Aging Observatory is developing a research platform designed to support longitudinal ethnographic analysis.
The platform will help researchers and decision-makers work with complex qualitative material—photos, field notes, sketches, transcripts, audio, and other field documentation—over time and across contexts.
It doesn't generate insights or replace human interpretation. Instead, it supports pattern-mapping, codification, and the tracing of how needs, behaviors, and meanings evolve across life stages, environments, and social systems.
A cumulative knowledge infrastructure:
The goal is to build knowledge that accumulates rather than disappears into isolated reports.
The platform is designed to scale geographically, across cities and regions. Thematically, across recurring areas of inquiry. And temporally, so that each new pilot adds value to the whole. Insights from one context can inform questions in another. Patterns observed in one location can be tested and refined elsewhere.
Over time, this creates a body of knowledge that can be compared, layered, and revisited—becoming more valuable as it grows.
Current state
This infrastructure is in development. Current work focuses on establishing the methodological foundations and securing the first pilot collaborations that will seed the platform.
The Observatory matters for organizations navigating demographic change:
Housing & Urban Development: aging-in-place, intergenerational living, spatial adaptation.
Healthcare & Wellness: preventive care, active aging, health management in everyday life.
Finance & Insurance: longevity planning, caregiving finance, and intergenerational wealth.
Mobility & Transportation: access, autonomy, inclusive public design.
Technology & Design: inclusive interfaces, assistive AI, smart environments.
Policy & Public Sector: demographic planning, social inclusion, evidence-based policy.