The power of mapping and influence

Data is part of any research process. And for Nicolas Graham, data can be transformed into a virtual map showing power and influence, in particular in the fossil fuel industry.

Nicolas Graham is a UVic PhD candidate in sociology and a student researcher on the six-year Corporate Mapping Project under the supervision of William Carroll, a UVic professor of sociology and co-director of the mapping partnership.

Graham’s doctoral research investigates how fossil fuel companies are approaching renewable energy development—such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal—and maps out how influence and power play a role in the development of renewable energy.

New study released this week by CCPA-BC

Based on his work as a research assistant, Graham is also the lead author of a new study released yesterday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-BC (CCPA-BC), examining the policy alignment between BC public officials and the fossil fuel industry.

SSHRC-funded Corporate Mapping Project

The mapping project (see earlier UVic story) is a research and public engagement initiative jointly led by UVic, the CCPA’s BC and Saskatchewan offices, and the Alberta-based Parkland Institute. Funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, it brings together researchers, civil society organizations and Indigenous participants to study the oil, gas and coal industries in BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

As for the study released yesterday, an academic version will also be published this summer in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, BC Studies.