Another “21st-century disaster tip”: using Qik in an emergency
By WDavidStephenson | August 26, 2008
As you know by now, I luv Twitter’s ability to share location-based, real-time information in a disaster,
I’ll be adding a YouTube version as soon as my buddy Jason Daniels of Medfield TV has edited it!
As I said in the streaming video, Qik’s a relatively new application, and only works with a limited number of videophones (mainly Nokias) at this point. However, given the adoption curve for other Web 2.0 devices and apps (remember when Twitter was a nice cozy little neighborhood about this time last year, before the get-rich-spammers got clued in?), I suspect that within the next year:
- Qik will work with the majority of new phones
- using Qik becomes so ubiquitous that people will naturally use it in disasters, as has happened with Twitter and Flickr, and family, friends and neighbors will automatically look to it for information.
Equally important, people will remember to give their emergency Qiks titles, descriptions and tags that will make it easy to search and aggregate them (ya gotta love them folksonomies!) - (hopefully) police and fire authorities will begin to give tips on what kind of visual information would be most helpful to them in emergencies
- (again, hopefully) police and fire will automatically look to Qik in disasters for situational awareness from people who, as (bad) luck would have it, happened to be the first on the scene.
OK, I’ve talked about a number of other apps in the past as being THE killer app for “networked homeland security,” ad hoc emergency communications, then something new always comes along to supercede it.
But for now, you’ve gotta admit Qik opens a whole new arena of empowering the public to be full partners in emergency response!
If your phone works with it, I urge you to start getting familiar with Qik, so you’ll be able to use it effortlessly if disaster strikes.
Technorati tags:
homeland security Wireless Foundationcrowd-sourcing wisdom of crowds crowdsourcing smart mobs swarm intelligence emergent behavior mobile social networks a href=”http://technorati.com/tag/collaboration” rel=”tag”>collaboration disaster management 2.0 disaster management business continuity disaster planning disaster planning 2.0
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Just in time for Fay: Wireless Foundation posts tips for wireless use in disasters
By WDavidStephenson | August 18, 2008
Just as Fay is reaching the Florida mainland, the Wireless Foundation has posted the series of tips that I created for them on smart use of wireless devices in emergencies!
The introduction to the tips says:
“The Wireless Foundation has compiled useful information to keep wireless customers prepared for emergencies, from an every-day crisis like a flat tire to large-scale disasters such as a hurricane, when electrical and cellular communications systems could both be compromised. Wireless phones have saved countless lives and make our communities safer every day.”
The tips are divided into:
- everyday tips, such as learning the features of your phone’s built-in camera (and, to practice, take and store in the phone a photo of every family member in case of emergencies), or programming emergency speed dial numbers
- practice preparedness, such as learning how to text (and, if you have teens, flattering their egos by asking them to show you how to do it!), since SMS messages are more likely to get through in emergencies.
- after a disaster, such as getting a solar charger so you can still use your cell phone if power is out.
- helping others, such as sending photos of persons authorized to pick up your child in an emergency in case you can’t
- helpful resources, such as the American Red Cross , or Emily Turrettini’s Picture Phoning blog.
Please check out the tips: they could save your life and help you contribute valuable information to help authorities respond to a disaster!
Also, because manufacturers are constantly upgrading phones and entrepreneurs are creating new apps to capitalize on these new features, the Wireless Foundation urges you to contact them if you have other tips, by emailing them at safety@wirelessfoundation.org or calling 202.736.3229.
BTW: I’ve already done that, tipping them off on Qik, the real-time streaming video service: I’m about to record another of my YouTube “21st-century disaster tips you WON’T hear from officials,” about how to use Qik to post real-time video of storm conditions (that’s already been done in the case of floods in the US and Ireland) that can give invaluable situational awareness to officials!
Technorati tags: homeland security DHS FEMA War on Terror crowd-sourcing wisdom of crowds crowdsourcing smart mobs swarm intelligence emergent behavior networked homeland security collaboration location-based services geo-spatial web homeland security 2.0 disaster management 2.0 disaster management VITA Advisories Wireless Foundation disaster planning Tropical Storm Fay Florida hurricane disaster planning 2.0
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Just finished the live interview …
By WDavidStephenson | August 6, 2008
Here’s the transcript of the interview I just completed with Dave Witzel on transparent government and public data. Enjoy!
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Join me for LIVE Interviews Online at 3 EDT!
By WDavidStephenson | August 6, 2008
Hi!
