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NEWSLETTER
MARCH/APRIL Issue No. 54
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In This Issue
Upcoming Events

STAR-TIDES Brown Bags at National Defense University!

 

April 23rd: Mkwasi Mcharo, "Change Through Edu-technology and Diplomacy

SpotBeam Project: A video-conferencing tool for innovative education in

rural Africa. AND "Diaspora Diplomacy" Click here to learn more or on the TIDES Facebook Events Page 

 

May 14th-  Nelson Jacobsen, CEO Random Hacks of Kindness Click Here for more info or on our Facebook Events Page  

May 28th: Erin Jeffery, International Development Policy and Advocacy, InterAction. Click here for more info or on our Facebook Events Page 


24 April 2014  
NGB Headquarters Arlington, VA  
TIDES and a number of STAR-TIDES Members will participate!  This year's theme is sustainability technologies applicable to our domestic response mission for the 3000 National Guard personnel in Arlington Hall Station and their families. Click here to learn more   

18-21 May 2014  
University Park, PA  
Penn State University's College of Information Science and Technology (IST) will be hosting an international conference focusing on Disaster/Emergency Management and Response. ISCRAM is an international community promoting research and development, exchange of knowledge and deployment of information systems in the field of crisis management, expected to draw over 300 attendees.

 

Last year's ISCRAM conference topics were: "holistic crisis management" and
"the need to close the gap between scientists and the practitioners." ISCRAM 2014 will advance these discussions as it takes a leadership role in reframing information systems for emergency response and crisis management scenarios.

 

Click Here for more information or email David Jordan at djordan@ist.psu.edu 

Cool Websites to Check Out for the Latest in HA/DR and Development! 


For more resources, Click here.

-AKVO.org builds open source internet and mobile software which is used to make international development cooperation and aid activity more effective and transparent.  Of particular interest to the STAR-TIDES Network, Akvopedia is a portal for online knowledge on smart, low-cost, sustainable water and sanitation technology and approaches. 

Akvo is a non-profit foundation headquartered in the Netherlands with staff in Sweden, Kenya, the UK, Germany, Spain, India and the United States. Akvo's tools are open source and used by over 1,500 organizations throughout the world in areas such as water, sanitation, health, education and economic development.

  

-TC103: Tech Tools and Skills for Emergency Management

November 3, 2014 - November 28, 2014

Facilitated by Timo Luege

This four-week online professional development certificate course will explore how new communication and mapping technologies are being used to respond to disasters, create early warning mechanisms, improve relief coordination efforts and much more. From the recent Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, to the earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti and Pakistan, to the view from the streets as crises happen, this course will consider a variety of real world examples from organizations working in the field and analyze some of the key challenges related to access, implementation, scale, and verification that working with new technology presents. The course is designed to assist professionals like those in the STAR-TIDES Network in developing concrete strategies and technological skills to work amid this rapidly evolving landscape.

Participants have plenty of options to explore content that is most relevant to them through live content and interactions, readings, and videos. For a more detailed syllabus, please click here.

Quick Links
New Publications 
for all the latest publications! 


New events are being added periodically, so don't forget to check out the STAR-TIDES Calendar of Events and on our Facebook Page!  
Looking for a Challenge? TIDES launches the Disaster App Challenge and the Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) App Challenge

Disaster Apps Challenge: From the earthquake in Haiti to the recent typhoon in the Philippines, disaster relief applications have shown great promise in increasing the efficiency and response time of the humanitarian sector.  The CTNSP Disaster Apps Challenge encourages developers to build upon an open source disaster relief application that is already being used in the field. The challenge will ensure recognition for disaster applications that are well built and useful to a broad range of users. The challenge offers developers the opportunity to demonstrate their application's value to citizens and first responders. Submissions will be accepted until 15 June 2014.Click here for complete contest rules and entry requirements.

