Public communication strategies that employ digital multimedia elements, such as documentary-style videography, conceptual renderings, and ArcGIS storymaps, can be effective at raising community awareness and building momentum around environmental science initiatives. These visually-compelling, engaging tools can deepen and strengthen local networks by connecting community members with scientific data and, conversely, connecting scientists, local government staff, and other stakeholders with the needs and priorities of community members. Digital multimedia tools, then, become important pieces of a holistic socio-environmental narrative.
Residential flooding is an example of an issue that communities might face, which can be addressed through this approach of capturing and conveying the stories that quantitative and qualitative data can tell. At Stetson University’s Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience (IWER) in DeLand, Florida, digital multimedia is utilized in conjunction with a participatory process that builds trust, facilitates community buy-in, and documents project development. This presentation will review several tangible examples of IWER’s work within the Florida communities of Cocoa West, Spring Hill, and Cape Canaveral, and how this storytelling lens has deepened partnerships, expanded the capacity for scientific research, and yielded substantial funding for community-driven projects.