Members | *iHub

Research Advice: Designing An Infographic

Information graphics, visual representations of data known as infographics. Over the past few months, iHub Research has being creating infographics to represent data. Well here are some of the lessons we have learnt in the design process:

Keep it simple and try not do too much in one picture.
Decide on a colour scheme and template
Think of it as a visual essay: ensure your arguments hold and are relevant.
Draw conclusions.
Reference your facts in the infographic.

Some infographic formats include:

Timelines;
Flow charts;
Annotated maps;
Graphs;
Venn diagrams;
Size comparisons;
Showing familiar objects or similar size or value.

Source: http://spyrestudios.com/

Creating your infographic

Plan and research.
Use free software to create simple graphs and visualisations of data.
Use vector graphic software to bring these visualisations into the one graphic.

If you have a little design skill, the very best approach is to create all the simple graphs and illustrations yourself using vector graphic software. Your end result will be more visually attractive and you will have more freedom to be creative with it. Here is a great link to get you started.

Need an infographic done by iHub Research, well email us at: research@ihub.co.ke with the subject INFOGRAPHIC CREATION

By: Tosh

20-04-2012

iHub Members

iHub Green Members show and tell

Early this year, the iHub Advisory Board met with the iHub managers to discuss the future direction of the space and what our focus should be for the coming year.

One key takeaway from this meeting was the need for the advisors, community and the iHub team to understand more on what the green members are doing.

To this end, We resolved to put together a schedule for each of the 250 green members to do a 5-minute presentation, followed by a 5-min Q&A. This will be done by a quorum of the iHub Advisory Board, as they’re the ones who make the final decision on who gets and retains membership. It will also be in front of the other community members who would like to attend so that there is a better understanding in the community of what each of us do.

Every fortnight, we will have only 6 presentations from the green members. You can begin booking your slot for the 5-minute presentations that will happen biweekly, every second Monday evening from 6pm to 7pm by making an appointment on this calendar. In addition to making the reservation, please download a light template here that you will use for your presentation.

The first show and tell will happen on Monday the 30th of April

You aren’t required to give up competitive details, this is more for you to give the iHub advisory board and the community an overview of what you’re working on, how the iHub is helping with that, and where the gaps are that you need assistance.

Kindly note that all green members are required to do these presentations. The green memberships will be reviewed in the next few months so if you don’t do this, you will lose your green membership.

By: Jessica Colaco

18-04-2012

Community Creatives Events iHub Members

Creative Robotics Boot Camp

The Creative Robotics Boot Camp organized by iHub Research in partnership with FabLab Nairobi is a two-day boot camp/workshop, whose main aim is to bring together the tech community in Nairobi in creating innovative robotics projects made by and for the Kenyan market. The event will be taking place on the 20th and 21st of April 2012.

It will run concurrently with the International Space Apps Challenge under the Open Hardware category, which will be taking place at the iHub on the same dates. If you would like to find out more please visit http://spaceappschallenge.org/

More information on open hardware can be found at http://spaceappschallenge.org/challengedescriptions/#hardware

Objectives

The program aims to bring together tech enthusiasts with an interest in robotics. The participants will undergo a short, intensive course on the use of the Arduino board as a platform to program robots.

The boot camp aims at providing a platform for techies to explore robotics, develop their skills and come up with innovative ideas on how to apply robotics in the context of the Kenyan tech community, and in the manufacturing sector.

Platforms

Arduino Platform

Arduino is a popular open-source single-board micro-controller, descendant of the open-source Wiring platform, designed to make the process of using electronics in multidisciplinary projects more accessible.
Arduino hardware is programmed using a Wiring-based language (syntax and libraries), similar to C++ with some simplifications and modifications, and a Processing-based integrated development environment. You can find more information about the Arduino Platform here.

Programme

Day 1: Introduction (From 5pm – 8pm)
Venue- FabLab Nairobi (University of Nairobi Science and Technology Park)

A brief run through of what the Programme will entail, in terms of the requirements, objectives and expected outcomes of the workshop.

This will start with refreshments and a tour of the FabLab, which is a centre for building prototypes and incubation of companies, the projects and incubations under it, and programs and opportunities available. This session will involve a guided class on how to design and build a motor driver which will be used together with the servo motors during the boot camp.
It will also be a opportunity for participants to get acquainted with each other.

