Psychonaut Web Mapping Project, final report

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I searched the forum and it seems nothing was posted about this yet. Within the next couple of weeks the final report of the Psychonaut Web Mapping Project will be available.

http://www.p2002.sgul.ac.uk/index.php

The Psychonaut Web Mapping Project is a 2-year European Union funded project (January 2008 - December 2009) with the aim of developing a web scanning system to identify and categorize novel recreational drugs/psychoactive compounds, and new trends in drug use based on information available on the Internet.

This is a multi-site research project involving 8 research centres in 7 European Countries. As a result we were able to formulate search engine queries and analyze drug related web content in 8 different languages, and have been able to pay particular attention to the qualitative analysis of drug-related slang used in each language (click here to read more about the project).

A database of novel psychoactive compounds has been developed based on those provisionally identified online, with aim of producing technical reports for those substances for which some level of diffusion in the EU recreational consumers' community has been confirmed.

Over the past two years the Psychonaut Web Mapping project has set up an integrated mapping and monitoring system of the Internet which has allowed the early identification of emerging trends in recreational drug abuse (for example Spice and mephedrone).

The project has also shown that it is possible to rely on the information available and shared on the Internet to build up a reasonably accurate understanding of the characteristics of these novel/recreational compounds. This information is vital for many health professionals and the online database and technical reports are trying to fill this gap in knowledge.
You can read more about the outcomes and findings in the upcoming project's final report (Available in April 2010).

Meanwhile, if you would like to request access to the Psychonaut Web Mapping database and technical folders please make a database access request by contacting us directly or joining our mailing list. Alternatively, you can alert us of a novel compound or combination via the contribute form.

Issue 2 of the Psychonaut Web Mapping Newsletter is now available.

Aims

The aims of the Psychonaut Web Mapping Project are:-

* To implement a regular monitoring of the web in respect to novel recreational drugs; and
* To set up a web scanning system which will formally liaise with the existing EMCDDA European EWS.

In doing so, specific scanning software will be used. The search will be performed in formulating queries in 9 different languages, and particular attention will be given to the qualitative analysis of drug related slang used. Initial information on novel compounds detected will be passed on to the EMCDDA for validation. Although, during the 2-year proposed project duration, a few hundred psychoactive compounds, either synthetic or herbal, will be provisionally identified online, technical folders will be prepared for a few dozen novel compounds identified in the first phase and for which some level of diffusion in the EU recreational consumers' community is confirmed. Information about the project findings will be posted to a number of health agencies per EU country, and will contribute to the EMCDDA/E-POD system.

Methodology

Step 1: Monitoring of the web (i.e., websites, chat rooms, newsgroups, forums)

Monitoring of the web with respect to novel (synthetic and herbal) drugs of misuse, using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Appropriate scanning software will make exploring large numbers of web sites easier and more reliable. Resulting pages will eventually be checked for relevance/appropriateness. To get further information on selected compounds, purposeful web site sampling will be carried out.

Survey data will include:

* URL of the web page;
* Website relevance
* Ranking;
* Type of organization owning the domain;
* Country of origin;
* Purchase possibilities.

Information on novel compounds gathered in this first phase will be passed on to the EMCDDA for validation.
The Psychonaut WEB MAPPING will focus on:

* Novel synthetic drugs;
* Chemical intermediates which may be of use in the preparation of active substances of medicinal products (incl. veterinary products); and
* Compounds of an 'other' origin. (i.e., herbal, 'ecological', 'ethno drugs').

Step 2: Preparation of Technical Folders

Technical evaluation of the novel compounds, using web-based resources, medical/scientific literature, and qualitative analysis within groups of 'key informants' (i.e., clinicians in the Psychonaut WEB MAPPING network, ravers/clubbers, Community Drug Teams, clients, web users (via web surveys etc.) acting as 'sentinel networks'.

