Table of Contents
- 1 What was the initial use of Ushahidi?
- 2 How does crisis mapping work?
- 3 What type of social media tool is Ushahidi?
- 4 Where was Ushahidi created?
- 5 Why are hazard maps important?
- 6 Where is crisis mapping used?
- 7 What did Ushahidi do to help in Kenya?
- 8 What was the original purpose of the Ushahidi platform?
What was the initial use of Ushahidi?
‘”Ushahidi”, which means “testimony” in Swahili, was a website that was initially developed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election fallout at the beginning of 2008.
What is the Ushahidi app for?
With support for offline data collection — including videos and photos — Ushahidi for iOS and Android helps you quickly complete surveys from your smartphone in any location, with or without an Internet connection. The app also allows you to manage multiple Ushahidi deployments in one place.
How does crisis mapping work?
Crisis-Mapping technology uses data, reports, and other forms of information about individual locations and events to map them in real time. This information allows first responders and aid groups to identify people that need evacuations or resources and distribute those resources at locations to maximize their impact.
Why was Ushahidi created?
Ushahidi (Swahili for “testimony”, closely related to shahidi which means “witness”) was created in the aftermath of Kenya’s disputed 2007 presidential election that collected eyewitness reports of violence reported by email and text message and placed them on a Google Maps map.
Our flagship product is the Ushahidi Platform, an integrated data crowdsourcing and mapping tool that allows people to rapidly collect, manage and analyze crowdsourced information from their communities.
Who created Ushahidi?
Juliana Rotich
Erik HersmanOry OkollohDavid Kobia
Ushahidi/Founders
Where was Ushahidi created?
Nairobi, Kenya
Ushahidi
| Founded | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Location | Nairobi, Kenya |
| Origins | Crowdsourcing |
| Area served | World |
| Method | mapping and geospatial |
Does crisis mapping use social media?
Social media creates opportunity for interactive, real-time communication between public organizations and stakeholders. Citizens also take matters in their own hands and can disseminate information faster than public organizations. Crisis mapping is one social media response to crisis that began in the late 2000s.
Why are hazard maps important?
Hazard maps provide important information to help people understand the risks of natural hazards and to help mitigate disasters. Hazard maps indicate the extent of expected risk areas, and can be combined with disaster management information such as evacuation sites, evacuation routes, and so forth.
What does the crisis mapping tool Ushahidi do?
Ushahidi is a free and open-source platform that allows interested individuals and groups to create live, interactive maps. The platform can be used to combine citizen reporting with mapping and visualization tools to create a crisis map—a real-time, dynamic, multifaceted snapshot of how a crisis is evolving.
Where is crisis mapping used?
Crisis mapping was popularized after Meier’s map in 2010. In 2016, crisis mapping is commonly used for real-time updates in response to natural disasters and acts of terrorism. Meier’s map of Haiti is often cited but there are many other crisis maps worth exploring.
How did the Ushahidi company get its name?
The Ushahidi name comes from the Swahili word for “testimony,” chosen upon our founding to reflect how our technology gave voice to the people of Kenya during a time of social and political unrest.
What did Ushahidi do to help in Kenya?
Since our founding in 2008 as a tool to monitor and map post-election violence in Kenya, Ushahidi’s crowdsourcing tools have been used by thousands of groups and millions of people to raise voices, inform decisions, stop suffering and influence change.
What does Ushahidi stand for in Swahili language?
Ushahidi, which translates to “testimony” in Swahili, was developed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election violence in 2008. Since then, thousands have used our crowdsourcing tools to raise their voice.
What was the original purpose of the Ushahidi platform?
Crowdmap is designed and built by the team behind Ushahidi, a platform that was originally built to crowdsource crisis information. As the platform evolved, so did its users. Crowdmap now allows users to set up their own deployments of Ushahidi without having to install it on a web server.