 

Explosive Remnants of War and Land Mine Reporting Apps Challenge:  Each year, a large number of civilians are killed and injured by unexploded weapons such as artillery shells, land mines, mortars, grenades and bombs. These explosive remnants of war (ERW) regularly disrupt daily civilian life in post-war and conflict zones. To combat the problem, the Center for Technology and National Security Policy (CTNSP) at the National Defense University (NDU) is challenging developers to come up with a mechanism to keep "eyes on the street" and transform ordinary citizen's mobile devices into tools that can be used to report ERW and land mines to the appropriate authorities. Submissions will be accepted until 20 Jun 2014. 

Click here for complete contest rules and entry requirements.   

 

For both challenges,a  $3,000 cash award will be given for first place. Second place will receive $1,500 and third place will receive $500.  

"Hey there, Refugee; here's a Burlap Sack" (Personal Account from the

Red Cross Global Refugee Simulation)

(By: Amy Gorman) Each day millions of people around the world are displaced from their homes due to violence, persecution, and natural disaster.1 On the rainy day of March 29, 2014, I participated in the American Red Cross Global Refugee Simulation & Conference in Washington DC and Bull Run State Park, VA. The largest refugee simulation in the world, it is intended to educate participants about the challenges that refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) endure. Along with over 500 participants, I worked in a simulated family group to escape a war zone, traverse minefields, cross a patrolled border, and find accommodation in a refugee camp. Once there, we had to secure food, seek medical attention, and build a shelter, all while staying within assigned roles. 
To Read more, click here

The Rise of a Guru (Interview with Vinay Gupta) 

(By Jonathan Fredrickson) You can never truly know where life will take you. If there is anything that I took away from my conversation with Mr. Vinay Gupta, it is that truth. On March 31, 2014, I spoke with Vinay from Institute for Security and Resilience Studies . We covered a broad range of topics including his professional history, his development into a "Resilience Guru", the creation and growth of the Hexayurt, and his association with the TIDES project. Overall, it was a fascinating conversation and I extend my thanks to Vinay for setting aside his time to speak with me.
To Read more, Click here

 

If you are interested in interviewing for the TIDES Newsletter please contact

Amy Gorman, amy.gorman.ctr@ndu.edu 

Open Data for Resilience Initiative Field Guide Published

The Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI), developed by the World Bank's Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) just published the Open Data for Resilience Initiative: Field Guide.  Author of this project is long time TIDES member, John Crowley. 

"The new World Bank Group field guide provides practical guidance for governments and organizations as they build their own open data programs for addressing disaster risk and resilience. It shows how participatory mapping projects can fill in government data gaps and keep existing data relevant as cities rapidly expand. Among the guide's success stories are projects that quickly mapped disaster damage in the Philippines after Typhoon Yolanda and helped improve urban planning in Kathmandu." To Read more, click here

Add Your Voice to our ThunderClap! Share Your Low Cost, Sustainable Technology on Earth Day! 

#OneIdea can be the difference! Share your sustainable, low-cost solutions for a better world. #EarthDay

This Earth Day help TIDES spread the word about low-cost, sustainable technology solutions that can help change the world! 

TIDES is building a repository (See our Infrastructure Directory at http://star-tides.net/infrastructure) of products and practices that can support the basic needs of stressed populations. Our goal is to identify affordable, sustainable infrastructures that minimize dependence on external consumables and maximize the efficiency of local efforts. TIDES focuses on eight infrastructures: shelter, water, power, integrated combustion and solar cooking, cooling/heating, lighting, sanitation and information & communications technologies (ICT).    
HOW TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT:
1. Support us via social media including Twitter, Facebook, or both, and get your friends and followers to do the same.

2. You can contribute by uploading solutions to our TIDES Infrastructure Directory (http://star-tides.net/infrastructure) or you can send us your ideas via social media. Snap a picture, send a link or message us on Facebook with technology solutions that can make a difference.  

 

JOIN THE STAR-TIDES NETWORK  

STAR-TIDES is an international research and networking project that is only as good as its members.  Learn more and consider joining us in bringing research support and relief to stressed populations.  Continue to share and support TIDES by clicking the "Update Profile/Email Address" link below.

  

Sincerely,

The TIDES ProjectText |  Link