A technical folder for each compound will then be prepared, providing information on: the known name(s) of the compound (formal/chemical and common/slang); chemical pharmacological, toxicological characteristics of the compound; appearance, consumption, and availability; and any other relevant details (for more information on technical folders click here). Once again, the information gathered during this phase will be sent to the EMCDDA for validation.

Step 3: Dissemination of the information and implementation of the Psychonaut WEB MAPPING web site.

Selected technical folders will be placed on the web site, whose access will be restricted to identified health professionals and health agencies in the EU for the identification of emerging drug trends. Furthermore, newsletters outlining novel compounds/combinations will be available to subscribers. The newsletters will make available the range of information gathered in the earlier steps regarding the novel psychoactive compounds.

Main project partners and collaborating partners: click here

 

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Interesting documents (Psychonaut.com isn't explicitly mentioned, but it's unlikely we haven't been monitored):

Drug Forums and Drug Forum Communities (PDF)

A qualitative/quantitative research of online drug abuse communities with reference to 'novel' psychoactive compounds

I registered myself so I can access more documents. Still waiting for a confirmation email however.

 

[IJesusChrist]

1+

this is awesome

 

[HeartCore]

-10 big brother.

 

[IJesusChrist]

... i dont know man, this is crossing the line past big brother. It's allowing for information to be passed, unbiased information, facts. This doesn't sound very big brotherish to me. Don't be afraid of things like this...

 

[Bastiaan]

C'mon Ijesus, did you notice there's an EU logo on it? ^^ I don't know if this is actually connected to EU 'officials' but it certainly suggests it. If it were my project I wouldn't have put the logo on but then again that's just me.

 

[trick]

the whole idea sounds like big brother to me.

woulnt be OHso convenient for there to just so happen to be a list of all of the new drugs comming out? to prevent stuff like methylone ext from happening again. :axe:

 

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I agree the general idea of this project need not be a Big Brother kind of thing, but it still freaks me out that a team of people who don't do drugs are systematically monitoring these forums, which in most cases aren't just message boards or databases but web communities, places where we exchange ideas, plans, thoughts, feelings, beliefs and other personal stuff. How can we be sure that those who are monitoring us aren't also infiltrating, for example by opening an account and participating in public discussions and private exchanges? How can we be sure the geeks behind the Psychonaut Web Mapping Project aren't passing on information to other institutions of the EU or outside of it?

 

[trick]

we cant be sure.. i think it presents to much of a vurnerability. we(the underground drug community so to say) need to find a new battle front to exchange idea, we have been comprimised.

the most important/vurnerable is whats going on in the synthetic research section.

 

[Guest]

Wtf, you mean you thought no-one beside us "psychonaut" were on the forum? That the police of several countries and other officials weren't monitoring the shit out of it since its opening?

 

[spice]

trick said:

"we cant be sure.. i think it presents to much of a vurnerability. we(the underground drug community so to say) need to find a new battle front to exchange idea, we have been comprimised.

the most important/vurnerable is whats going on in the synthetic research section."





you can be sure of some of us






yes I agree syn and extr are problematic. The reality for those bastards to understand (read this and read it WELL, you Orwellian fuckjobs) is that WE already realize they are doing this and that the best and brightest have already relocated the bulk of their adventures, as well as the fruits of novel approaches, to OFFLINE)



So......they can read my sig

 

[trick]

haha no i knew, i was just making a dramatic post. and pmsl spice ur the fucking best! :finga:

 

[IJesusChrist]

i'm getting a grip on a big picture here that is somewhat unnerving, but I don't know if it's true.

Evolution & psychology.

Is the world splitting up? The population of the world is so large - how can universal laws govern everyone's morals? How can they expect us to all fit into the same rubrick of thought?

HOwever, to be honest, and with parallel to my first post - this project seems neutral. That it is simply tracking trends for scientific research - WHICH IS COMPLETELY SEPERATE from the pigs and the swine.

Research areas although not always friendly, are a whole different ballgame than the feds - they aren't after fucking you over, they are after their own knowledge and asperations pertaining to their field.

I still see this as a very positive thing. Atleast it's not covering up psychodelic forums.