MS Strategic Design & Management Parsons School of Design
Rohit Gavali Aakanksha Marulkar
Respects Supports
Provides
Caring for the environment, requires caring for the people who live within it.
Our Core Thesis
Argo Profiling floats
https://www.mbari.org/project/go-bgc/
Source: h
International, autonomous, robotic network of drifting devices
They monitor the upper 2,000 meters of the global ocea
The vast Quantity of Data being collected Argo Profiling floats
As of early 2025, there are ~4,000 active Argo profiling floats deployed worldwide
https://www.mbari.org/project/go-bgc/
Source: h
International, autonomous, robotic network of drifting devices
They monitor the upper 2,000 meters of the global ocea
The vast Quantity of Data being collected Argo Profiling floats
As of early 2025, there are ~4,000 active Argo profiling floats deployed worldwide
https://www.mbari.org/project/go-bgc/
Source: h
But, data often ends up looking like this!
International, autonomous, robotic network of drifting devices
They monitor the upper 2,000 meters of the global ocea
Wicked Challenge: Effectively Utilizing the already-existing, collected data for the use of locals in Cornwall.
Cornwall Coast, United Kingdom
The Context
Too much data. Not enough clarity.
Fragmented & technical data scattered across institutions = Exclusion by design
Shifting Fish Stocks = Livelihood decisions
Rising sea levels + Storm risk = Safety decisions
The Lived Problem in Cornwall:
Pain Points
Everyday decisions like these, require reliable & understandable data.
Tourism workers / Small Businesses
Local councils / Resilience planners
™ When and Where to fish( ™ When to prepare for hazardous weather( ™ What to communicate to residents/ visitors
Small Scale Fishers
Decisions
Stakeholders
Who This Cares For
Oceanographic and ecological data today is:( Highly technical Platform-fragmented Designed for experts, not communities Access to information becomes a form of power.
When data is inaccessible, communities are excluded from decision-making.
The Gap
The goal is not more data but meaningful, usable information.
Locally relevant insights
Simplified Forecasts
Clear Visualization
It integrates oceanographic and ecological datasets into:
CHARTr is a digital platform that translates complex environmental data into intuitive, actionable insights for coastal communities.
What is CHARTr?
Care is embedded not just in outcomes, but in process.
Shared Authorship
Community feedback shapes what is prioritized and how it is presented.
Transparency (Trust)
Clear sourcing, limitations, and assumptions.
Translation (Accessibility)
Transforming technical data into intuitive visuals.
Designing Care Into the System
Video Lin
In May 2024, we experimented with...
Wei Zhang - CEO, Resting Reef Liberty Denman - OneKay work in tech innovation to protect the ocean via cohesive monitoring and boosting ocean literacy Neil Tinmouth, Founder, Acua - Unmanned Surface Vehcile Platform-as-a-service provides the space, weight and power to deploy modular payloads in higher sea states. Elise Hodson - NEMO Carla Amaral - NEMO National Oceanography Centre - Dr. Paul S Bell
Testing with Adjacent Stakeholders
Care required humility and iteration.
Initial Assumption: Fish stock forecasting would be the most valuable feature.
What We Learnt
Care required humility and iteration.
Community Feedback: Fishermen valued clear, local information more than complex forecasts.
Initial Assumption: Fish stock forecasting would be the most valuable feature.
What We Learnt
Care required humility and iteration.
What Changed: We simplified outputs, emphasized immediate usability, and prioritized clarity over complexity.
Community Feedback: Fishermen valued clear, local information more than complex forecasts.
Initial Assumption: Fish stock forecasting would be the most valuable feature.
What We Learnt
Exclude local voices
Centralize decision-making
Reinforce inequities
Environmental data systems can:
Ethics & Data Justice
Exclude local voices
Centralize decision-making
Reinforce inequities
Environmental data systems can:
aims to:
Ethics & Data Justice
Exclude local voices
Centralize decision-making
Reinforce inequities
Redistribute informational access
Environmental data systems can:
aims to:
Ethics & Data Justice
Exclude local voices
Centralize decision-making
Support equitable participation
Reinforce inequities
Redistribute informational access
Environmental data systems can:
aims to:
Ethics & Data Justice
Make environmental change visible to those most affected
Exclude local voices
Centralize decision-making
Support equitable participation
Reinforce inequities
Redistribute informational access
Environmental data systems can:
aims to:
Ethics & Data Justice
Addressing these challenges requires accessible design, community collaboration, and continuous adaptation.
Our platform cannot replace policy change, infrastructure investment, or lived expertise. It can only support them.
3. Avoiding Technological Solutionism
Keep in mind, that Digital platforms can also unintentionally create new barriers as well as limit access.
2. Addressing Digital Literacy gaps
Ensuring community voices are reflected accurately without simplifying, tokenizing, or speaking on their behalf.
1. Representation Without Extraction
Some Ongoing Challenges
CHARTr is not just a platform.
It is an argument : That access to environmental knowledge, is a form of care, and a matter of justice.
Care is about who gets to understand what is happening. Who gets to prepare. Who gets to decide.
Environmental change is accelerating. But care is not only about reacting to crisis.
MS Strategic Design & Management Parsons School of Design
Rohit Gavali Aakanksha Marulkar
Thank you!