Day 2: Robotics Boot Camp (From 8am)

Venue- iHub

Morning session

Overview on Arduino: the parts, components and installation of the software. This will also involve an introduction on basic electronics.
The participants will have an interactive session involving videos of the interesting innovations made by other techies using robotics, with a special focus on project that are from developing countries.
Basics on using Arduino boards. This involves testing the classic “hello world” example using an LED.
A class on the use of variables and procedure calls, with an emphasis on the use of the special procedures setup() and loop(). The participants will then learn how to compile the example programs and test them on the Arduino board.

Mid Morning

This lesson will focus on the integration of various sensors, actuators and components which can be used with the Arduino board.
Separation between digital,analog and serial sensors. This class will also be taught using breadboards so that the participants can get a better understanding of how to connect components to the board.
This class will cover the different kinds of serial communication and how to intergrate the Arduino with different kinds of hardware. The core of this class will be serial protocol communication.

Afternoon

The teams begin working on their projects, while under supervision from the coordinating team.

Requirements

The participants will be required to each have a laptop.

The participants will be divided into teams of up to five, with each team being required to come up with a robotics concept. This idea will be entered into the Robotics Contest which will be held on the last day of the boot camp/workshop.

Each group will be required to each have a blog post, which should be ready before starting the competition.

Robotics Contest Ideas

Below are some of the challenges that the participating teams will be required to develop solutions for using the Arduino platform:

1. Creating a digital score board for the foosball game at the iHub.

2. Developing a mapping robot that once let free in an enclosed room, will collect information and send it to a nearby PC using Bluetooth or ZigB. This is information in temperature, humidity and light intensity.

3. Make a obstacle-avoiding robot.

4. Create a device/solution that can monitor traffic and work with traffic lights on Ngong Road. This solution should also be accessible on the open-data platform.

Take-aways

There will be prizes for the top 3 entries:

1st Prize: Ksh 50,000, t-shirts and a 1 year silver membership to Github
2nd Prize 30,000 and 1 year bronze membership to Github
3rd Prize 20,000 and 6 month bronze membership to Github
The t-shirts and and GitHub membership are courtesy of Github.

Registration

If you would like to participate in the Space Apps Challenge only, please register here.

If you would like to participate in the Robotics Boot Camp, please register here. Please note that due to space restrictions we can only accept the first 30 people who register.

By: Jessica Colaco

02-04-2012

Community Entrepreneurship iHub iHub-Research Members Start-Ups

Announcing funding from Google to support the iHub community

The journey with Google and iHub over the last 2 years

Google and iHub have grown together with the community over the last two years learning from each other through events such as Ladies Mapping parties, Trainings on Google Earth, Fireside Chats with Marissa Mayer, Office Hours with Bob Aman and Hackathons . These sessions have strengthened our collaboration and through them we have identified areas to work together and strengthen the iHub community further this year.

Joe Mucheru during the 1st year anniversary last year in March

The funding and plans

Today, we are proud to announce funding of USD 150,000 (Ksh. 12M) from Google to support the iHub community. This funding will help accelerate our mission in catalyzing technology innovations within the iHub by providing them with the infrastructure and skill-sets to fuel their innovations to the next level. With this funding, we seek to:

Expand our infrastructure (network and server technology) to provide the tech community with a “sandbox” to host and test their applications
Set up a UX testing lab to provide training on design thinking and carry out UX research in the tech world
Setup the “ExchangeBoard Project” to support high-quality G+ hangouts and display the latest newsfeeds within the tech community
Set up an experimental super-computer cluster environment (“rackspace”) to host data intensive applications with require high performance computing

About the iHub

Founded 2 years ago, the iHub has grown tremendously to become the go to place for all things techie in East Africa. This space is home to many of Kenya’s young entrepreneurs, freelance software developers, designers and researchers. It also acts as a nexus point for them to interact with our network of investors and VCs while providing them with a co-working space.

As entrepreneurs engage with their peers and bounce ideas off each other, a culture of open innovation is nurtured. The iHub has given rise to new promising startups and technologies. With an average membership age of about 24 years, these youth are embracing technology in innovative ways to create sustainable impact in Kenya.

The iHub model has had great impact in the local tech scene and more and more young people are embracing the idea of co-working for their ventures. As a result of constant interaction through collaborations and meet-ups, a solid network and synergistic tech community has grown in Nairobi. Our mission at iHub is simply to catalyze technological innovations in Nairobi, by creating an open space for entrepreneurship, research, hacking and connecting industry stakeholders.

