Ushahidi
Ushahidi is a platform that allows the collection and visualisation of data. It is a mash-up of user reports and Google Maps.
Contents |
Product
Ushahidi can collect data from SMS text messages, e-mail and the internet. This data is then displayed on a Google Maps map. It has seen much use as a way of gathering information from the ground in areas undergoing humanitarian difficulties such as Gaza and Haiti. [1] [2]
History
Ushahidi was developed in 2008 by citizen journalists, as a way of displaying violence in Kenya following the December 2007 elections. [3]
Ushahidi, Crisis Mappers net and the Office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs created the implemented a Haiti earthquake version of Ushahidi. [4] [5]
Impact
Ushahidi has collected a large amount of data that would otherwise have been lost, and adds a new level of knowledge about what occurred during the time in question. The data from the 2007-2008 Kenyan Election violence has been studied by a variety of institutions including the OECD and Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (through Crisis Mappers net). [6] [7]
External Links
Main - Ushahidi Haiti Implementation - Ushahidi
References
- ↑ Work - Ushahidi
- ↑ The Nuts and Bolts Behind 4636 in Haiti - Ushahidi blog
- ↑ About - Ushahidi
- ↑ Gleaning Information from Haiti Online - New York Times Blog, 8:56am update
- ↑ About - Ushahidi, Haiti
- ↑ Preventing Violence, War and State Collapse - OECD
- ↑ Crisis Mapping Kenya's Election Violence - Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
