Investigate how to handle location tag for BadgeKit for cities implementation

[threeqube]

BadgeKit for cities will need a location filter. How do we handle this?

Do we use tags or think about adding location data to spec?

[iamjessklein]

Can you be more specific about how the locations should be filtered?
Is this required under the "Preparing for Flight" milestone?

[xmatthewx]

Is this a location per badge? If so, we could add a field to description page in badgeKit studio.

Or, if this is one location per issuer/program, then I believe it should be in settings.

[threeqube]

Actually @emgollie is going to do some research on location use cases first. Reassigned to @emgollie

[emgollie]

I think the central questions we want to address here are In what ways might location be valuable to cities and learners as part of the metadata spec? What would the addition of location enable that isn't currently possible?

I suggest breaking the research into two parts:

CITIES: Screening the BadgeKit opt in-list and contacting relevant city representatives to ask:

1. The top two ways they would imagine using location-based badge information in the next 12 months (to provide a sense of thinking around real current programs)
2. The level of granularity they imagine needing around location data (what % more usable would the inclusion of street-level information be in their work? What % less usable would country level-only data be?)
3. Who at the org(s) benefits from this information and how they are currently working without it

INDIVIDUALS: Posting to our forums with a brief (relatively open-ended) survey and joining the community call to ask:

1. The likelihood that learners feel location info would help them in a) discovering new badges, b) generating interest in new (potentially nearby) issuers, c) creating personally meaningful pathways with their badges, d) other
2. The level of granularity they are comfortable displaying around location data (i.e. if you were to share an earned badge with your networks, how much geolocation data feels like too much / a violation of your privacy?)

Side note: In a MozFest breakout session I hosted we did a brief exercise in which participants were asked to remix their badges pathways three times with no guidance. The most popular approaches were types ("my music experience") and chronology. I can try to create a remote version of the exercise in which we ask about whether grouping by like locations is of interest (and if so, how much).

[threeqube]

I think the central questions we want to address here are In what ways might location be valuable to cities and learners as part of the metadata spec? What would the addition of location enable that isn't currently possible?

Definitely agree with this.

[xmatthewx]

Nice outline @emgollie. You might add:

CITIES

• How are they currently handling location information? Are they including it in tags? Including it in desctiption?

[iamjessklein]

moving to Flying.

[emgollie]

Moving to February per a chat with @threeqube @iamjessklein

[cmcavoy]

If we want to add this to the assertion spec we need to run it through the community and take several weeks to discuss and handle feedback. If we want to add location, which is fine, we should add it as data that lives in the criteria, but not in the assertion. If it becomes so useful that we want to make a case for adding it to the assertion spec, that's great - but it's not a fast process.

Given that, I'd suggest we not consider extending the assertion specification until BadgeKit is out the door.

[threeqube]

I'd suggest we not consider extending the assertion specification until BadgeKit is out the door.

I think that makes sense.

[emgollie]

I talked to one of the Dallas city contacts about BadgeKit yesterday and asked him about location information within the badge. He said that he could imagine it being used to create a heat map of sorts that shows Dallas Summer of Learning organizers which programs are being most utilized. I asked how that might end up benefiting learners, not just administrators, and he said it would help identify neighborhoods where badges aren't being frequently awarded and hopefully identify where more resources and services should be allocated. An interesting idea to keep exploring, no doubt.

[andrewhayward]

See also: Suggestion to Experiment with Extending the BadgeClass. I have a feeling if we can get that sorted these kinds of conversations would be covered.

[iamjessklein]

+1 this should definitely be implemented post March, if it goes through. However, I agree with @andrewhayward

[threeqube]

Closing for now.