By: Hilda Moraa

29-03-2012

Applications Community Entrepreneurship iHub iHub-Research Members Start-Ups

M-Maji Launch: A USSD application to improve clean water access in the slums

It’s not every day that a mobile application is launched to the accompaniment of songs, dances, and gymnastics. That’s exactly what happened at Sarangombe in Kibera, where a crowd gathered to launch M-Maji (“mobile-water” in Swahili). M-Maji is a mobile phone-based water information system that aims to empower under-served communities with better information about water availability, price, and quality. Water vendors use their mobile phones to advertise on M-Maji and water buyers query the M-Maji database to find the closest, cheapest, and cleanest water. All this is free and accessible on even the most basic GSM phones.
M-Maji was developed by Weza Tele, a visionary firm that applies mobile technologies such as USSD, Mobile Web, and SMS to solve problems. Weza Tele teamed up with a group of Stanford students, as well as Umande Trust, an organization based in Kibera that addresses water and sanitation issues. Because M-Maji is a novel approach to improving clean water access, it was critical to conduct a randomized, controlled evaluation of our system. Weza Tele’s contribution to M-Maji involved requirements analysis, design, development, prototyping and testing.
The problem:
When water is scarce, a resident of Kibera may trek for miles in search of it with no guarantee of success. Simply finding the water takes up valuable time and energy. M-Maji makes it possible for vendors to advertise for clean water at specific landmarks and allow customers to be able to look up the places where they can find water vendors in their specific location through the use of the mobile phone.

: Access to water is limited

How M-Maji works

Step 1: At the start of each day, water vendors notify M-Maji via USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) that they have water to sell, the price they are selling it for,and where they are selling it. They also have the option to advertise whether or not their water is purified. All of these vendor notifications from across Kibera are collected and stored in a central M-Maji database in real-time.
Step 2: Water buyers who are searching for water initiate a USSD session with M-Maji, through which they obtain a location-relevant listing of local water vendors who have water to sell, their price, location, and vendor ratings.
Step 3: If a water buyer subsequently finds out that a vendor misreported water availability, price, or quality, the buyer can file a complaint with M-Maji via USSD. The database will keep track of complaints and alert future buyers of such negative histories through the use of vendor ratings.

Today’s launch
The launch had the honor of hosting government officials such as Chairman of ODM Mr. Ombongo, Area Chief of Sarangombe Mr. Ongweso, Area councillor Kodiao, Chief of Makina Christine Lithwa also availed herself. There were also Stakeholder representatives from Umande Trust among the few were Musimi Boni. Stanford University was also represented by Professors Joshua Cohen and Terry Winograd.

: Presentation from Umande Trust

The launch was breathtaking filled with entertainment from the Kibera Hamlet school who brought a splash of colors to the day with their acrobatic dances and flexible moves, a musician spoke about the importance of water and marveled the crowd. Songs were sung by local primary schools from Kibera, a play was done to showcase the lifestyle of water vendors who were faced with obstacles from harsh customers who complained about the quality of water.

: Presentation from the chief

Mr. Ongweso the Area Chief of Kibera talked about some few challenges that Kibera inhabitants faced. He addressed the issue of contaminated water being something that could be controlled if people took responsibilities of where they dispose waste. He saidSarangombe has five tanks for water and pipes that direct water to different locations however, people always interfere with them and cut them so as to get water. This exposes the clean water to germs and external waste that could as a result cause diseases.
Vendor registration was also being initiated at the launch where we had different vendors putting down their phone numbers and location so as to be part of the system. Customers who wanted more explanation of how M-Maji works were also putting down their names and numbers so as to be given a text of how it actually functions. However, a practical demonstration was done to everyone who came on the simple process of M-Maji.

: Water vendors signing up

Although the code was not activated the people were excited and anticipated the new solution of water access. They were informed of its soon activation and embraced it positively.

By: Hilda Moraa

22-03-2012

Community iHub iHub-Research Members

ICT Hubs Model: Understanding the Key Factors of the iHub Model

iHub research has released the final model report which can be downloaded here. iHub Research is currently dis-aggregating the unique factors that make up ICT Hubs models in Africa and the iHub was the first to be profiled out of the other 14 Hubs/Labs.

