On Feb 16, 2008 5:15 AM, EWB Australia ICT4D Programs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dear List Members, > > I wondered if anyone on this list knew of GIS-based grassroots ICT4D > projects that involved environmental resource mappings and / or > training on GIS systems for the purposes of community mobilisation > and advocacy.
I brought this up at the International Symposium on Digital Earth in June 2007. Geographer Tim Foresman (conference chair) and several organizations, including CITRIS, NASA, NOAA, and OneVillage Foundation, expressed strong interest in the idea. With the One Laptop Per Child computer going into schools an countries around the world, it will become possible to recruit many more students to gather and share data on weather, air and water quality, health, wildlife, agriculture, and other kinds of data that are difficult or impossible to gather now. The XO includes a digital oscilloscope activity called Measure that can accept data from the built-in microphone and sound ports, and will be able to accept data from USB-enabled instruments of all kinds. These data can be cleaned, analyzed, mapped, and shared with the global public in order to plan for environmental protection, water resource management, agriculture, health, nutrition, economic development, and much more. See also http://www.globe.org.uk/. A practical environmental education project linking students, teachers and scientists in 109 countries Over 500 schools in the UK and over 16 Million records world-wide The GLOBE Programme enables students to measure the local environment at your school, and compare it with other schools around the world. We would be pleased to work with Engineers Without Borders on these and other initiatives. EWB members are also invited to join the OLPC mailing lists at http://lists.laptop.org/ to discuss (among other things) engineering education and preparations for starting every kind of appropriate engineering and manufacturing business with teachers, students, and others involved in the process. For example, I recently got the suggestion from Don Marti of LinuxWorld to bring minilathes made in China into our development process. I realized from his description that these devices qualify as The Industrial Revolution in a Box. They have been designed to support individuals in creating their own machine shops, and then going on to build every other kind of tool. The base units are inexpensive, and therefore may not be made from the best possible parts. For example, at least one uses bushings rather than high-quality bearings, but includes instructions for making the needed bearings, along with many other improvements. There is a substantial tutorial literature on these devices available at no cost. We have started discussions with the authors of this literature about getting it on the OLPC XO in all of our target languages. For another example, I met Ray Cromwell, CTO of Timepedia.org, at a Google Web Toolkit conference. Timepedia has a standing offer to host at no cost any time series data of any value to anybody. (The organization makes its money from consulting with companies that want to use the data.) Geographic time series data included. Timepedia is putting a lot of effort into developing translation software for the multitude of geographic data formats to its own format and to others in wide use, and to translating data from government and other publicly available sources. > Appreciate your input in advance, Appreciate the question. > Sriram > > ---- > ICT4D Projects Coordinator > Engineers Without Borders Australia | www.ewb.org.au -- Edward Cherlin End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business http://www.EarthTreasury.org/ "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay _______________________________________________ Olpc-open mailing list [email protected] http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-open
