Technology Salon

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a discussion at the intersection of technology and development

Wayan Vota

Author Archive

  • digital principles

    How the Principles for Digital Development Can Be Improved

    Washington DC | By on July 23, 2023 | Comments Off on How the Principles for Digital Development Can Be Improved

    Pop Quiz! Name all 9 Principles for Digital Development. Try to name them all right now and from your memory. No fair looking at the official list until you’ve exhausted your attempts. This is how we started the recent Technology Salon that asked, “Can the Principles for Digital Development be Improved?” The Principles for Digital…

  • Counter Malign Influences China Russia

    How to Counter the Malign Influences of China and Russia in Digital Development

    Washington DC | By on May 31, 2023 | Comments Off on How to Counter the Malign Influences of China and Russia in Digital Development

    The recent Technology Salon on How to Counter Malign Influences in Digital Development was a fascinating discussion that should start with the idea that we are mainly talking about the Chinese and Russian country governments. These governments may not reflect the will of its citizens, or even a majority of them, and the governments themselves…

  • agile technology salon

    Most government funded international development programs start with a Request for Proposal (RFP) that has to follow strict government procurement processes. These systems are designed to protect taxpayer money from waste and fraud and generate very detailed proposals. However, this very focus on risk aversion could actually be increasing the risk that humanitarian relief programing,…

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  • 5 Ways AgTech and KM Can Increase Food Security During COVID-19

    Washington DC | By on August 20, 2020 | Comments Off on 5 Ways AgTech and KM Can Increase Food Security During COVID-19

    The coronavirus pandemic is creating unprecedented food insecurity around the world. The World Food Programme estimates that the number of people facing acute hunger will double to 265 million in 2020. This global challenge comes on top of existing vulnerabilities including conflict, climate change and economic crises compounded by long-standing social and structural discrimination based…

  • ict4d startup funding

    Why Would Anyone Want to Launch an ICT4D Startup Organization?

    Washington DC | By on October 23, 2019 | Comments Off on Why Would Anyone Want to Launch an ICT4D Startup Organization?

    We all talk about encouraging entrepreneurship in developing countries. Yet how many of us have launched our own business, or spun off an initiative from our employer into its own organization? The startup life is hard, despite all the hype about venture capital funding and million-dollar exits. In the USA, only 50% of startups survive…

  • cyber crime secuirty ghana

    How Ghanaian Internet Users Can Protect Themselves From Cyber Attacks

    Accra | By on June 29, 2019 | Comments Off on How Ghanaian Internet Users Can Protect Themselves From Cyber Attacks

    Governments are scrambling to catch the culprits behind the cyber attacks that are disrupting operations at large organizations across the globe. Cyber security experts say the spread of the worm dubbed WannaCry locked up more than 200,000 computers in more than 150 countries. Ghana lost a total of $50 million dollars to cyber-attack in 2016….

  • artificial intelligence international development

    Evaluation Criteria for Using Artificial Intelligence in Development Programs

    Washington DC | By on April 18, 2019 | Comments Off on Evaluation Criteria for Using Artificial Intelligence in Development Programs

    This year’s technology buzz word is artificial intelligence, which means you’ve already been asked how your organization can incorporate AI and machine learning in your programs. Hopefully, you answered with this. Or you could be more serious and reply that we all already are using aspects of AI to augment and enhance, not replace, activities…

  • Future of ICT4D

    Our technology for development specialty is changing. Macro forces like reduced government funding and PEPFAR’s push to local organizations are intersecting with increased local capacity and robust commercial solutions, forcing us to consider a post-ICT4D world. This inspired a Technology Salon asking, “What does the future of ICT4D look like?”, where we had a lively…

  • geospatial technologies

    How to Better Visualize Our Impact with Geospatial Technologies

    Washington DC | By on August 20, 2018 | Comments Off on How to Better Visualize Our Impact with Geospatial Technologies

    Remember when you saw your first geospatial visualization in international development? How amazed you were that satellite maps of the earth could show impact data in a new, clearer way than before? Wait till you see where we are now with game-changing innovations like: Mapping changes at the village level with unmanned aerial vehicles. Visualizing…

  • private sector data

    4 Steps to Access Private Sector Data for Public Goods

    Washington DC | By on July 13, 2018 | Comments Off on 4 Steps to Access Private Sector Data for Public Goods

    We in the international development sector often have this perception that the private sector is way more advanced than we in the collection, analysis, and use of user data. That somehow Facebook, Google, and every Mobile Network Operator has a God-like dashboard that instantly displays every data point and trend imaginable, at the touch of…

  • GDPR Data Secuirty

    We Are Data Security Sinners. Will GDPR Make Us Repent?