Methodology

Mixed methods were used to understand the unique factors of the Hub model: IDIs (In-Depth Interviews) with 4 management team members, 1 Focus group with 3 iHub employees, 5 profiled case studies on the iHub, and available secondary information on the iHub website. The data collection took a period of one month, followed by one month of analyzing and reporting. All interviews took place within the iHub space: The respondents chosen carry out varied roles and responsibilities in managing the iHub, therefore iHub research was able to obtain a wider perspective of how the iHub works: ie 1 advisory , 1 Network manager, 1 community manager , 1 general manager, 3 employees.

In the coming week, iHub research will also be releasing the Entrepreneurs report that aimed to understand the Impact of the iHub model to the entrepreneurs and their start-ups. The findings from the other remaining 14 Hubs will be profiled in a report series, which will be released over the following months. Stay tuned!

By: Jessica Colaco

29-02-2012

Community Creatives iHub Members

*iHub_ Robotics Initiative

The *iHub_ robotics initiative started last year as a way for members with interest in computer hardware and robotics to have a platform to share ideas and collaborate. Towards this end, the iHub also purchased an Arduino based DF robot for members to code and to use to sharpen their hardware skills.

This culminated in the first ever meet up for hardware enthusiasts last year at the *iHub_where members came together and shared ideas on hardware programming and the members also got to work with the DF robot.

For new (and existing) green members looking to join the initiative there are a couple of ways you can get involved:

Join the *iHub_ robotics group, which can be found at http://groups.google.com/group/ihubrobots Use the forum to ask robotics-related questions and to contribute to discussions as well. The group email is ihubrobots@googlegroups.com
Come and play around with the In-house robot, and improve on it. We encourage members to add peripherals to the robot to give it extra functionality. Contact robotics@ihub.co.ke for access to the robot.
Members are also encouraged to bring along any hardware and robotics projects they have done and share with other members.

This year, we are planning to partner with Universities and Higher Education institutions so that members can have a better feel of the process that goes into designing and commissioning computer hardware and robots.

As a bonus, if there are final year Electrical Engineering students looking for advice, the *iHub_ robotics coordinators (Caine and Juliette) have offered to give free advice to students on how to go about their projects. You can contact them at: robotics@ihub.co.ke

By: Jessica Colaco

29-02-2012

Applications Community iHub Members

Applications open: TED Worldwide Auditions, Nairobi

From April-June 2012, TED will hold public auditions in 14 cities on six continents seeking to uncover new talents, voices and ideas the world needs to hear. The fourth audition is in Nairobi, Kenya on May 5th, and applications for speakers have opened.

Anyone can apply to audition, so long as they have not spoken at a TED Conference, and do not have a talk posted on TED.com. Applicants will be encouraged to include a short video of themselves and we will be inviting around 30 of the best applicants to each audition.

TED is looking for:

THE INVENTOR … sharing an innovation with world-changing potential
THE TEACHER … sharing valuable knowledge in a memorable way – to teenagers or adults
THE PRODIGY … young talent ready to break out
THE ARTIST … who can showcase their work in a compelling, new way (Don’t just talk about it. Show us your work!)
THE PERFORMER … music, dance, comedy, drama… or something entirely different
THE SAGE … wisdom the world needs from those who have learned it the hard way
THE ENTHUSIAST … with an infectious passion about a topic they can share
THE CHANGE-AGENT … helping shape the world’s future with work that matters
THE STORY-TELLER … vivid, original, meaningful … with a talent for connection
THE SPARK … with a powerful idea worth spreading

For more information on the TED Worldwide Auditions, please visit the TED2013 audition website.

By: Patrick Munyi

22-02-2012

Community Members

The 7th Annual East Africa Com in Nairobi

East Africa Com is now in its 7^th year and is only event representing the Telecommunications market within this region. This region remains a hub of intense competition and innovation. As Africa begins along the path of a new digital era, many of the apps and services innovation is taking place in Kenya. Broadband access and network quality have been vastly improved thanks to international connectivity and capacity projects.

However, the region’s unique position as a breeding ground for new services in telecoms, media and ICT is mostly due to the leadership of some of Africa’s most dynamic operators, investors, and start-ups. Therefore the regional positioning and the high level CxO’s attracted make East AfricaCom unique and potentially lucrative for service providers and vendors looking to expand their business within this region.

