Mobile phones can be a great tool to help people in emergencies. To help organizations or activists decide when and how to use SMS, the GSMA recently published a draft “Code of Conduct for the Use of SMS in Natural Disaster”.
Stormpins is an iPhone app that tries to close the information -> decision loop by providing responders with a smart way to use crowdsourced data about hazards.
Mobile-enabled early warning systems are transforming the way humanitarian organisations deliver aid, and also how we build long-term resilience in concert with affected communities. With the International Telecommunication Union reporting nearly six billion mobile-cellular subscriptions worldwide in 2011 – and a notable 79 per cent penetration in the developing world – the rise of mobile communication continues to shape aid innovation.
About a month ago the location of a prominent “person of interest” in a homicide investigation was accidentally revealed when a magazine published a photo of him and forgot to erase the embedded GPS location. It’s a lesson that NGOs should learn.
Between working on a few small projects, helping my girlfriend move to Copenhagen and applying for consultancies, I haven’t had a lot of time to share the interesting articles and blog posts that I come across on a daily basis. So, before the list of things marked “Ooooh! Nice!” get’s any longer, here is an extra-long instance of the Social Media for Good Roundup.
The UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism has published a free e-book for reporters, that every communications delegate or public information officer should check out.
While I was on leave, many interesting posts and articles piled up in my inbox and on my social media profiles. Here are the ones I found most interesting.
I have recently come across a mobile phone app which might be interesting for mapping roads in cities after disasters. Waze has been designed to help drivers get a better idea of issues on the road, such as traffic jams, accidents, police or road hazards.
