CrisisCommons Pakistan/Afghanistan Project Meeting Summary

[Heather Blanchard]

Greetings -

Attached is a version of the notes I have from Friday's meeting. I
have also added potential partners and of note areas. There is a you
tube video describing conditions which are inhibiting refugees from
reconnecting with their loved ones.

The Hackistan Project with the developers is highlighted below.
However there are many pieces which we covered on Friday. I tried to
cull down into areas where we could have the potential for projects.

Latest coverage on the inability for people to move freely:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjLf-vs3YGs&feature=player_embedded

Research validating the ability and capacity of the diaspora
community: http://pcp.org.pk/pdf/Research/Philanthropy%20by%20Pakistani%20Diaspora%20in%20the%20USA.pdf

What are our next steps?

Heather

Heather Blanchard
+ CrisisCommons
www.crisiscommons.org
Twitter - @crisiscamp
Mobile - (703) 593-3823
Email - crisis...@gmail.com
Google Groups - CrisisCamp
_____________________

Meeting Notes: June 19, 2009

Attendees

Pete Erickson, G&H International
Bart Stideham, Gateway Gulf
Hilary Dittemore, USAID
Stuart Gill, World Bank
Alex Ulster, Transnational Crisis Project
Matt McNabb, Transnational Crisis Project
Noel Dickover, CrisisCommons
Andrew Turner, CrisisCommons
Heather Blanchard, CrisisCommons
Imran Ahmad Khan, Transnational Crisis Project
Jim Williams, Transnational Crisis Project
Dan Henry, USAID
Sean McDonald
Bilal Baloch, Transnational Crisis Project
Arman Anwar, Xulu Labs
Focus

How can technology enhance the ability for humanitarian relief to
aggregate existing and local knowledge data into a common operating
picture to enable efficient resource allocation to local populations
and information sharing cross relief and development organizations.

Goal

Providing a close to real-time data to NGO relief organizations to
assist in expedited delivery of relief resources and leverage
collaborative strategies to development.

Challenges

Trust: There is an extreme lack of trust of foreign officials and
relief organizations. Many organizations hire in-country officials
with local knowledge to facilitate development in crisis areas,
especially those with the most challenging environments (geopolitical,
terrain, infrastructure).

Security: The use of technology to assist relief efforts, especially
empowering local populations to adopt the use of mobile phones for
reporting can be dangerous due to security conditions. The ability to
geolocate users through telecommunications transmissions is a major
concern, especially in areas where government intelligence may be
monitoring telecommunications transmissions. The autonomization of
data/geolocation may need to be necessary. Alternative access to
communications.

Literacy: The education consideration (literacy levels) of the local
population and even the digital literacy of relief response workers

Governance: The potential open source, diaspora, NGO community and
local knowledge information when brought together will be a powerful
tool. How what is the governance structure for execution and
maintenance which places the security of individual down on the ground
first and the release of the data to the public (and potential
adversaries).

Opportunities

Leverage Diaspora communities: There are many communities around the
world with relationships and ties to local communities who have been
involved through their faith based communities, family and social
networks. Many live within country (along the coasts) and are within
the ex-pat communities who have first hand accounts from family and
friends on local conditions.

Technology of Choice – Mobile Phones: Mobile seema to be the common
platform across NGOs and the local population. The use of SMS is
popular due to is low cost and ability to transmit messaging across
distances with little cell phone coverage.

Leveraging “Everyday engagement:” Approaching the use of mobile and
other technology systems through everyday need for information of
basic necessities such as healthcare, communication, trade prices and
even entertainment.

Project Ideas

Empowering Local Populations Through Technology Accessibility (perhaps
over alternative communications access)

Mobiles For Relief
Providing mobile phones en mass to enable everyday transactions
Weather
Crop prices
Connecting with family
Healthcare
Emergency assistance
NGO relief assistance
Banking (via mobile top up cards)

Refugee Camp Cyber Pods
Provide open access to the internet in refugee camps and communities
which house displaced refugees. This would provide connectivity to:
Assistance to connecting with family and friends on the Internet – I’m
Okay registry
Assistance to information about “home”
Local jobs with development efforts
Everyday information
Weather
Crop prices
NGO relief assistance
Healthcare
Banking (via mobile top up cards)

Leverage and Provide Access to Entertainment
Trusted agents
What do people like to do?