Top speakers from 2011 East AfricaCom:

Michel Barré, VP East Africa & Islands Region, Orange France-Telecom Group
Mickael Ghossein, CEO, Orange Telkom Kenya
Richard Bell, Group CEO, Wananchi Group Holdings Ltd
Peter Reinartz, CEO, Zuku Kenya
Norman Moyo, CEO, Zantel, Tanzania
Cyrus Sang, Executive Director – Strategy & Technology, Jamii Telecom Kenya
Khalil Nassar, CTIO, Vivacell, Southern Sudan
Bayan Monadjem, Director, Network & Capex Planning, Airtel Africa

NEW to East AfricaCom 2012:

Keynote session on VAS innovation
Representation from alternative stakeholders:, alternative service providers, content & apps specialists, social media
Focus on Cloud and enterprise network management
Facilitated Speed Networking session
Country focus sessions: Uganda and Tanzania

What’s new for 2012

For 2012, we are bringing you a brand new conference programme giving you the keys to profitability in a changing digital ecosystem. Plus the exclusive Mobile Marketing Summit (In Partnership with the Mobile Marketing Association – MMA) which will explore the growth and potential of the mobile channel as a means of connecting and engaging with consumers.

The Agenda

The 2 day, strategic conference is designed to deliver you market insight, practical solutions and best practice benchmarks that are transferable back in the office so you can grow your business. The agenda is a mixture of presentations, case studies, interactive panel sessions and Q&A slots to ensure you can gain as much as possible from the 2 days.

Alongside the conference sits a 30 stand market style exhibition showcasing the leading international vendors and their newest solutions and technologies. Watch product demonstrations, find out more about possible cost and time saving solutions for your business and make new contacts all under 1 roof.

At the core of each event is networking. We schedule longer lunch and coffee breaks, speed networking sessions, after hours networking drinks and online networking to ensure you meet the people most important to your business success.

Date: 17th – 18th April 2012

Venue: Safari Park Hotel

For more details, Visit here

By: Patrick Munyi

20-02-2012

Community Events iHub Members

Startup Weekend comes to Nairobi

Startup Weekend is an event that brings together programmers, developers, marketers, designers, startup enthusiasts and anyone with a great business idea, to form groups and develop viable business ideas in 54 hours. It is a weekend-long, hands-on experience where entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs can find out if their startup ideas are viable. On average, half of Startup Weekend’s attendees have technical backgrounds; the other half has business backgrounds.

The Weekend begins with open mic pitches on Friday; attendees bring their best ideas and inspire others to join their team. Over Saturday and Sunday, teams focus on customer development, validating their ideas, practicing LEAN Startup Methodologies and building a minimal viable product. On Sunday evening teams demo their prototypes and receive valuable feedback from a panel of experts.

Startup Weekend is an NGO based in San Francisco, US, and has so far organized startup events in about35 countries and 120 cities.

Startup Weekend Nairobi

Startup Weekend Nairobi does not only bring together technology entrepreneurs, but also individuals from sectors such as agriculture, education, communication, renewable energy amongst others.

Startup Weekend Nairobi will be held on February 24^th -26^th, 2011, and is slotted to have exciting prizes for the winners of the challenge. The event has also attracted the attention of the International Community and 6 international participants and volunteers from Copenhagen, Denmark will be working together with the teams in Nairobi to see their ideas come to fruition.

On the local front, the event has attracted well known and successful entrepreneurs who speaker at the event will as well Judge the most viable ideas.

The benefits to the entrepreneurs participating include the following:

Education: Startup Weekends are all about learning. Expect to learn a new skill, a new programming or business language and more so, a new way of thinking.
Enlarged network: Startup Weekend works hard to recruit high-quality, driven entrepreneurs – like you! You willcreate relationships that last long past the weekend.
Learn how to launch a business:The goal of the weekend is for you to go from idea to launch in 54 hours.
Get face time with local and international mentors: Tech and start-up leaders mentor and participate in Startup Weekends. They interact with event participants sharing experiencesand giving business related advice.
Get access to valuable start-up resources: By participating in Startup Weekend, you are given instant access to great products and tools. No one leaves Startup Weekend empty handed.

The 3-day event will be held at the Nailab, which is on the 4^th floor of Bishop Magua Center, Ngong Road, opposite Uchumi Hyper, with the break-out sessions being held at The GrowthHub, located at Cape Office Park, off Ring Road Kilimani opposite the Gracehouse Resort.

The participatory fee for the event is KES 2,050, and the tickets can be accessed from www.nairobi.startupweekend.org . For those attending the event finale on 26^th February only, the entrance fee will be KES 500 and the tickets can be accessed on the same website.

To learn more about this event, you can contact us on the following:

Website: www.nairobi.startupweekend.org

Facebook Page: Startup Weekend

Twitter: @StartupwkndKe