Technology

Patient Outcomes and Environmental Monitoring System (POEMS)

Sun, 2012-06-17 23:15 — Kathy Gilbeaux

GHRF, and Nepal and Bhutan affiliated NGOs, along with Ministries of Health and Agriculture are partnering to utilize mobile and information technology tools to warehouse health and environmental data together to allow multi-level assessments and cross-correlation of outcomes to assess health and environmental impact.

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Improve Tsunami Warnings by Placing GPS on Commercial Ships

Tue, 2012-05-08 16:15 — Kathy Gilbeaux

While in transit from Hawaii to Guam, the research vessel Kilo Moana detected the February 2010 Chilean tsunami. Credit: University of Hawaii, SOEST

submitted by Samuel Bendett

Homeland Security News Wire - May 8, 2012

Researchers find that commercial ships travel across most of the globe and could provide better warnings for potentially deadly tsunamis; this finding came as a surprise because tsunamis have such small amplitudes in the deep water, in contrast to their size when they reach the coastline, that it seemed unlikely that the tsunami would be detected using GPS unless the ship was very close to the source and the tsunami was very big

Commercial ships travel across most of the globe and could provide better warnings for potentially deadly tsunamis, according to a study published by scientists at the University of Hawaii – Manoa (UHM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

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Researchers Use GPS Data to Speed Up Tsunami Warnings

Sun, 2012-05-06 23:25 — Kathy Gilbeaux

In this Jan. 2, 2005 file photo, a wide area of destruction is shown from an aerial view taken over Meulaboh, 250 kilometers (156 Miles) west of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Researchers in the United States are hoping to use GPS data to speed up current warnings. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)

U.S. seismologists currently testing new warning system

by Andrew Pinsent - CBC News - May 5, 2012

Scientists in the United States have been testing an advanced tsunami warning system using GPS data, combined with traditional seismology networks, to attempt to detect the magnitude of an earthquake faster so warnings of potential tsunamis can get out to potentially affected areas sooner.

The prototype is called California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN), and is a collaboration between the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, whose focus is on environmental conservation.

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The City as Lab: 21 Metropoles Prepare to Prototype

Sat, 2012-05-05 23:15 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Living Labs Global co-founder Sascha Haselmayer addresses the crowd in Rio de Janeiro

submitted by Albert Gomez

good.is - by Zak Stone - May 4, 2012

In a megapolis like Mexico City, any planning initiative that moves citizens from cars to busses will pay off in reductions to traffic and air pollution. A major deterrent to using public transportation in the city? Comfort, according to Dr. Julio Mendoza, director of Mexico City's Institute of Science and Technology. Many would rather drive than experience that particular breed of public transportation-pegged anxiety: waiting helplessly on the street corner for a bus that feels like it won't ever arrive.

After participating in the Living Labs Global Award program, a competition designed to help cities solve planning challenges, the Mexican capital may have found a fix. In February, Mexico City and 20 other LLGA participants around the world put out an open call to companies to pitch solutions to important but fixable problems.

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iPavement Puts a World of Knowledge Beneath Your Feet

Thu, 2012-05-03 18:18 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Albert Gomez

good.is - May 3, 2012

Now that the United Nations has declared internet access a human right, any small step that helps get more people online is worth celebrating. That's why iPavement, the latest creation from Spanish tech company Via Inteligente, is so genius.

Constructed of a calcium carbonate stone, iPavement looks like your average piece of square tile. But one should never judge a tile by its cover. At iPavement's core is a 5GB microprocessor that can support both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Each tile will also come with its own suite of apps, offering users features like coupons to local businesses and maps to nearby places of interest. Via Inteligente's ultimate goal is to make cities more accessible and interesting by linking iPavement squares to people's increasing number of handheld devices.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

http://www.ipavement.com/en/index_eng.html

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New Range Power

Sat, 2012-04-07 22:06 — Kathy Gilbeaux

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New Range Power is a global Engineering, Procurement and Construction firm committed to bringing cost effective renewable energy to the world. Our engineers collaborate with the brightest minds on the planet to constantly push the envelope of renewable technology. Opening our minds to future technologies while remembering the lessons of the past, we create robust affordable solutions giving you the competitive edge.

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George Clooney's Satellite Spies Reveal Secrets of Sudan's Bloody Army

Wed, 2012-03-28 16:55 — Kathy Gilbeaux

George Clooney on a visit to the Zamzam refugee camp in north Darfur in 2008. Photograph: Sherren Zorba/AP

by Paul Harris - guardian.co.uk - March 24, 2012

Actor and activist funds a hi-tech project that is tracking troops and warning civilians of attacks.

Nathaniel Raymond is the first to admit that he has an unusual job description. "I count tanks from space for George Clooney," said the tall, easygoing Massachusetts native as he sat in a conference room in front of a map of the Sudanese region of South Kordofan.

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Exercise 24: Using Social Media for Crisis Response

Sun, 2012-03-25 14:05 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Samuel Bendett

worldfinancialreview.com - By George H. Bressler, Murray E. Jennex & Eric G. Frost

“Can populations self-organize a crisis response? This is a field report on the first two efforts in a continuing series of exercises termed Exercise 24 or X24. These exercises attempted to demonstrate that self-organizing groups can form and respond to a crisis using low-cost social media and other emerging web technologies.”

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Firefly Technology Sheds New Light

Thu, 2012-03-22 13:34 — Kathy Gilbeaux

The light-producing enzyme in the firefly is the key to rapid pathogen detection // Source: cri.cn

submitted by Luis Kun

Homeland Security News Wire - March 22, 2012

A new device, employing the same chemical which lights up fireflies, can easily detect food contamination; the researchers who developed the system hope it will soon be used to test for other diseases, including HIV-AIDS.

Food contamination can now be detected easily by a new device based on the chemical which lights up fireflies.

The Bioluminescent Assay in Real-Time (BART), jointly invented by Professor Jim Murray of the Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences and Dr. Laurence Tisi of Lumora, allows users to test rapidly and simply for food poisoning bacteria. Professor Murray and his partners at technology company Lumora Ltd. hope to develop the system to test for other diseases, including HIV-AIDS.

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Predicting Locations of Emergency & Damage During Disaster Using VGI Data

Wed, 2012-03-21 11:55 — Kathy Gilbeaux

submitted by Alister Wm Macintyre

(CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW - TO ENLARGE)

ushahidi.com - by Prateek Budhwar

The VGI data obtained from the Ushahidi-Haiti platform during the first 72 hours of Earthquake in Haiti can be used for predicting the locations of ‘Emergency and damaged areas’ using Ushahidi Reports in Port-au-Prince. Two rapid and very successful VGI deployments helped coordinate disaster response after a devastating magnitude 7 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010.

OpenStreetMap (OSM) project volunteers working outside Haiti created a digital street map of Port-au-Prince and other places in Haiti very rapidly using fine-resolution imagery to trace vector maps of streets and other features.

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