The document highlights the growing role of social media by official agencies for communications and situational awareness but also pays a great deal of attention to the contribution by the public and digital volunteers to the response efforts.

The efforts of organizations and initiatives such as Humanity Road, Geeks Without Borders and Occupy Sandy are prominently featured. The work by CrisisCommons volunteers is also noted as the following excerpt indicates:

On November 2, 2012, CrisisCommons received a call from the White House asking for assistance. The request and effort focused on collecting and gathering information on various gas maps, but more specifically to:

 Identify information for displaying on maps;
 Look for open standards to connect and share information on maps;
 Create maps and collaborate with other groups;
 Create a complete gas map story;
 Report and validate map information from the public; and
 Determine how the virtual community could contribute to these initiatives.

You can access this very illuminating document here.

The document highlights the growing role of social media by official agencies for communications and situational awareness but also pays a great deal of attention to the contribution by the public and digital volunteers to the response efforts.

The efforts of organizations and initiatives such as Humanity Road, Geeks Without Borders and Occupy Sandy are prominently featured. The work by CrisisCommons volunteers is also noted as the following excerpt indicates:

On November 2, 2012, CrisisCommons received a call from the White House asking for assistance. The request and effort focused on collecting and gathering information on various gas maps, but more specifically to:

 Identify information for displaying on maps;
 Look for open standards to connect and share information on maps;
 Create maps and collaborate with other groups;
 Create a complete gas map story;
 Report and validate map information from the public; and
 Determine how the virtual community could contribute to these initiatives.

You can access this very illuminating document here.

The document highlights the growing role of social media by official agencies for communications and situational awareness but also pays a great deal of attention to the contribution by the public and digital volunteers to the response efforts.

The efforts of organizations and initiatives such as Humanity Road, Geeks Without Bounds and Occupy Sandy are prominently featured. The work by CrisisCommons volunteers is also noted as the following excerpt indicates:

On November 2, 2012, CrisisCommons received a call from the White House asking for assistance. The request and effort focused on collecting and gathering information on various gas maps, but more specifically to:

 Identify information for displaying on maps;
 Look for open standards to connect and share information on maps;
 Create maps and collaborate with other groups;
 Create a complete gas map story;
 Report and validate map information from the public; and
 Determine how the virtual community could contribute to these initiatives.

You can access this very illuminating document here.

The course is also all-online and modestly priced so that it can be accessible to as many people as possible regardless of location and finances. It covers fundamental principles for incorporating technology into human rights or other campaigns and is introductory in nature so no specific technical skills are required – everyone is welcome.

We encourage CrisisCommons supporters to learn more about the team behind the project and visit: http://thesentinelproject.org/our-team/.

Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.

It will be back as soon as we can make it happen. Stay tuned!

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Here’s how you can get involved if you are a:

Volunteer that can attend in person: If you would like to attend a CrisisCamp in person, please sign up on one of the EventBrite pages below.

Volunteer that can’t attend in person: There will most likely be many projects that you will be able to coordinate on with volunteers at the event, so if would like to participate, please sign up on Eventbrite as well so you’re in the email loop.

Project or Organization that could use some help: If you are currently involved in a the recovery process for Sandy – preferably in an official capacity, but non-official projects that are providing a needed service are great too – and would like some help from volunteers participating in the CrisisCamp, please let us know by emailing Chad Catacchio or Pascal Schuback.

These events are free and open to the public. You don’t have to be technical to volunteer time.  Also, you may show up at anytime during the day for as long as you wish – although obviously we will get the most done with the most people there.

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• Auckland, New Zealand: http://crisiscampakl-sandy.eventbrite.co.nz/(connect on its Facebook Group too)
• Boston/Cambridge, MA : http://sandycrisiscampbos.eventbrite.com : @HurricaneHackrs
• CC : http://crisiscampdcsandy.eventbrite.com : with DC HackWeek
  
• Galway, Ireland: http://crisiscampireland.com/2012/10/23/crisiscamp-monthly-meetup/ (no EventBrite)
• London, England : http://hurricanehackerslondon.eventbrite.com/
• Montreal, Quebec : http://sandycampmontreal.eventbrite.com
• Portland, OR, in conjunction with CyborgCamp : http://portland.cyborgcamp.com:@crisiscampPDX
• Rockville, MD : http://sandycrisiscamprockville.eventbrite.com
• San Francisco, CA : http://sandycrisiscampsfo.eventbrite.com
• Seattle, WA : http://sandycrisiscampsea.eventbrite.com

Next week:

• Southwest FL : http://crisiscampswflsandy.eventbrite.com

Don’t see your city listed? Here’s a rundown of what running a CrisisCamp is like. If you have a venue lined up, email Chad Catacchio of CrisisCommons or Willow Brugh and we’ll get you set up. Once venues are live, we’ll add them to this list.

About CrisisCamp

CrisisCamp will bring together domain experts, developers, and first responders around improving technology and practice for humanitarian crisis management and disaster relief. Each and every day, people across the world can find themselves in crisis. Whether it be for a day, a month or an area of social distress, we all have a common need to connect with loved ones, access information and offer assistance to others.

CrisisCamps are hosted in a BarCamp style where great minds come together to share their knowledge and expertise for social good.

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CrisisCommons is among a group of Volunteer Technical Communities (VTCs) and others who have joined forces to launch a new initiative to bringing together the expertise and good will of software developers and the passion and knowledge of those working in humanitarian assistance.

NetHope, GeeksWithoutBounds and CrisisCommons, supported by Microsoft and DotNetRocks, are behind the launch of the Humanitarian Toolbox. The initiative intends to create synergies for the common good.

Microsoft is playing a key role in support of the Humanitarian Toolbox by offering its Team Foundation Services as the technical platform. All of us realize that our world is increasingly coming closer together as new technologies bring testimonies of despair and tragedy to the entire globe.

We are here because we care and know we can make a difference. We also believe collaboration is at the heart of assistance during a disaster.

La Humanitarian Toolbox is the latest illustration of this principle.

More details on this initiative is available in the news section of The Humanitarian Toolbox or listen to the .NETRocks! podcast . We, at CrisisCommons, feel privileged to be among its early supporters.

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Hosted by David Black and the University of Toronto, representatives came from all over the U.S. and even Europe for the two-day event. Workgroup leads presented their reports, along with goals and plans on how each committee should move forward. After some discussion, plans were finalized and committments were made.

Perhaps the most important part of the discussion was the current status of the incorporation process. CrisisCommons has been an ad-hock network of volunteers for nearly three years now, and it became obvious that a legal entity of some sort must be created. Pascal Schuback took the lead on that and has been dealing with a lawyer provided by the Woodrow Wilson Center to help us through the process of becoming a non-profit corporation.  Soon, when the paperwork is complete, some members present at this meeting will become the first board of directors for the incorporated CrisisCommons.

More details will follow, but please don’t hesitate to contact anybody who attended for more details.