The document discusses the role of digital volunteers and crowdsourcing in supporting international relief efforts, highlighting the tools developed by Ushahidi for democratizing information and improving data quality. It emphasizes the importance of infrastructure strategy, clear communication, and volunteer engagement to achieve higher accuracy and better coordination in relief efforts. Examples include USAID's data creation initiatives and the use of OpenStreetMap for mapping and spatial accuracy in disaster response scenarios.

1. Digital
Volunteers
&
Crowdsourcing
to
Support
Interna7onal
Relief
Efforts
shadrock@ushahidi.com
@shadrocker

2. Ushahidi
builds
tools
for
democra7zing
informa1on,
increasing
transparency
and
lowering
the
barriers
for
individuals
to
share
their
stories.
Open
Source
|
Non-­‐Profit
Community-­‐Driven

3. Common
Ques7ons
• What
/
who
are
“the
crowd”
or
“digital
volunteers”?
• Organiza7onal
needs
• Accuracy
/
validity
of
data
• What
are
the
benefits

4. Example:
USAID
Data
Crea7on
• USAID’s
Development
Credit
Authority
• Targeted
Programming
• Analyzing
Impact
• BeXer
Coordina7on

5. Problem:
Data
were
broken
COUNTRY LOCATION
Vietnam Mac Thi Buoi Vinh Tuy Ward, Hai Ba Trung Dist Ha Noi Viet Nam
Haiti Port au prince
Haiti Sud
COUNTRY LOCATION ADM1 PLACENAME
Vietnam Mac Thi Buoi Vinh Tuy
Ward, Hai Ba Trung Dist
Ha Noi Ha Noi
Haiti Port au prince Ouest Port au prince
Haiti Sud Sud Sud
Solu7on:
data
cleanup

6. !"
Step
1:
Infrastructure
Strategy

7. !"
!"!
!"
!!
"!
"
"
"
!!
Step
1:
Infrastructure
Strategy

8. !"
!"!
!"
!!
"!
"
"
"
!!
Step
1:
Infrastructure
Strategy

9. • Use
of
free
labor
• Non-­‐disclosure
• Personally
iden7fiable
informa7on
• Informa7on
Quality
Act
Step
2:
Pioneering
Policy

10. Step
3:
Volunteers
/
the
“Crowd”

12. Output:
Open
data
&
maps

13. • 300
volunteers
• 10,000
Records
• 16
hours
• 85-­‐90%
accuracy
Results:
Documented
Success

14. • Stronger
Public
Support
&
Interest
• Poli7cal
visibility
• Top
3%
most
viewed
USAID
web
pages:
tools
&
data
can
obviate
organiza7onal
data
silos
Impacts:
Documented
Success
20%
15%

15. • Strategy
for
Technical
Infrastructure
• Pioneer
Policy
• Build
“crowd”
with
volunteer
organiza7ons
• Clear
communica7on
with
volunteers
or
“crowd”
is
cri7cal:
manage
feedback
loops
• Plan
on
accuracy
assessment
• Transparent
documenta7on
&
analysis
“Crowdsourcing”
Checklist

16. • OSM
is
a
open
map
(database)
of
the
world:
users
create
data
by
tracing
satellite
imagery.
• Relief
organiza7ons
are
experimen7ng
• Supported
by
U.S.
State
Dept.
“MapGive”
• Spa7al
accuracy
can
be
quite
good
(Haklay
et
al.
find
>80%)
• Subjec7ve
Damage
Assessments
are
problema7c
–
imagery
(American
Red
Cross)
Example
of
OpenStreetMap

17. • Kathmandu
Living
Labs
• Established
by
GFDRR:
Open
Data
for
Resilience
• Built
local
capacity
to
create
open
data
• Mix
of
NGO
&
Crowdsourcing
• Valida7on
of
an
open
model
OpenStreetMap
in
Nepal

18. OpenStreetMap
in
Nepal
Kathmandu
Living
Labs

23. We’re operating in an ecosystem now,
with no one that’s necessarily in charge.
The solution to journalism, civics, &
governance won’t be a single a-ha
moment, but the cumulative effect of
work done together in a network.”
-­‐-­‐
Joi
Ito,
MIT
Media
Lab
Director
“