Social Science for everyone - the internet platform sowinet.de

Staff: Fatma Dasan, Jochen Denzinger , Maximilian Eibl, Ute Koch, Markus Quandt
Project leader: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Jagodzinski
Contact: Jochen Denzinger (design), Maximilian Eibl (technique), Markus Quandt (contents)

Project description:

The internet platform sowinet.de was established to develop tools which can be used in the presentation of social science research results. Specifically making use of the design potentials offered by the worldwide web (multimedia preparation, integration of interactive and playful elements) this project deals with two problems of information presentation. First, up-to-date papers from well established journals must be selected and prepared with social science and journalistic competence in a way that they can be understood by the layman. Second, a database with information on elections and election research in Germany and Europe which would be of interest to a broader public is to be built up with the option of offering access to other GESIS services (such as literature databases and other data pools) as well. There is also an attempt to reach a heterogeneous target group of citizens who are interested in the social sciences, pupils in particular, by offering a service that is up-to-date and attractive in both data content and design. Technology and aesthetics should create incentives to generate and hold interest in these themes. Potential propagators such as journalists and teachers should be attracted by the topicality, information content and search possibilities.
The URL of the internet platform is www.sowinet.de.

Project partner:

• Hochschule für Gestaltung, Offenbach (Prof. Bernhard E. Bürdek)

• Informationszentrum Sozialwissenschaften, Bonn (Prof. Dr. Jürgen Krause)

Duration: April 2000 - March 2002

Funding source: Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

Publications:

• Eibl, Maximilian (2003): Integrating Data Analysis, Navigation and Knowledge Transfer by Visualizing Conceptual Methods. S. 321 - 325. In: Jacko, Julie; Stephanidis, Constantine (Hrsg.): Human-Computer Interaction: Theory and Practice (Part I); Volume 1 of the Proceedings of HCI International 2003, 10th International Conference on Human Computer Interaction, 22-27 June 2003, Crete, Greece. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawerence Erlbaum.
• Eibl, Maximilian; Quandt, Markus (2002): Modellbildung und Visualisierung: Das Sowinet.de-Wahlmodell. S. 131-146. In: Womser-Hacker, Christa; Wolff, Christian; Hammwöhner, Rainer (Hrsg.): Information und Mobilität: Optimierung und Vermeidung von Mobilität durch Information; Proceedings des 8. Internationalen Symposiums für Informationswissenschaft (ISI 2002). Konstanz: UVK. (Schriften zur Informationswissenschaft; Bd. 40)
• Eibl, Maximilian (2001): Interaction through Multimedia. S. 130-132. In: HCI International 2001: 9th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction jointly with 4th International Conference on Engineering Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics; 1st International Conference on Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction; Symposium on Human Interface (Japan) 2001; Poster Sessions - Abridged Proceedings. New Orleans