Introduction

We have a two-year grant to explore the implications of hypermedia and hypertext for the production, presentation and dissemination of ethnographic social science research. The research is based on a completed ethnography (Dr. Bella Dicks's Ph.D. thesis research[1]) of the Rhondda Heritage Park, and will focus on a section of that work in order to expand it. Using a mixture of old and new materials we aim to create a hypermedia environment in order to explore how appropriate such an environment is for representing ethnographic research.

The original ethnography of the Rhondda Heritage Park consisted of an exploration of how the heritage park was set up, how its narratives of history were constructed and how visitors and local people interact with these. In this project we will focus mostly on visitor and local interaction with the heritage park and hope to use the non-linearity of a hypermedia environment to explore these interactions in innovative ways. We will re-interview some of the original research participants using a high quality digital camcorder and supplement this material with recordings of other types of visitor interaction.

With these materials, plus more traditional written texts (such as interview transcripts, background documents, academic analysis, etc.) and images (such as photographs, diagrams, etc.), we then aim to create a hypermedia environment in which these items can be explored. The hope is to allow readers the chance to interact with ethnographic materials in creative ways as well as challenge the ethnographers who would need to reconceptualize the whole process of constructing an ethnography.

Theoretical Foundation

This project addresses several issues. On one level it addresses debates around the crisis of representation in ethnography through the utilization of a digital medium that can move beyond the limits of a written ethnography. In particular we wish to explore the ways a hypermedia environment may enable a more integrated representation of the voices of the ethnographer(s), participants and readers.

On another level this project has grown out of research into the problems inherent in the "code and retrieve" model of CAQDAS, Computer-Aided Qualitative Data Analysis Software, that has dominated approaches to the uses for computers in social science research[2]. Rather than using the computer as a simple number crunching device, this project aims to investigate the creative potential of the computer as a medium for the presentation and conduct of qualitative research.

Naturally these two aspects inform each other. What happens to ethnographies when they break the bounds of linearity? How does one author such ethnographies and, indeed, what happens to the author? What are the advantages of such a medium and what are its pitfalls? How easy is it to conduct research that takes full advantage of the medium? Ultimately this project addresses issues at the forefront of the debate about ethnography as well as practical concerns about how actually to use this new technology to good effect.

Methodology and Tools

The fundamentals of the new research will mix participant interviews recorded using a digital video camcorder with data in other media. Such a camcorder can also be used to provide still images. The intent is to generate qualitative materials which can easily be digitized. A scanner with OCR (optical character recognition) software will be used to input other forms of non-digital information into a computer. This should generate texts, video footage, sound files and images from which a hypermedia environment can be built.

The tools needed to do this are generally all available at "consumer" or educational prices. We are taking the opportunity to use higher specification devices than normal, however, as our research is both exploratory and exemplary. For the record the following equipment has either been purchased or is in the process of being purchased.

• Computer 1: Pentium II 266MMX with 64MB RAM, 4GB hard drive, 64 bit sound card, Yamaha CD-RW (rewriter). This is being used by Mason for the development of the hypermedia environment and mastering of blank CDs.
• Computer 2: Pentium II 300 MMX with 128MB Ram, 7GB a/v hard drive and DPS Spark digital video capture card. This is being used by Dicks for video capture and editing.
• Scanner: HP 6100C with Omni Pro 9 for OCR and Corel Photo Paint for image editing.
• Camcorder: Sony digital camcorder
• Software: StorySpace for hypertext authoring Adobe Premiere for video editing, Macromedia Authorware 4 for hypermedia authoring.

Ultimately, however, these tools are simply input devices with which we hope to capture detailed and varied information.

Outcomes and Goals

By the project end, we intend to produce a prototype CD-ROM that will enable users to find their way through the various data collected on the Heritage Park and through the narratives we have constructed around it, in a way which is accessible and interesting and which has academic value. The anticipated outcome of the project is, however, a contribution to some of the theoretical debates about the role of computers in social science research as well as the current crisis in ethnography. In the process we hope to demonstrate some of the more creative and less mechanistic applications of computer technology for the conduct and dissemination of qualitative research.