Twelfth Iterati by Ana Brandusescu - “Crowdmap: Avoiding the Dead Ushahidi graveyard!”

1. Crowdmap: Avoiding the
graveyard!
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Ana Brandusescu, MA candidate, Geography department, McGill University

2. Objectives
 Ushahidi & Crowdmap: looking back
 What can you do with Crowdmap?
 How to run Crowdmap
 What is Dead Ushahidi?
 Advancing the Crowdmap page
 University Spaces & Espaces Lachine
 How to avoid Dead Ushahidi
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3. Ushahidi: then and now
 Ushahidi: server-based; Crowdmap: cloud-based
 Ushahidi was used to collect citizen reports on the
post-election violence incidents in Kenya
 THE example used most often for crisis mapping
 Mapping natural disasters (e.g., Haiti earthquake,
hurricane Sandy)
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4. Send messages via:
1. SMS (mobile phone)
2. Smartphone app (e.g., iPhone, android)
3. Email
4. Twitter
5. Website (create a report)
To aggregate and display your
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messages on an interactive map.

5. Crowdmap: running the show
 Advertising component:
flyers, posters, Twitter,
Facebook page, emails
 Managing manual
geo-coded messages
 How does Crowdmap
become a part of your
daily life?
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 How does Crowdmap become the new Facebook?
 Do we want it to become the new Facebook?

6. What exactly is Dead Ushahidi?
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7. Advancing the Crowdmap page
 So you created a web
page, now what?
 How do you recruit
participants?
 What are people
talking about?
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 How often are you
receiving reports?
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8. University Spaces & Espaces Lachine
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 Pilot projects: university community, Lachine neighbourhood
 TCJL (Table de Concertation de Jeunesse de Lachine)
MA thesis project supervisors:
Prof Renee Sieber, McGill U. & Prof Sylvie Jochems, UQAM

9. 5 essential lessons to avoid Dead Ushahidi
1. Motivation: cause over technology
2. Consistency (and if applicable, longevity)
3. Flexibility & adaptability
4. Attend to finances
5. Embrace uncertainty!
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Is crowdsourcing more than a
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way to outsource free labor?

10. So please don’t end up in the graveyard...
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11. Image bibliography
[1] https://deadushahidi.crowdmap.com
[2] http://static7.depositphotos.com/1007168/727/i/950/depositphotos_7277608-
Outlined-Brain-Cartoon-Character-Giving-The-Thumbs-Up.jpg
[3] http://blog.ushahidi.com/index.php/2010/02/19/taking-the-lead-ushahidi-haiti-tufts/
[4] https://catskillshurricanesandy.crowdmap.com/
[5] http://crlgrn.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/ushahidi-image.gif?w=720
[6] http://crisismapper.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/deploying-ushahidi.jpg?w=640
[7] https://deadushahidi.crowdmap.com
[8] https://hurricanesandy.crowdmap.com/
[9] https://hurricanesandy.crowdmap.com/
[10] https://universityspaces.crowdmap.com/
[11] https://espaceslachine.crowdmap.com/
[12] http://thenextweb.com/apps/2010/08/09/ushahidi-brings-crisis-mapping-to-the-
cloud-with-crowdmap/
[13] http://lindaraftree.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/flsms-benin-001.jpg
[14] https://deadushahidi.crowdmap.com