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Every day we hear of new advances in technology solutions that hold promise to mitigate humanitarian crisis and improve lives in developing countries. The opportunities for change span the gamut of challenges that people face around the world, including: Climate change adaptation education delivered via mobile phones Informal settlement fire early warning via Internet of…
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As the United States withdraws from the Paris Climate Agreement, we are inundated daily with news of how the climate crisis is escalating. It can be argued that climate change cuts across multiple sectors in the ICT4D community. Our work in areas such as health, agriculture, and emergency response, may mitigate the impacts of climate…
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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…
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At the recent Technology Salon London, we debated How to Safeguard Our Constituents in Digital Development? with discussants (under the Chatham House rule) from a wide range of development organizations including DFID, DAI, Accenture Development Partnerships, Save the Children, Plan International, Chemonics, Comic Relief, World Wide Web Foundation, Cherie Blair Foundation, Child Hope UK, Christian…
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Recently, we gathered at the OSF offices for the Technology Salon on “Automated Decision Making in Aid: What could possibly go wrong?” with lead discussants: Jon Truong, and Elyse Voegeli, two of the creators of Automating NYC; Genevieve Fried and Varoon Mathur, Fellows at the AI Now Institute at NYU. To start off, we asked participants whether they were optimistic…
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TechSoup recently hosted a Technology Salon asking What is the True Potential of Global Impact Investing? with 30 social impact leaders from diverse backgrounds in the corporate, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors. We discussed what impact investing means for nonprofits, philanthropists, and investors and for our ability to make change together. It was a unique chance…
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Recently, the Digital Impact Alliance, DAI and Accenture Development Partnerships hosted a London Technology Salon on the question of: “Is Positive Collaboration Possible Between Aid and Mobile Sectors?” Subscribe today to get invited to future Technology Salons in London Eminent thought leaders Diana Sang (Digital Impact Alliance) and Oliver Rowntree (GSMA) shared their varied experiences…
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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….
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Currently, over two billion people worldwide live in fragile, violent and conflict-affected (FCV) environments. Furthermore, according to the World Bank, the share of the extreme poor living in conflict-affected situations is expected to rise above 50% by 2030. FCV environments dramatically impact development outcomes as conflicts drive 80% of all humanitarian needs – yet it…
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The New York City Technology Salon on “Will Digital Identities Support or Control Us” featured lead discussants Savita Bailur and Emrys Schoemaker from Caribou Digital and Aiden Slavin from ID2020. In general, Salon Participants noted the potential positives of digital ID, such as improved access to services, better service delivery, accountability, and better tracking of beneficiaries….
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At the SF Bay Area Technology Salon on “What Can We Do About Press Crackdowns and Online Censorship?” two questions were at the center of the discussion: Who care about press freedom? What are tactics and strategies that inspire more people to take action to defend free speech, information access, and truth online? The carefully…
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The terms Civic Tech and GovTech have rapidly gained popularity over the past few years. Our recent Technology Salon – What Technology Approaches Improve Governance and Civic Engagement? – explored how digital tools and solutions can be used to further improve governance and citizen engagement. We had a lively discussion, informed by four thought leaders…
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An increase in the number of tech entrepreneurs in the countries in which we work represents a huge opportunity to work with local talent to tackle important barriers from growth and economic opportunity, to financial access and healthcare. However, recognising that around 80% – 90% of start-ups fail in their first year, we need to…
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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…
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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…
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The World Food Programme (WFP) recently announced a 45 million-dollar partnership with the data analytics firm Palantir, which sparked an IRIN’s article about it, an Open Letter from the Responsible Data Forum, and WFP’s resulting statement. The partnership raises serious issues that the WFP seems to be taking steps to address. But these issues are…
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Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used to advance healthcare in high-income countries. AI here refers to the use of computer systems sophisticated enough to perform tasks that until recently could only be performed by humans, for example, extracting conclusions from visual, clinical, natural language, operational and other complex data. Is artificial intelligence applicable in…
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With uneven economic opportunities and recruitment from abroad facilitated by advances in technology and transportation, migration in the Asian region is increasing. The UN’s 2017 International Migration Report estimates 258 million migrants traveled for work last year, with just under a third of them in Asia. The November Technology Salon Bangkok on How Can Digital…
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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…
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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…