SMS PSAs – Free Text Messaging Exchange
Encourage public health messages
Promote locations of relief
Promote community engagement

Pakistan/Afghanistan Open Data Initiative (Hackistan Challenge)
Existing data
Weather
Open source data collection

Geomapping Local Knowledge from Ex-Pat Communities
Existing open source data
Diaspora communities
Relief Agencies
Social networks
Blogs
Micro-blogging (Twitter)

Geomapping
SMS
Existing data base (mash-ups)
Augment with local knowledge from the local population
(autonomization)

SMS
ISMS - http://www.isms.pk/

Blogs (English)
State of Telecom Industry in Pakistan: http://telecompk.net/
The Pakistani Spectator: http://www.pakspectator.com/
Alive and Well in Pakistan: http://blog.aliveandwellinpakistan.com/2009/05/26/new-facebook-fan-page.aspx
Changing Up Pakistan - http://changinguppakistan.wordpress.com/

Potential Partners
Mobiles for Relief
Mobile Active
Frontline SMS
Vodafone Foundation
UN Foundation
Nokia

Refugee Camp Cyber Pods
Telecoms Sans Frontiers
Geeks Without Borders
Entertainment
Entertainment Foundation
UN Ambassador

Technology/Open Data Initiative (Hackistan Challenge)
Microsoft
Google
Yahoo!
Open Street Maps
Frontline SMS
Potential NGOs/Interest groups

Diaspora Community
Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy
Pakistan American Business Association
Pakistani-American National Alliance
Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America
Council of Pakistan American Affairs
Pakistan American Congress
Pakistan American Democratic Forum
Pak-PAC
Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America
Pakistani American Culture Center

NGOS
World Bank
United Nations
InterAction
Oxfam
Doctors without Borders
Save the Children
World Vision
CARE International

Policy
Council on Foreign Relations

Philanthropy
Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy
UN Foundation
Knight Foundation
Asian Philanthropy Forum
Global Giving
Rockefeller Foundation

In Country Partners
PAK Educational Society (PES)/Pakistan Development Network (PDN)
http://pakistan.wikia.com/wiki/Philanthropy

Academia
Harvard JFK – Asim Khwaja, Founder of RisePAK
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative
University of Indiana – Center on Philanthropy

OF NOTE

Video 6/20 – Swat Valley’s Humanitarian Crisis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjLf-vs3YGs&feature=player_embedded



Pakistan offensive nears end; refugee crisis begins

World Focus

http://worldfocus.org/blog/2009/06/19/pakistan-offensive-nears-end-refugee-crisis-just-beginning/5893/



US Envoy Visits Pakistani Refugees

http://www.dailyadvance.com/news/world/us-envoy-visits-pakistan-refugees-643737.html



State Department uses SMS to raise money for Pakistan

Chronicle on Philanthropy

http://philanthropy.com/news/government/8319/state-department-uses-text-messages-to-raise-money-for-pakistan



Study on Pakistan Shows Hope for Strategic Philanthropy
Asia Pacific Philanthropy

http://www.asiapacificphilanthropy.org/node/240


Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy

Philanthropy by Pakisani Disapora in the USA

http://pcp.org.pk/pdf/Research/Philanthropy%20by%20Pakistani%20Diaspora%20in%20the%20USA.pdf



CIO Pakistan: How much of Pakistan if on Facebook?

http://ciopakistan.com/2009/01/datapoints/#more-4633



Bloggers Mobilise for Pakistan Refugees

BBCNews

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8055384.stm



iSMS Intergrates Twitter: First in Pakistan

http://telecompk.net/2009/02/08/isms-integrates-twitter-first-in-pakistan/



Twitter in Pakistan

http://www.pakspectator.com/twitter-in-pakistan/



Twitter users in Pakistan: Tweet via SMS to a local number

http://adil.2scomplement.com/2009/02/update-your-twitter-status-via-sms-to-a-local-number/



Pakistan protests organized via Facebook

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/31/Pakistan-protests-organized-via-Facebook/UPI-68081243789699/



Twitter Pakistan Project: SMS brings cheap tweeting to Pakistan

http://www.bhonpoo.com/2009/02/07/twitter-pakistan-project-isms-brings-cheap-tweeting-to-pakistan/





Refugees scuffle over aid as Pakistan reports progress in anti-Taliban
offensive

http://blog.taragana.com/n/refugees-scuffle-over-aid-as-pakistan-reports-progress-in-anti-taliban-offensive-61907/





Jolie, Pitt Give $1M to Pakistan Refugees

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/news/newswire.php/news/reuters/2009/06/19/entertainment/jolie-pitt-give-1-million-for-pakistan-refugees.html&template=/entertainment/feeds/story-template-reuters.html





Standardization of Non Profit Sector Stressed by Pakistan Center for
Philanthropy for NPOs
PRLog
http://www.prlog.org/10042656-standardization-of-non-profit-sector-stressed-by-pakistan-center-of-philanthropy-for-npos.html\

RisePAK – Coordination Humanitarian Relief
Harvard Social Enterprise Conference
http://www.aidg.org/component/option,com_jd-wp/Itemid,34/p,1030/

Role of Technology in Disaster Relief (Lessons Learned from Pakistan
Earthquake)
TechSoup
http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/techplan/archives/page9472.cfm

RUOK Blogging Communication Technologies During Crisis
University of Indiana

http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue2/thelwall.html

Banned Group Helping Pakistani Refugees

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleid=467559

UN Uses Technology to Prevent Refugee Fraud in Afghanistan

http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2003-08/a-2003-08-17-29-UN.cfm?moddate=2003-08-17