the reforestation of red spruce in the Appalachian Mountains (where he grew up), reflecting his passion for combining the two.
Given his expertise in cartography, web mapping, and digital storytelling – along with his belief that technology and design go hand-in-hand to provide users with the most accurate and usable information – Justin guides Farther Afield as a leader in the field of geospatial solutions and digital map creation.
Farther Afield is a design and technology consulting firm specializing in Geospatial Solutions, Map Creation, and Design.
CHALLENGES FOR PARTNERSHIPS
A major problem in conservation is that there are hundreds of landscape conservation partnerships working around the country, with no central repository or visualization to explore these partnerships.
Without a centralized platform, it becomes challenging to understand the extent and boundaries of partnerships along with their contribution to conservation efforts. This lack of visibility can hinder the work of conservation practitioners, agencies, organizations, and other stakeholders in regards to collaboration and development of effective conservation initiatives.
The Network for Landscape Conservation (NLC) works to promote collaborative landscape conservation across North America. This organization aims to advance the practice of landscape conservation by promoting collaboration, science-based decision-making, and community engagement.
They bring together conservation practitioners, agencies, organizations, and other stakeholders to develop and implement landscape conservation initiatives. The goal of NLC is to support efforts of local, regional, and cross-border landscape conservation partnerships, providing resources and tools for landscape conservation, and advocating for policies and funding.
Justin Madron has worked in the Geospatial & Mapping industry for over 8 years leading projects featured in NPR, Forbes, Slate, the New York Times, and the Smithsonian Magazine. Growing up in West Virginia, the outdoors were a big part of his life and lead him to his career and launch Farther Afield where he combines his love of the outdoors and technology.
WHERE TECH MEETS CONSERVATION
Our project work aims to create a web-based mapping app that showcases the geographic extent and boundaries of landscape conservation partnerships in the US and Canada. The project involves gathering and digitizing boundaries that are not yet in digital form while also collecting contact information on behalf of the organization. Tracking down these partnerships and the geospatial boundaries which encompass them is quite challenging paired with the task of how to visually show hundreds of boundaries across one map.
Creating a web-based mapping application to showcase the geographic extent and boundaries of conservation partnerships is essential to address this problem – that's where Farther Afield steps in to help. By providing a centralized platform, an app can help users navigate the large amounts of data as well as provide insights into the landscape conservation initiatives all across North America, in turn promoting collaboration among stakeholders.
This project is critical to promoting effective landscape conservation across North America; it can help to advance the practice of landscape conservation by promoting science-based decision-making and community engagement.
You can support this project by making a donation to the Network for Landscape Conservation. Follow Farther Afield on Instagram @farther_afield_design or learn more on their site: https://www.fartherafielddesign.com