Now this looks really interesting!
From the website:
"
What does MAZI mean?
MAZI means “together” in Greek and the goal of MAZI is to provide technology and knowledge in order to
- empower those who are in physical proximity, to shape their hybrid
urban space, together, according to the specificities of the
respective local environment - generate location-based collective awareness as a basis for
fostering social cohesion, conviviality, participation in
decision-making processes, self-organization, knowledge sharing, and
sustainable living - facilitate interdisciplinary interactions around the design of hybrid
space and the role of ICTs in society.
What is new about MAZI?
MAZI wishes to invest in an alternative technology, what we call
Do-It-Yourself networking, a combination of wireless technology,
low-cost hardware, and free/libre/open source software (FLOSS)
applications, for building local networks, mostly known today as
community wireless networks. By making this technology better
understood, easily deployed, and configured based on a rich set of
customization options and interdisciplinary knowledge, compiled as a
toolkit, MAZI will empower citizens to build their own local networks
for facilitating hybrid, virtual and physical, interactions, in ways
that are respectful to their rights to privacy, freedom of expression
and self-determination. "