Appropedia is a wiki-based website that contains content relating to poverty, environmental degradation and international development.[1][2]

Appropedia
URLappropedia.org
CommercialNo
RegistrationOptional
Launched2007
Content license
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

Purpose

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Appropedia helps people share information together and collaborate on projects to address poverty, international development, and environmental sustainability.[3]

Nomenclature

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Appro means "Appropriate Technology".[4] Despite "pedia" in the title, the site is not an encyclopedia, but a collection of various types of content, including original research.[4]

History

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Appropedia was founded in April 2006.[4]

In 2007, three of the founders created the Appropedia Foundation and registered it as a not for profit in California.[4]

Site organization

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The website is organized into portals that are groups of articles arranged by topics.[4] Topics include construction, energy, food & agriculture, health, and water.[4] Like other wiki based websites, the content can be navigated in multiple ways, using tags to indicate themes.[4][5]

Content is made under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 license.[4]

Comparison with Wikipedia

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The rules for content acceptance and editing on Appropedia vary from Wikipedia due to having different goals. For example:

  • While Wikipedia requires verifiability, Appropedia prefers verifiability but does not demand it.[4]
  • While Wikipedia prohibits original research, Appropedia encourages it.[4]
  • While Wikipedia requires a neutral point of view, Appropedia encourages a neutral point of view, but notably the content tends to be uploaded by people with affiliations to the topic.[4]

Notable uses

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Ontario man, Aren Page, used Appropedia to help him design an off-grid residential vehicle.[6]

Michigan Technological University faculty Joshua Pearce used Appropedia to share hundreds of designs for cost saving.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Pearce, Joshua M. (March 2009). "Appropedia as a Tool for Service Learning in Sustainable Development". Journal of Education for Sustainable Development. 3 (1): 45–53. doi:10.1177/097340820900300112. hdl:1974/5306. ISSN 0973-4082. S2CID 145118511.
  2. ^ "Appropedia". Reference Reviews. 29 (2): 31. 2015-01-01. doi:10.1108/RR-08-2014-0239. ISSN 0950-4125.
  3. ^ Pearce, Joshua (12 Sep 2016). "Global citizens unite to improve housing with open design and development". Opensource.com. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Sunter, Patrick, and Chris Watkins. "Issues in Developing a G/Local Knowledge Network for Transport Reform Utilising Appropedia." CIRN Prato Community Informatics Conference. 2013.
  5. ^ Pearce, J. M., Denkenberger, D. (2014). Feeding Everyone No Matter What: Managing Food Security After Global Catastrophe. Netherlands: Elsevier Science.
  6. ^ Lale, Brent (2021-10-26). "'It's a solar-powered apartment': Western University prof's book teaches DIY solar energy projects". London. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  7. ^ Perkins, Cyndi (2020-12-04). "Open-Source Maker, Mover and Shaker Takes Share-Everything Philosophy to the Mainstream". Michigan Technological University. Retrieved 2022-02-27.