[leglug-users] [Fwd: Web Mashups for Social Change in Lebanon (Brainstorm/planning at RootSpace)]

[DM Nabti (RootSpace)]

Sorry, small oversight.

The meeting is this coming Tuesday, 7pm (sorry for short notice) at 
RootSpace (Saifi, Charles Helou Boulevard, Valli & Valli Building, 6th 
Floor).

Cheers,

Munir





-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Web Mashups for Social Change in Lebanon (Brainstorm/planning 
at RootSpace)
Date: 	Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:39:26 +0200
From: 	DM Nabti (RootSpace) <innovate at therootspace.org>
To: 	leglug-users at lists.leglug.org



Dear All-
Come help us explore ways we can use the web for social change and 
social development in Lebanon. 

*The IDEA in focus:*  The mashup.

*The current OPPORTUNITY:*  We are working on submitting ideas for two 
mashup competitions, one out of London (www.sicamp.org), another out of 
San Francisco (www.netsquared.org). 

*WHY you should come:*  Come join us and help us brainstorm and refine 
the existing idea.  Or, if you have another idea of a mashup, please 
send it to us and we can stick it on the agenda, or figure some way to 
help you further the idea. If this idea excites, help us build this 
movement in Lebanon (or partner with us if you're another organization, 
or let us help your projects if you have something cool going on...).


*OUR MASHUP IDEA:
*First of all, let's be clear that (1) this is an initial idea, and (2) 
it involves the participation of a variety of partners and data sources 
because, well, that's just what a mashup is all about.  We are open to 
comments, (constructive) criticism, other ideas, participants, and more.

*THE PROBLEM WE ARE TRYING TO ADDRESS:*  There are many organizations 
(NGOs and charities, Lebanese and international) working in Lebanon, but 
oftentimes there is not very much coordination, a lot of overlap of 
similar projects, and at the same time there are gaps where needs are 
unaddressed or unserved. Some organizations do good, positive, effective 
work, while others are inefficient, divisive, corrupt, or politicized.

*IMAGINE THIS...* a dynamic and interactive map of Lebanon which shows 
different layers relevant to social problems, NGO work, government 
services, and internet accessibility, including, for example:
.  a point where each organization is doing a project, and when you roll 
over a point it shows information about the project, organization, et 
cetera; and/or
. a variety of social indicators (compiled from a variety of sources); 
and/or
. Internet access points, to get a sense for how "wired" Lebanon is, and 
how easy it is for people to get online from different parts of the 
country, and where people and organizations can go to add information or 
update their database record for this site; and/or
. a visual representation of electricity outages in the country, and the 
times and frequency of such outages.

With all of this information visually displayed on a map, it would be a 
powerful resource to see where gaps exist, to find organizations to 
partner with or support, to identify resources for people or groups in 
need, and more.

WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT DUPLICATING DATA.  Some of this data already 
exists. For example, we would like to tap into the various databases 
about organizations in Lebanon, such as from www.lebanon-support.org, 
the UNDP NGO Directory, and the Volunteer Directory of the Association 
for Volunteer Services.  We would then add additional information on top 
of that, and create a map with several "layers" to visually communicate 
this varied information.

*AGAIN, this meeting is for exploring ideas, thoughts, et cetera.  
**More information available on our website (which is still in rough 
draft form): http://www.therootspace.org/site/mashups
*
Any questions?  Please send them my way. 

And please forward this invitation on to others potentially interested 
groups.

Cheers,

Munir

 

~~~
David Munir Nabti
RootSpace CEO (Chief Entrepreneur and Organizer)
Leb cell: +961-3-138-770

~~~
For innovation, incubation, and sustainable development ~ 
www.therootspace.org
..........................................................

 


-- 

 

 

~~~
David Munir Nabti
RootSpace CEO (Chief Entrepreneur and Organizer)
Leb cell: +961-3-138-770

~~~
For innovation, incubation, and sustainable development ~ 
www.therootspace.org
..........................................................

 

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