Crowdsourcing Crisis Information

in
Amount: 
$ 70,000
Location: 
Orlando, Fla.
The mainstream press is not big enough to be everywhere news breaks out. During crises, there rarely is a centralized point for reporting and searching for data about a particular situation. Ushahidi can help fill the gap by creating a free web map and timeline that journalists and citizens can use to contribute multiple reports of large news events. Contributed by web, e-mail or mobile phone, the reports will be displayed as locations on the map, as well as on the timeline. The visual display of the source and type of information will help with trend analysis. The map has been tested in Kenya and will be rebuilt so that it can be used worldwide.
Organization: 
Ushahidi
Link: 
http://www.ushahidi.com
Twitter Link: 
@kenyanpundit
@ushahidi
Winner: 
Ory Okolloh
Bio: 
Ory Okolloh is the co-founder and executive director of Ushahidi. Okolloh graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pittsburgh and graduated with a J.D. from Harvard Law School. She also writes one of the most popular blogs in the Kenyan sphere at Kenyan Pundit and is the co-founder of Mzalendo, a website that tracks the performance of Kenyan Members of Parliament. She is a frequent speaker at conferences including TED Global and Pop!tech on issues around citizen journalism, the role of technology in Africa and the role of young people in reshaping the future of Africa.
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