Lab
Small-scale tests and prototypes. Learning by doing, with transparency about what works and what doesn't.
Experiments are how we test ideas before committing to them at scale. They're deliberately small, time-bound, and designed to generate learning - not just results.
We document our experiments openly, including the ones that don't work. Failure isn't something to hide; it's information that helps us - and others - make better decisions.
Featured Experiment
A governance navigator for Canadian watersheds — who decides, under what authority, and by when
The Living Watershed Atlas layers federal, provincial, municipal, treaty, and Indigenous authority onto watershed polygons, reads each basin with two independent scores — governance legibility and consultation integrity — and pairs the map with a guardrailed navigator (Portage). Absence is a finding; community signal stays behind a consent gate. This is an early experiment — seed data is illustrative and everything is provisional.
Explore the atlasA sensemaking observatory — not a prediction tool, not a dashboard
A working concept for holding six ways of knowing in tension: cold data, thick data, warm data, weak signals, dark data, and social silences. Practitioner-led, braided with knowledge traditions institutional frames have historically refused. This is an early experiment — expect rough edges, shifting ideas, and open questions.
Explore the conceptCurrent Experiments
Testing whether structured asynchronous formats can produce the same quality of collective decision-making as in-person dialogue, while being more accessible.
Exploring whether story-based documentation can capture systemic change in ways that traditional metrics miss.
Testing a model where facilitation responsibility rotates among participants rather than resting with a designated facilitator.
Each experiment generates insights - some expected, some surprising. We compile these learnings and share them openly so others can build on our work without starting from scratch.
Check back as we document our findings from ongoing experiments.
We're always looking for partners who want to test new approaches. If you have an experiment in mind - or want to collaborate on one of ours - let's talk.