This document summarizes a presentation about harnessing volunteer technology communities to build crisis response capacity. It discusses how CrisisCommons convenes these communities across organizations to address humanitarian needs. It outlines how CrisisCamp events have engaged over 1,500 volunteers in 50 events across 10 countries. It also notes that while these efforts show promise, there remain needs for better coordination, infrastructure, resources and research. The presentation proposes that CrisisCommons could address these needs through initiatives like community projects, an incubator lab, expert council and research fellows program.

1. Sloan Seminar
Harnessing Volunteer Technology Communities to Build
Capacity in Crisis Response and Global Development
September 8, 2010
Presented by
Heather Blanchard
Noel Dickover
Andrew Turner
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

2. Video
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

3. CrisisCommons
• Convener of communities across
competition and organizational
challenges
• Leverages collaborative systems, open
environments
• Translates needs from CROs to the
VTCs and the public
• Provides technical assistance and
opportunity for creative problem solving Diversified Global Network
• Catalyst for a new knowledge base
based on captured lessons learned
• Leverages partnerships and networks
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

4. From Idea to Community
Evolution of an Idea Catalyst for Partnerships
• January 2009 - Transparency Camp • June - First Ignite Session at the World
Bank; Interest in Building Capacity
• March 2009 - Gov 2.0 Camp
• August - USAID Afghanistan Election
• June 2009 - CrisisCamp DC Monitoring
• Participants: MIT Media Labs, GWU, • September - Google,Yahoo and
Google,Yahoo, Microsoft, UN Microsoft form informal partnership
Foundation, Sunlight Foundation, Apps called Random Hacks of Kindness
for Democracy, Homeland Security,
DoD, World Bank, Development Seed, • October - CrisisCamp Philadelphia
GeoCommons, Open Street Map,
Sahana, Ushahidi, CrisisMappers • November - Random Hacks of Kindness
hosts first Hackathon
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

5. 2000 2005 2009
Rise of Mobile 109.5M 207.9M 285.M
(US Figures, CTIA) 38% 69% 91%
(SMS Not Recorded) (81 Billion SMS) (1.56 Trillion SMS)
Tools
Communities
Hurricane Ike Haiti Earthquake
Cyclone Nargis Chile Earthquake
Mumbai Attacks
Events 9/11 FL Hurricanes
Indian OceanTsunami
Oil Spill
Pakistan Floods
Kenyan Elections
Katrina
VA Tech Shooting
Iranian Election Protests
Volunteer
Technology
Communities
98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

6. CrisisCamp Haiti Columbia
• Call to action;
global footprint
• Low barrier to entry; replicable
United Kingdom
• Recognized by CROs and VTCs
• 50 events, 10 countries
• 1,500+ highly skilled volunteers Canada
• Focus on mapping, missing
persons, language and search
France
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

7. Highlights
Innovation - Problem Solving - Mapping
• Tradui Mobile
Translation App
• Long Distance Wi-Fi
• Open Street Map
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

8. Sloan
Investment
• Convening of the First
International CrisisCongress
• Convening of Stakeholder
Roundtables
• Expert Engagement
• Development and Validation
of the Problem Definition
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

9. CrisisCamp Feedback
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

10. What We Learned
• Pervasive competition within all
stakeholder groups
• Vendor based technology
relationships
• Inadequate technology infrastructure
and digital literacy
• Lack of formal coordination role
• Need for long term relationships,
and project management
• Little understanding of technology
ecosystem; tools
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

11. What is Needed?
• Objective technical assistance,
support for creative problem solving
• Long term support for CrisisCamp and
VTCs, including project management
• Amplification of grassroots innovation,
collaborative systems
• Translation of needs; development of
lessons learned and research-based
approaches
• Stewardship of the new knowledge base,
translate into research opportunities
• Formal partnerships and resources
• Legal protection; Security and Privacy
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

12. Potential Competition
Key Competition Capability: One to Many
Requirement CrisisCrowd
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

13. Our Role
We Leverage Expertise, Communities and Resources
VTCs
CROs CrisisCommons The Public
Affiliated Affiliated Responder Un-Affiliated Response
Response Connectivity to Resources Spontaneous Effort
Source of Affiliated Requirements New Efforts
Leverage Under Utilized; Unknown Resources Unknown Resources
Research Based Approach; Recognized Knowledge Base
Academia
Private Sector
Under-Leveraged Resources
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

14. What We Propose
Community Projects Lab Council Fellows
Connecting and Leveraging the Ecosystem to Build Capacity
Through a Commons-Based Approach
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

15. Research Based
Approach
• Multi-disciplinary research agenda Behavior
• Research gaps, real time crisis analysis Mapping
Data
• International technical standards, best Language
practices, standards of care
• Open tools and data sets Incubator
• New knowledge base; unique insights
Lab
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

16. Timing is Right
• CROs have asked for our help
• New acceptance of collaborative tools
• Growing VTC communities, predictable
Crisis Crowd
• Public has capability, desire to assist
• Capability to matrix private sector,
academia resources
Wednesday, September 8, 2010

17. Path Ahead for 2011
• Transform goodwill to formal
relationships
• Facilitate needs from
stakeholders to inform
development of CrisisCommons
• Facilitate research agenda
• Continued support of
CrisisCamp
• Evaluate and report on the
continuing evolution of the
ecosystem
Wednesday, September 8, 2010