Pluriversal Australia (Map 1): “Significant Outputs” & “Explicit Positions” across 98 Australian Transformative Initiatives

How to read the map

• Orange nodes = initiatives/organizations. Each orange circle is one initiative.
• Shape = organization type. The node’s shape (see legend) indicates whether it’s a community group, NGO, cooperative, social enterprise, network, or other type of organization.
• Large deep-red hubs = “Significant Outputs”. These big red circles represent outcomes the initiatives help produce or enable—such as policy/recommendations, new organizations and business models, commons/public assets, funding/finance mechanisms, media and public engagement, technologies/tools, new thinking/theory, and vibrant communities.
• Radiating “halo” = explicit positions/priorities. The glow around an initiative signals its stated stance—e.g., urgent climate action, centering First Nations leadership, advancing social justice and equality, deepening connection with the living world, reducing consumption, or building non-capitalist systems.

How to explore
Quick controls

• Pan & zoom: Click and drag to move; scroll or pinch to zoom.
• Focus on one initiative: Click an orange node to highlight it and its neighbors.
• See details: With a node selected, the side panel (or a mobile popup) shows its name, type, positions (the halo), and which “Significant Outputs” it connects to.
• Follow the threads: Click a red hub to see all initiatives contributing to that output.
• After clicking on any node, a bullseye/target icon appears on the right-hand side of the map that toggles Focus, and the up/down arrows that appear after clicking on the bullseye can adjust how much of the neighborhood you see.
  • Focus on a node: Click any node (orange initiative or red hub) to select it, then click the bullseye. Everything else will fade, so you can follow that node’s immediate connections.
  • Expand/contract the focus: Use the up arrow to include more “degrees” of connections (2nd, 3rd, etc.), and the down arrow to step back to a tighter view.
  • Clear focus: Click the bullseye again (or use the map’s Reset/Home).

  Tip: You don’t need to open the right-hand settings panel. Please avoid it—it’s for advanced adjustments and can change the map’s layout and filters.

• Search: Use the 🔍 icon to jump straight to a named initiative.
• Reset: Use the home/reset button (or press ESC) to return to the full network.

Why this “meta-map” matters
This is meta-mapping: instead of tracing only existing, on-the-ground organizational links, it maps shared and unshared features—types, stated priorities, and the kinds of outcomes initiatives work toward. Seeing the ecosystem this way helps groups:

• Spot natural bridges and brokers across issue areas and sectors;
• Identify synergies and potential alliances around clearly shared objectives;
• Surface gaps, reduce duplication, and redirect effort where it will matter most; and
• Align resources, knowledge, and strategy to build real connections that advance progressive change.

By visualizing affinities (and differences) at a glance, the map supports smarter collaboration and a stronger, more commonist, pluriversal transition.

About the project

This map is one of the many mapping products from a nationwide mini-linkage pilot survey conducted in 2021, funded by the University of Newcastle’s College of Human and Social Futures and developed in partnership with the New Economy Network Australia (NENA). The research team included Dr. S. A. Hamed Hosseini (lead CI), A/Prof Penny Buykx, A/Prof Daniela Heil, Chris Korgh, and Dr. Michelle Maloney (Director of NENA).

It is a living resource. The qualitative scores and categories serve as guides for exploration, rather than rankings. If something’s missing (or any clarification is required), please get in touch. Enjoy exploring!

(With special gratitude to NENA, our community partner in the project, for their great support and in-kind contributions, without which the achievements would not have been possible.)