Crowds, Maps and Hacks

Melanie Gorka, Brian Chick, and Heather LesonGovCamp June 8, 2011

What if Volunteers….

Use the Internet during an emergency

Sydney, Australia

How would that Work?

What if everyone….

Considered this an asset

It already has.

Innovation is iteration.

The tools to volunteer are different. The motive is the

same.

Crowd.

Community and collaboration come in many forms.

Volunteer Technical Communities Sahana Foundation Ushahidi, Swift River and Crowdmap OpenStreetMap Frontline SMS Crisismappers CrisisCommons Random Hacks of Kindness Humanity Road Geeks without Bounds HFOSS and more

Many volunteer groups and individuals

collaborate on projects bringing all their networks

and unique skills.

Strangers volunteer in solidarity.

Crisis Commons is a global network of volunteers who use creative problem solving and open technologies to help people and communities in times and

places of crisis.

Crisis Commons members organize response events called CrisisCamps.

What do we do?

Code, test tools, translate, map, wiki, Twitter, Facebook, communicate, collaborate, plan, coordinate, iterate, brainstorm, research, analyze, report, broker relationships, create content, videos, pictures, slideshare, and document

Applied Social Media

CrisisCamp CrisisCamp BogotaBogota

CrisisCamps for Haiti and Chile response

90 days8 countries50 events+2000 volunteers

Crisis Camp Day of Learning

Bringing together Emergency Managers from the Government of Ontario with Coders, Crisis Campers and Mappers to create a vision for multi-sector collaboration.

Tools:Long Distance Wifi

Language and translation ToolsSituational Awareness

Ushahidi and OpenStreetMap surge support

Team Canada

Case Map study

A map is not a process or a

movement alone. The people who create,

curate, communicate and nurture the content make it

possible.

(Liberally quoting and remixing George Chamales, KonpaGroup)

Ushahidi 101:

•Ask: What do you see? What do you need?•Bubbles = # of reports•Each report has a category or categories.•Volunteers research, add and verify these reports.•Reports can be submitted by email, social media, web form, or SMS.

What if you read a text message (SMS) and could help your neighbour?

+ Text message + short code

+ Report

+ Read, search, document and categorize

+ Map

Mobile phones are global.

Eq.org.nz

What did they create?

4 days995 reports (verified and mapped)

82,121 unique visitorsFrom 65 countries

100s of local volunteers Global volunteers and observers

Japan

http://www.sinsai.info/ushahidi/

What about Canada?

Skfloods.ca

http://www.globalnews.ca/story.html?id=4641910

But the goal is also to encourage civic participation. “It’s a way to spark civic engagement. People aren’t just consumers of information, they’re contributors to the story,” says Zak.

Read it on Global News: Mapping the Manitoba and Saskatchewan floods

Hacks

Random Hacks of Kindness 1.0June 2010 - 5 countries500 volunteers

RhoK Sydney, Australia

Random Hacks of Kindness 2.0December 201010 countries, 21 cities1000 volunteers

Population Centers in Disaster

June 4 – 5, 2011Winning Hacks, Apps and Multi-City CollaborationRhok.org

Random Hacks of Kindness 3.0

39

What’s next?

How can Governments Partner with VTC’s

Contact and Credits

Heather@textontechs.com @heatherlesonmelanie.gorka@gmail.com @melgorkabrian.chick@left-button.com @leftbutton

@rhokto /@crisiscampto@ushahidi/@crisismappers@crisiscamp /@crisiscommons RHoK.orgCrisiscommons.org

Photos by: heatherleson, Brian Chick, Cynthia Gould, Tolmie Macrae,Luis Aguilar, gordasm