At 3 EDT today, I’ll be Dave Witzel’s guest on “LIVE Interviews Online,” answering questions from Dave and YOU on how I got involved in the public data and data visualization movement, who’s doing it right, and what the future is (I’ll be easy to spot: I’m wearing the rose-tinted glasses on this issue!).
We already have a few questions to prime the pump:
- Are there any government agencies doing a good job w/ data sharing?
- how did you get interested in this issue?
- how are you trying to get data visualizations involved in the Democratic Party platform deliberations?
- how can agencies benefit from internal use of these technologies?
– but I’m sure you can come up with some even better questions, so hope you’ll join in!
PS: Mark your calendars: on Sept. 9th, I’ll join Dave; Vivek Kundra, the D.C. CTO (and My Hero!); and Andy Carvin, Senior Strategist for Online Communities, at NPR (they’ve just released an API that will allow easy access of their archives back to 1995); at the National Press Club for a Forum One Communications seminar on “Web Sites Without Walls: Influential Strategies for Site Syndication.” See you there!Technorati tags: Forum One Communications Vivek Kundra Policy Commons publicdata public data dataviz government transparency e-gov e-government 2.0 e-government transparent government e-democracy crowd-sourcing wisdom of crowds Sphere: Related Content
Topics: technology, empowering public, policy and politics, collaboration, e-gov transformation |
Show Us a Better Way: convinced it’s a turning point in public data
By WDavidStephenson | August 4, 2008
The old PR guy in me rears it’s ugly head!
Once in a blue moon a promotion comes along that really seizes the public’s attention, and, if there’s some substance, can really change the way we live (no, I’m not talkin’ “Real Coke” here).
I’m convinced that’s the case with the UK’s Show Us a Better Way competition, in which the Power of Information taskforce is — hold on to your hats, folks — actually asking THE PEOPLE how they can do a better job of capitalizing on public data to serve the public interest:
“The UK Government wants to hear your ideas for new products that could improve the way public information is communicated …
We’re confident that you’ll have more and better ideas than we ever will. [no, I didn’t put that in bold print: they did!] You don’t have to have any technical knowledge, nor any money, just a good idea, and 5 minutes spare to enter the competition.
OK, they had me right there, but, as the announcer says, “that’s not all, folks”:
- they’re put up some serious money (£20,000) for the best prizes to help develop the ideas more.Oops, I stand corrected: the Minister of Justice was so impressed by the first entries that he’s thrown another £20,000 into the pot. Do I hear £60,000?).
- taxpayers and entrepreneurs are already winners, even though the contest doesn’t end until next month: after a preliminary screening, the entries are publicly posted, so that people can judge for themselves what’s worthwhile, and/or have the “wisdom of crowds” kick in, when someone sees a current idea and it sparks them to submit another! A few that I like:
- car-sharing maps
- local-to-me (if that was available in the US, you’d see an Adrian Holovaty-style EveryBlock for, um, every block!)
- my particular favorite, because I could see it mimicking the Many Eyes or Swivel sites, “FreeData Live,” which “…. would provide the one point of access for all freely available data to be published in a more visual means. It would be a government sponsored site and allow all persons/any one who would like to be able to see and use the information regardless of their IT expertise, to see, use analyse and produce reports, via the website rather than download data in the normal fashion and spend hours trying to produce meaningful views of the data/information.”
- Perhaps most important, they’ve putting their data where their mouths are, as it were (having already put their money where their mouths are via the prize pot….), by releasing an unprecedented amount and diversity of data for public consumption.Sorry, Mayor Fenty, but DC’s Citywide Data Warehouse now drops down the the Silver Metal (we’re gearing up here for some serious Olympics phraseology), although you are still the runaway winner in the Amount of Data Released Per Capita race.
I just can’t say enough about:
- the government’s understanding of the value of data visualization as a tool (listen to this Beeb interview with Minister Tom Watson)
- the creativity and zeal with which the Power of Information Task Force has approached the issue
- the visibility the issue will get because of the competition
- the government’s show of humility in its rhetoric about the wisdom of crowds.
Obama has publicly pledged to stream data (in the section of his technology white paper dealing with transparency) and it would be nice if someone would explain the concept to McCain in hopes that he might say “whatever” and do the same… Hope that the next president will put up as big or bigger pot of money, release the data, and watch the great ideas pour in!
Technorati tags: technology publicdata public data dataviz government transparency e-gov e-government 2.0 e-government transparent government e-democracy crowd-sourcing wisdom of crowds crowdsourcing smart mobs swarm intelligence emergent behavior government IT government politics collaboration Barack Obama John McCain Prime+Minister+Gordon+Brown Tom Watson MP Show Us a Better Way
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Twitter again proving its salt in Chino earthquake
By WDavidStephenson | July 29, 2008
The mainstream media has just 
reported a strong earthquake in the Chino Hills area of Cal., and already there are many Twiter “tweets” giving eyewitness reports of what happened. Don’t forget my “21st-century disaster tips you won’t hear from officials,” and BE SAFE!
