The Multi-Sensorial Manhole Inspection (MSMI) asked PEC participants to sketch manholes being inspected and to answer a series of questions regarding their perceptions of maintenance status and environmental health. Responses ranged from the literal to the whimsical.
In addition to manhole inspections, the PEC was also asked to carry out two sampling/logging tasks. The first of these was Detritus/Debris Sampling (DDS). The PEC was asked to collect "representative" samples of the trash and debris we encountered on our expedition. Originally, the intent was to compare findings at the end of the event and to award prizes to the most interesting items, but most participants simply threw away their clear plastic bags of samples upon reaching the restaurant at the end of the expedition.
The second sampling/logging task was the completion of the Life Survey Log (LSL). In this activity, PEC participants were asked to record information about representative organisms spotted during the duration of the expedition -- human and non-human alike. As indicated in the results below, responses to this assignment varied widely in approach, frequency, and attention to detail. Interestingly, the LSL served as an informal log of the social interactions between the PEC and residents.
At the end of the expedition, the PEC was asked to tally and calculate the Maintenance Status and Ecological Significance (MSES). Unfortunately, dwindling numbers and a tired and hungry PEC meant that the response rates for the MSES forms were the lowest of all of the activities in the field workbook. However, the only completed MSES form, included below, contained a rich amount of information. Additionally, the notes from the focus group that concluded the event served as a less quantitative MSES calculation, and concluded a number of recommendations for future maintenance. These notes will be transcribed and uploaded here soon.
