Communication
Meet BRCK, a Backup Generator for the Internet
ushahidi.com - by Rob Baker - May 7, 2013
Ushahidi is a team of programmers and mappers who are constantly on the move.
Being constantly handicapped with spotty internet access has led us to realize that the way the entire world is connecting to the web is changing.
So Ushahidi set out to redesign the modem for the changing way we all connect to the web.
Enter BRCK: The easiest, most reliable way to connect to the Internet, anywhere in the world.
BRCK
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1776324009/brck-your-backup-generator-for-the-internet
OCHA - Humanitarian Kiosk
The Humanitarian Kiosk (H.Kiosk) application provides a range of up-to-the-minute humanitarian related information from emergencies around the world.
OCHA now offers a Humanitarian Kiosk app for Apple devices (iOS5+).
unocha.org - March 21, 2013
What is Humanitarian Kiosk?
One of the challenges faced by humanitarian workers is access to timely, relevant and accurate information. New technology provides an opportunity for humanitarian workers to develop better ways to access and share this information, and get aid to those who need it more quickly and effectively. OCHA has developed the Humanitarian Kiosk to address the diverse information needs of humanitarian agencies and workers.
You can install the app on any of your Apple devices (iOS5+) through this link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/humanitarian-kiosk/id546482411
OCHA - Japan: An Earthquake, a Tsunami – and a Handwritten Newspaper
A rescue worker uses a two-way radio transceiver during heavy snowfall at a factory area devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in Sendai, northern Japan, 16 March 2011. Credit: REUTERS/KIM KYUNG-HOON
unocha.org - March 15, 2013
When one of the most technologically sophisticated countries in the world is hit by a triple emergency, should we count on web platforms and social media to deliver lifesaving information? Not necessarily, according to a new report by Internews into the communications aspects of the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan.
. . . instead of their usual high-tech operation, local newspaper reporters went back a few decades in time and produced a handwritten newspaper.
Internews Report - Connecting the Last Mile: The Role of Communications in the Great East Japan Earthquake
http://www.internews.org/research-publications/connecting-last-mile-role-communications-great-east-japan-earthquake
The Benefits of Mobile Health, on Hold
opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com - March 13th, 2011 - Tina Rosenberg
The world now has 5 billion mobile phones – one for every person over 15. Africa has a billion people and 750 million phones, and mobile is growing so fast there that in a few years there will be more phones than people. In some countries this is already true — South Africa has 47 million people, but 52 million SIM cards.
(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)
Verily: Crowdsourced Verification for Disaster Response
irevolution.net - by Patrick Meier - February 19, 2013
Social media is increasingly used for communicating during crises. This rise in Big (Crisis) Data means that finding the proverbial needle in the growing haystack of information is becoming a major challenge.
QCRI and Masdar have launched an experimental platform called Verily. We are applying best practices in time-critical crowd-sourcing coupled with gamification and reputation mechanisms to leverage the good will of (hopefully) thousands of digital Samaritans during disasters.
Veri.ly
http://www.veri.ly/
Crisis Mapping Syria: Automated Data Mining and Crowdsourced Human Intelligence
blog.ushahidi.com
The Syria Tracker Crisis Map is without doubt one of the most impressive crisis mapping projects yet.
On the data-mining side, Syria Tracker has repurposed the HealthMap platform, which mines thousands of online sources for the purposes of disease detection and then maps the results, “giving public-health officials an easy way to monitor local disease conditions.”
Solar Flare 2013: Intense Sun Eruption Aimed At Earth, Scientists Say
Huffington Post - February 10, 2013 (Updated February 11, 2013) - Tariq Malik
A long-lasting solar flare erupted from the sun early Saturday (Feb. 9), triggering an intense sun eruption aimed squarely at Earth. The solar storm, however, should not endanger satellites or astronauts in space, but could amplify auroras on Earth, NASA says. The solar eruption —called a coronal mass ejection —occurred at 2:30 a.m. EST (0730 GMT) on Saturday during a minor, but long-duration, flare. It hurled a wave of charged particles at Earth at speeds of about 1.8 million miles per hour (nearly 2.9 million km/h).
Coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, are eruptions of charged solar material that fling solar particles out into space. When aimed at Earth, they can reach the planet between one and three days later, and cause geomagnetic storms when they interact with the planet's magnetic field. They can also amplify the northern and southern lights displays over the Earth's poles.
"In the past, CMEs at this strength have had little effect," NASA officials said in a statement. "They may cause auroras near the poles but are unlikely to disrupt electrical systems on Earth or interfere with GPS or satellite-based communications systems."
Explaining Risks
Image: Aftereffects of the L'Aquila earthquake
compression.org - October 25th, 2012 - Robert W. "Doc" Hall
The difficulties of explaining risk are the nub of the recent conviction on manslaughter changes of six Italian seismologists and a public official for inadequately forewarning the public of the L’Aquila earthquake in 2009: 309 fatalities, over 1500 injuries, and about 20,000 buildings destroyed. Seismologists classified the L’Aquila as a “moderate earthquake,” 6.3 Richter, but losses were very high in a densely populated area.
The case has drawn media attention, but Nature has a more detailed account.
(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)
Searching social media sources by geography
submitted by Samuel Bendett
homelandsecuritynewswire.com - November 16th, 2012
Geofeedia has created a group of algorithms that can search multiple social media sources by geography in real time.
“You just type in a place name, address and zip code (to find a Tweet, video or image),” CEO Phil Harris told the Chicago Sun Times.
Harris started and financed the company with chief operating officer Mike Mulroy and chief technology officer Scott Mitchell.
(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)
[Research] Data on Nonprofit Cloud Computing: Anywhere, Anytime Technology for Social Change
submitted by Albert Gomez
bethkanter.org - by Beth Kanter - September 20, 2012
“Cloud Computing” is when you use software on the Internet versus your local hard drive or local computer network. It makes your data and documents available anywhere, anytime.
TechSoup has just released the results of a global study of NGOs about cloud computing with some interesting findings.
2012 Global Cloud Computing Translated Survey Results
http://www.techsoupglobal.org/translated-cloud-reports