PS. I haven’t written about it yet, but look for Qik, the mobile real-time video upload service, to have a lot of info on the quake …
Technorati tags: Chino earthquake Chino_Hills_earthquake FEMA California earthquake crowd-sourcing wisdom of crowds crowdsourcing smart mobs swarm intelligence emergent behavior networked homeland security mobile social networks Qik collaboration geo-spatial web homeland security 2.0 disaster management 2.0 disaster managementdisaster planning disaster planning 2.0
Sphere: Related ContentTopics: technology, empowering public, policy and politics, networked security |
Challenging Obama supporters to use data viz to help draft platform
By WDavidStephenson | July 17, 2008
Hi, ya’ll. I’m sweltering in Austin, attending the Netroots Nation (née Yearly Kos) conference. Pass the ribs, please.
In my speech tomorrow 
I’m going to throw a little gasoline on the fire by challenging the attendees to get up to speed on data feeds and data visualization quickly, so that they can contribute both data and visualizations that can be cited, debated, etc. by those attending the series of “Listening to America” events that the Obama campaign and Democratic Party will sponsor nationwide next week to help draft the Democratic platform.
I will note that Obama’s white paper on technology specifically mentions data feeds and pilot programs to involve the public in decision making as part of his efforts to improve governmental transparency.
To prime the pump and show people how easy it is to scrape data and to turn it into visualizations, I’ve created a “topic hub” on IBM’s Many Eyes visualization site, called “Obama platform,” with data and visualizations on topics as varied as Iraq spending and foreclosures. I hope you’ll check it out — http://tinyurl.com/568obs — see for yourself how easy it is to upload data and to then try alternative forms of visualization to determine which best makes your point.
Let me conclude as I will at the conference:
“for years activists have demanded a seat at the table to help influence pending legislation, debate national priorities, and hold agencies accountable. Now the tools are available to allow this type of participation, and I challenge activists to use them and play a role in governing as well as electing new candidates.â€
PS: Parts of my presentation were originally part of a white paper on data streams and visualization that I co-authored for the nGenera Government 2.0: Wikinomics, Government and Democracy research program.
Technorati tags: technology publicdata public data dataviz government transparency e-gov e-government 2.0 e-government transparent government e-democracy crowd-sourcing wisdom of crowds RSS crowdsourcing smart mobs swarm intelligence emergent behavior government IT government politics collaboration geo-spatial web web 2.0 Listening to America Democratic Party Barack Obama Netroots Nation
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You will never hear me under-estimating Bush on national security
By WDavidStephenson | June 25, 2008
With yet another report saying that global warming is a severe national security threat, you will NEVER hear me underestimating George W. Bush’s ability in the national security field.
Who else could:
- lie us into a war against a fabricated national security threat
- actively deny a real, documented on (i.e., global warming)
- bankrupt us through 1 so that we couldn’t attack no. 2
Nope, don’t underestimate Bush!
Technorati tags: homeland security War on Terror
Iraq War politics global warming George Bush
Topics: global warming/security, policy and politics |
Charlie Black: wagging the terrorism dog
By WDavidStephenson | June 24, 2008
Charlie Black is one of those GOP operatives who has been in the background for years, manipulating government for his clients’ benefit, and whose very presence in the campaign belies McCain’s commitment to root out the influence of lobbyists.
Now that he’s hyping terror attacks as a swell way to elect McCain, it’s clear that the GOP will again sink to any depths to win it for McCain. Will any size attack do, or does it have to result in the death of x number of Americans to assure victory?
Technorati tags: homeland security War on Terror terrorism antiterrorism current affairs government politics McCain Charlie Black Charles Black
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At pdf2008: really interesting visualizations
By WDavidStephenson | June 23, 2008
Really interesting demo right now of a mapping tool, Linkfluence, that’s being used to map the political blogosphere, and various aspects of this year’s election. Followed by Michael Hurst of Microsoft, who’s also doing some very interesting mapping. Definitely fellow travelers!
Technorati tags: publicdata public data dataviz government transparency e-gov e-government 2.0 e-government transparent government e-democracy crowd-sourcing wisdom of crowds crowdsourcing smart mobs swarm intelligence emergent behavior government IT government politics Michael Hurst collaboration PdF2008
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