To foster better understanding of modern global challenges and the international community's track record in responding to them, the Global Governance Monitor is an online multimedia tool that maps and evaluates efforts to tackle the most pressing problems facing the world. It contains multiple components addressing the issues of Nuclear Nonproliferation, Global Finance, Oceans, Climate Change, and Public Health, the latest issue, with future components to come.

2010 Webby (Honoree)
Rich Media: Non-profit/Educational

2011 Webby (Honoree)
Rich Media: Non-profit/Educational

The Council on Foreign Relation's International Institutions and Global Governance (IIGG) program approached MediaStorm to create a multi-component interactive that addressed a range of global challenges. Components would be launched in succession with 4 to 6 months in between each launch.

Each component contains:

• a cinematic overview

• an interactive timeline

• an issue brief

• a matrix cataloging relevant international treaties, organizations, and initiatives

• an interactive map

• a resource guide

The monitor had to be designed so that new components could be easily added and that the user could easily navigate between issue areas and access the deep levels of information. It had to address a range of issues while giving each issue a visual identity within a cohesive design.

The challenge visually, was how to tell a compelling narrative about a subject that, on it's face, was not personal; what is the best way to engage an audience so that they feel intellectually as well as emotionally connected to the subject?

The initial screen of the monitor, the dashboard, introduces the user to the different issue areas, each branded with a representative image. The dashboard is a grid that is flexible enough to automatically accommodate new components while featuring the most recent component and promoting future ones.

For the Video Overview, we focused on images that told the story primarily from a personal perspective, while the narration centered on the policy issues dictated by the script . The video was also constructed cinematically so that one image built upon the next. This sequencing helped create smaller, intimate stories within the overreaching narrative.

Technically, each component chapter is templated and editable by IIGG staff through external XML files. Because of this, the launch of each component is streamlined and each successive launch has been easier. Each chapter is built on an organized structure that allows for a large amount of information and a visually compelling presentation through the choice of images and video.

The Global Governance Monitor was well received by the Council on Foreign Relations and IIGG and is being used by educational institutions as a resource. It was a Webby Honoree in the category of Rich Media: Non-profit/Educational in 2010. Future components are planned and will be added periodically to encompass major issue areas in global governance, including violent conflict, terrorism, and human rights.

The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) dedicates itself to improving the understanding of the world, its challenges, and the foreign policy choices faced by the U.S. and other countries. The website is an extensive and trusted resource used by educators and students, government officials, business executives, journalists, and civic and religious leaders.