    Washington DC | By on April 21, 2018 | Comments Off on We Are Data Security Sinners. Will GDPR Make Us Repent?

    The General Data Protection Regulation is coming on May 25th and you should be worried. If you operate in the EU or focus on EU-based clients, then the sweeping new data protection law will apply to you, with multi-million dollar fines per violation. It mandates that we will need to be clear and concise about…

  • Humanitarian Crisis

    7 Technologies to Mitigate Humanitarian Crisis and Increase Community Resilience

    Washington DC | By on March 8, 2018 | Comments Off on 7 Technologies to Mitigate Humanitarian Crisis and Increase Community Resilience

    Penny Mordaunt, the UK International Development Secretary, is warning that 2018 will be the worst for humanitarian crises since the Second World War. Simmering conflict is destroying communities in Syria, Congo, Yemen, South Sudan, Myanmar… and the list goes on. Then there will be the inevitable natural disasters that will create new crisis-affected communities. We…

  • whatsapp strategy

    6 Reasons Why WhatsApp is a Game Changer for International Development

    Washington DC | By on March 1, 2018 | Comments Off on 6 Reasons Why WhatsApp is a Game Changer for International Development

    Quickly messaging people via computing technology is not a new activity. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) started in 1988, and we’ve gone through messaging service peaks with AOL, Yahoo, Blackberry, and SMS. Now there is a new wave of messaging apps and it’s Facebook Messenger, Viber, Telegram, Signal and WhatsApp’s turn. As one participant said at…

  • The Number 1 Reason Why You Do Not Encrypt Email

    Washington DC | By on June 2, 2015 | Comments Off on The Number 1 Reason Why You Do Not Encrypt Email

    Two new Pew Research Center studies are very enlightening around the American public’s perception of privacy, security, and surveillance. While both reports are worth a read, there are two contradictory statements that really stand out: The surveys find that Americans feel privacy is important in their daily lives in a number of essential ways. Yet,…

  • How UAV Drones Can Accelerate Development in Ghana

    Accra | By on March 31, 2015 | Comments Off on How UAV Drones Can Accelerate Development in Ghana

    Application of drones for development is a new area in Ghana, however it is rapidly evolving with significant potential to aid Ghana’s development agenda in the area of health, agriculture, security, road safety and traffic management; natural resource management, aerial photography, 3-D mapping; search and rescue, among others. This was the outcome of the Technology…

  • 7 Key Insights in Using ICT to Improve Ebola Response

    Washington DC | By on February 17, 2015 | Comments Off on 7 Key Insights in Using ICT to Improve Ebola Response

    Recently, we had the 175th Technology Salon in Washington, DC, this one focused on How Can ICTs Improve Our Ebola Response? Be sure to sign up to get invited to our next event. In the lively morning-long discussion with 35 key thought leaders and decision makers from across the technology and development sectors, we came…

  • 1st Denver Tech Salon: How Can Technology Improve International Development?

    Denver | By on January 29, 2015 | Comments Off on 1st Denver Tech Salon: How Can Technology Improve International Development?

    We have all seen the pretty pictures of children playing with fancy new gadgets, and while the photos are uplifting, do they really signify progress? Does the introduction of new technology, specifically information and communication technologies like mobile phones, computers, and the Internet really accelerate the social and economic advancement of the developing world? Will…

  • What Technology Can Help Ghanaians Keep Government Accountable?

    Accra | By on January 27, 2015 | Comments Off on What Technology Can Help Ghanaians Keep Government Accountable?

    Congratulations! Ghana was just deemed to be the 2nd most lawful country in Africa (behind Botswana) by the World Justice Project. While this is a laudable achievement, just how much technology was involved? Did we need Ghana Open Data? Or can Ghanaians enjoy good governance without technology solutions getting in the way? Please RSVP now…

  • How Can Technology Start-Ups Increase Social Impact?

    Helsinki | By on November 11, 2014 | Comments Off on How Can Technology Start-Ups Increase Social Impact?

    Access to mobile phones has exploded across the globe. The availability of smart phones and the mobile web is also increasing rapidly. This opens up exciting opportunities to reach the “base of the pyramid” with products and services that could improve the well-being of millions of people living on less than $2 per day. At…

  • How Can We Use Drones for Development?

    Nairobi | By on October 15, 2014 | Comments Off on How Can We Use Drones for Development?

    We all know the military and surveillance applications of drones, and we can dream of Amazon Prime Air, but how can unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) be used to improve peoples’ lives? What innovations with remotely piloted aircraft will accelerate social and economic development? Could we deliver medicines or vital packages via drone? What about finding…