Article on OWNI
“Everyone works to the whole cosmos ". A handful of geeks endorsed this quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche and hopes to make its building block humanitarian. Indeed, with the advent of new technologies, citizens, Bloggers and hackers are now able to share their creativity.
This transformation is revolutionary for the general operation of sociability, but also for a sector such as humanitarian. Now, from the onset of a crisis, web part, through social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Wiki) the organization of global solidarity. New practices installed, whether donations to NGOs via the web or dissemination of information.
During the earthquake of Haiti, it is thanks to the micro blogging site Twitter The journalist Carel Pedre has maintained a link Media from around the world and informed them of the situation.
Geeks + Cartographers + Translators
A newcomer is distinguished in that mass of solidarity in action: movement Crisis Camps.
Cartographers, simple translators or geeks, its members share the desire to put their skills to help others in crisis. United States, where the movement was born in 2009, This resulted, in particular during the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico by creating an iPhone application. “Oil Reporter” allows residents to report the presence of a large quantity of oil, This helps the authorities to clean up polluted areas.
In France, this community is still in its infancy. "The Crisis Camps designate both the upstream and meetings is to mobilize the Disaster", Suna said Claude, who had knowledge of the American movement by holding a “live-blogging” on Haiti. Cartographers ofOpenStreetMap and translators Global Voices are also part of the adventure.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v = kFwdtp52MS4&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2 = 0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
Video showing the rapid development of reports on OpenStreetMap points following the earthquake in Haiti
The birth dates from the French 24 April, when the members met in Paris a hotbed of internet culture: The Cellar. In this "non-conference" as participants call, few 70 enrolled were able to exchange on their vision of the movement and the most simple and effective way to mobilize during the next crisis. "One can imagine such a Wiki where everyone can be a publisher of content", Suna says Claude.
New partners for emergency specialists
Latest fad dated madmen of the computer? Not only, if one believes the venue of their first international congress: the presidential office of the World Bank. Of 15 at 17 July, representatives of each national body met in Washington to organize Commons motion Crisis (its international name). Academics, representatives of government agencies and NGOs as well as private sector consultants came to exchange with these new partners. Yet, now, the Crisis Camps are struggling to get out of a circle of insiders.
"In the coming weeks, we'll see how we coordinate, both between countries and with existing institutions ", Gael says Musquet, the French representative to the congress. Concretely, this could result in the online, on the pages of NGOs, A link to the platform Crisis Camp that added all the information on a given disaster.
"It is absolutely not compete with humanitarian actors", wishes to clarify Gael Musquet, presenting the initiative as Crisis Camps "A reaction to the misuse of Governments of New Technologies". When the earthquake occurred in Port-au-Prince, the American and Canadian Crisis Camp have been working with the Haitian government.
As for the economic model of Crisis Camps, it should vary according to national laws. Foundations in the Anglo-Saxon, other associations, the choice of status is also part of ongoing discussions. "Everything depends on volunteers who engage in this project", Gael summarizes Musquet. Who, the witness by sending SMS Ushahidi platform information on a conflict to the user who "twitter" information, may be considered a contributor? Response to the next crisis.
This article originally appeared on Youphil
