Knowledge Base
Getting Started
What should we know before we begin?Envisioning
How do we help our network think about this - before we have something to look at?Mapping
We know where we want to take this - tech-wise how do we do it?SenseMaking
Now that the map is made - what do we do with it?
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Announcements
TechTalk - Session Recording - 3/22/21 - Transitioning into the New Survey Interface
In this morning's session Christine explained why we have to go back to the drawing board and start from square one with the much anticipated survey upgrade. Which means it will still be several months before we have a new survey tool and it won't look10/26/20 - Session Recording - TechTalk - Using Liberating Structures with map-hat wearers to connect and share ideas
Thank you to everyone who joined for this tech talk session. We are so appreciative that this Community of Practice is one that is willing to engage and get hands-on. This Tech Talk session introduces using Miro Boards with the group if you are additionally7/27/2020 - Session Recording - Tech Talk - Various approaches to incorporating people and organizations in a map
This Community of Practice Tech Talk video explores the new Dual Elements feature in sumApp as it solves a bunch of problems related to mapping people AND organizations/networks/initiatives. What if you don't need all that robustness? Or what if you don't have the budget for sumApp's 2 Tier IV projects? We'll discuss the possible work-arounds and trade-offs to consider if you can't justify using Dual Elements. Links that were shared in this video/chat discussion: Approaches to Mapping People ANDWhat is this forum for?
Use this forum to ask questions, initiate discussions, and offer suggestions about DEALING WITH DATA. sumApp does everything it can to help get your data cleaned up & structured so that it works well with Kumu. But even so, data gets messy, and the way data flows from one context to another sometimes demands thought. If you're stuck or confused or just think it could be handled better - let's talk about that here!6/17/19 Session Recording - Walk Through Several Social System Maps & sumApp Set-Up
Here's a link to the transcript
Recent Articles
'Send me my link' Form
Do you have a map member who needs to get back into their sumApp account but can not remember their unique mapping link? We have a new feature for that called the 'Send me my link' form! If you are the map administrator you will be able to find this ...Opt In Form
Are you starting a new mapping project? The Opt In Form is one way to help get new map members into your sumApp mapping project. In the video below, we discussed how to use the Opt-In form and 'My Preferences' options in sumApp and think about how to ...Using the Graph Commons data output
sumApp now works with both Kumu AND Graph Commons! Graph Commons is an Open Source graph visualization platform that does most things differently from Kumu, and it does some things much better. So to give our sumApp users the best of both worlds, we ...Understanding your map embed options
Now that you can use sumApp with two different platforms, we figured you'd want to be able to share both maps in the sumApp member view - so now you can! If you have two maps, you can select to show neither, one of them or both. If you show both, ...Understanding the URL field on the Bio page
Graph Commons, just like Kumu, is fussy about how your data is structured (hence sumApp. . . .), and has it's own set of required fields. One of those required fields is called 'Reference'. It doesn't have to have actual data in the cells, but a ...
Popular Articles
What is Social System Mapping?
Social System Mapping is an expanded version of Network Mapping that is emerging from the increased functionality of the combination of sumApp and Kumu. It's a mash-up of system mapping, social network mapping, asset mapping, stakeholder mapping and ...The Three Mapping 'Hats'
In most instances, a good Social System Map requires a minimum of three different kinds of thinkers. We call these the 'thinking hats'. Of course there are more 'thinking hats' than just these three. And more thinking types are valuable to the ...It Takes a Social System to Map a Social System
It Needs to Be a True CollaborationSocial System Mapping is more of an art than a science. It's an art of 'process' that starts with understanding the purpose or aims of a collaborative/action/intentional network, then learning what kinds of other- ...It's a New Language That is Emerging
I like to say that Social System Mapping is one genre in a new visual language that's emerging from the intersection of interactive online data visualization and graph theory. And because it's new, because the media that use this language are not yet ...The Purpose of Social System Mapping
Social system mapping (SSM) is a new mapping practice that can present on the surface a sloppy mash-up of better-established and more-well-groomed methodologies. It was not pre-conceived, pre-defined, pre-justified & pre-proven. Rather, it is ...