The aim of the reseach project is to develop an internet based visualisation of risk related controversies as argumentation maps on the basis of two exemplary case studies: dietary supplements and nanoscale particles. These argumentation maps will be developed by an interdisciplinary research team of sociologists, natural scientists, computer scientists as well as partners and advisors from industry, poltics and academia. With these agrumentation maps users will be provided with detailed information about public debats on risks concerning dietary supplements and nanoscale particles. These maps show actors, materials and arguments and their (formally unseen) connections, relations and interactions. Main focus will be given on showing a broad overview of the most commonly discussed arguments and matters of dispute within the case studies (details see below). Different perspectives and opinions of participated and affected poltical, industrial and public actors as well as social groups will be presented. The maps will be completed by documents and reference texts as well as basic information about risk related substances.

  Scientific methods of discourse analysis and (actor-)network analysis will help us to describe knowledge-claims, risk-concepts and locally based risk assessments from the different perspectives of nearly every affected actor. Based on these findings, the data structure, visualisation methods and the useability of the grafical user interface will be improved step by step in close cooperation with partners from policy, industry, academia etc. Stakeholder workshops and periodical meetings with our partners will guarantee the development of a new prototype tool for mapping debates on systemic risks.

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