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iHub By Patrick Munyi / November 2, 2011

SMS to Map – Using FrontlineSMS and Ushahidi to Tell Your Story

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Want to know more about using mobiles for social change, crowd sourced mapping, and how the two can combine? Keen to learn more about FrontlineSMS and Ushahidi, and how these software tools can be used together to enable positive social change? If you have questions about these tools which you’ve never had the chance to ask then Monday 7^th November is your chance, at the upcoming event: SMS to Map: Using FrontlineSMS and Ushahidi to tell your story.

This exciting event will take place in two cities on one evening; at the iHub in Nairobi from 6-8pm EAT and then later on at Goldsmiths University of London at 7-9pm GMT. Both events will host presentations on FrontlineSMS and Ushahidi, and will also hear from some community experts who have used these tools together in action for social change projects in various different countries and contexts across the world.

There is a wealth of experienced speakers contributing to the event. and specifically, in London the event will see on stage: Laura Walker Hudson (FrontlineSMS), Heather Leson (Ushahidi), Linda Raftree (Plan International) and Claire Wardle (BBC). In Nairobi speakers will be: Sharon Langevin (FrontlineSMS: Credit), Limo Taboi (Ushahidi), Anahi Ayala Iacucci (Internews Network), and Linda Kamau (Ushahidi), who will do a live demo on how to sync the two software. With this agenda the event will have something for novices and experienced techies alike!

FrontlineSMS and Ushahidi have been used together in many powerful and inspiring ways; to monitor elections in Nigeria; to map harassment on the street of Egypt; to track incidences of violence against children in Benin; to demonstrate incidences of human rights abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo… and these are just a few examples. FrontlineSMS provides users with the ability to send receive and manage large numbers of SMS, and Ushahidi software enables information visualization, interactive mapping and information collection through crowdsourcing methodology. When used together the tools enable people to collect SMS data and then visualize it with powerful results, as the case study examples show.

The aim of this event is to provide a meeting space for the communities of those who use both FrontlineSMS and Ushahidi software. FrontlineSMS and Ushahidi technologies often appeal to similar audiences: those supportive of open source software, and those working for social change in contexts where people may struggle to get their voices heard via other means.

We’ve also got a similar ethos towards prioritising the importance of understanding people who use our tools, and being committed to building and supporting our community of users. And as if that wasn’t enough cross over both teams of developers work from the same offices in Nairobi, too! Through facilitating this event we hope to build on existing collaborations and inspire more future uses of FrontlineSMS and Ushahidi together.

The event itself will be co-hosted by FrontlineSMS, Ushahidi, the iHub (Nairobi, Kenya) and Goldsmiths University (London, UK). We all look forward to seeing you there

To attend this event, Register HERE.

Author : Patrick Munyi