Crowdmap: Avoiding the graveyard!

Ana Brandusescu, MA candidate, Geography department, McGill University

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Objectives

Ushahidi & Crowdmap: looking back What can you do with Crowdmap?How to run CrowdmapWhat is Dead Ushahidi? Advancing the Crowdmap pageUniversity Spaces & Espaces LachineHow to avoid Dead Ushahidi

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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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Send messages via:

1. SMS (mobile phone)2. Smartphone app (e.g., iPhone,

android) 3. Email4. Twitter5. Website (create a report)

To aggregate and display yourmessages on an interactive map.

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Crowdmap: running the show

Advertising component: flyers, posters, Twitter, Facebook page, emailsManaging manual geo-coded messagesHow does Crowdmap become a part of your daily life?How does Crowdmap become the new

Facebook?Do we want it to become the new Facebook?

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What exactly is Dead Ushahidi?

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Advancing the Crowdmap page

So you created a web page, now what? How do you recruit

participants? What are people talking about? How often are you receiving reports?

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University Spaces & Espaces Lachine

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

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Is crowdsourcing more than a way to outsource free labor?

5 essential lessons to avoid Dead Ushahidi

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1.Motivation: cause over technology2.Consistency (and if applicable,

longevity)3.Flexibility & adaptability4.Attend to finances5.Embrace uncertainty!

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So please don’t end up in the graveyard...

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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