We couldn't let December come and go without releasing new code! Henry Addo has updates to the Java SDK. In this weekly, we also have updates from Random Hacks of Kindness in Bangalore and Nairobi, the UN-SPIDER meeting in Vienna, plus two new Deployments of the Week.
OpenGeo SMS support: It allows you to submit report through SMS without having to rely on internet connection on your Android device. You simply submit the report by accepting a prompt to send it via SMS. All the hard work of sending SMS has been handled by the app. The cool thing about this feature is, it already includes the actual location( latitude and longitude) of the user in the SMS. This fixes the issue of having to figure out the location of the user when she submits an SMS to the Ushahidi deployment. This feature follows the OpenGeo SMS spec to craft the SMS sent to the Ushahidi deployment as message. It also depends on the OpenGeoSMS
plugin for the Ushahidi platform. Meaning you've to enable the plugin on your Ushahidi
deployment for this feature to work.
We have also implemented authentication using the Android account manager to allow parts of the Ushahidi platform API that requires authentication to be handled by the Android account manager.
As always, we have made major improvements to performance, code and bug fixes to the existing features.
December 11: Sourcing Pro-Poor Innovations
Covering the UN Walls with crowdsourced ideas[/caption]
As part of keeping Ushahidi in the important and ongoing discussions of the role of crowdsourcing in humanitarian response, Heather Leson and Rob Baker of Ushahidi attended the UN-SPIDER meeting for "Crowdsource Mapping for Disaster Risk Management and Emergency Response" in Vienna, Austria. Eighty-one participants were in attendance in a three-day conversation that revealed so much about how far we've come and, perhaps more importantly, how much further we need to go in this crucial time to focus on not just processing mobile and social data but transforming and translating it into operational, digestible data for first responders, NGOs, governments, and CSOs. It was great to see highlights from those already leading the way in this space from our colleagues and partners in the SBTF and DH Network. Our readers might be particularly interested in the presentations, all of which are available on their website, including Heather's on "Hurricane Sandy & the Crowdsourcing Community" (PDF).
Into the Code
Java SDK release
The Java SDK is simply a Java wrapper for the Ushahidi API. This is to make it far easier for developers to integrate Ushahidi into their Java projects. It supports both the Ushahidi public API and the Admin API. We're also working on integrating it into our own Ushahidi Android app. The code is available on github. Feel free to browse through the code, fork and send a pull request. We're are happy to merge any significant changes you may send our way. There is a readme file and a Java doc with all the information you need to know on how to build and use the SDK. We had huge contributions from the folks at geothings.tw. We would like to extend our appreciations for their efforts. Our community really rocks. There have been major improvements to the Ushahidi Android app. We have switched to using the new Java SDK for the Ushahidi platform API. Now no more verbose code to access the core Ushahidi platform API. The most important aspect of this switch is that it will make it far easier for people to extend the app by just using the Java SDK. This imply that you can extend the Ushahidi Android app beyond just white-labeling.
OpenGeo SMS support: It allows you to submit report through SMS without having to rely on internet connection on your Android device. You simply submit the report by accepting a prompt to send it via SMS. All the hard work of sending SMS has been handled by the app. The cool thing about this feature is, it already includes the actual location( latitude and longitude) of the user in the SMS. This fixes the issue of having to figure out the location of the user when she submits an SMS to the Ushahidi deployment. This feature follows the OpenGeo SMS spec to craft the SMS sent to the Ushahidi deployment as message. It also depends on the OpenGeoSMS
plugin for the Ushahidi platform. Meaning you've to enable the plugin on your Ushahidi
deployment for this feature to work.
We have also implemented authentication using the Android account manager to allow parts of the Ushahidi platform API that requires authentication to be handled by the Android account manager.
As always, we have made major improvements to performance, code and bug fixes to the existing features.
How to update
To update the app, follow the prompt by the Android play store. You don't have to do anything special. Simply accept the prompt to upgrade. This release wouldn't have been possible if it hadn't been the contributions and feedback from our community. Ushahidi Trusted Developer Kuo-yu Slayer Chuang and his Geo Things team created mobile plugins and assisted on the Android release. Here's the feature he and his team added for Ushahidi Android App to send SMS report with Photo (sync afterwards) They collaborated with the Sahana team for Sandy relief.Community updates
Ghana Votes was a Deployment of the Week in April of this year. This past week's elections drew them some news from our friends at Global Voices.
Deployments of the Week:
Join us in welcoming Mapping the Mangroves and Pro-Poor Innovations to the Deployment of the Week family. (More Deployments) December 4: Mapping the Mangroves
December 11: Sourcing Pro-Poor Innovations
Help Wanted: Plugin Developer (paid)
Den posted this technical request on the developer mailing list: "I want to make a site, which will give a people access to incidents in my country (Ukraine). It should output incidents in 3 columns: ordered by date, number of comments and category A. Requirements for module is simple. Please e-mail Den at aemon@root.ua to discuss spec and payments.Translation and Localization update
We're on a mission to get our mobile devices into as many languages as possible. There is an upcoming IOS update. Dale Zak has been charming his way through the Internet asking for help: https://twitter.com/dalezak/statuses/279694435627982848 How to translate Ushahidi productsRandom Hacks of Kindness (RHOK) Updates from Bangalore and Nairobi
RHOK Bangalore worked with Amnesty International and our Community leader Shemeer to visualize data. RHOK Nairobi was co-hosted by Transparency International (TI). We were excited to have Seth Kigen, Accadicus Ben and Dunstan Machoka lead the Ushahidi-flavoured hacks. eMazingira was the first runner up and We Report was the 2nd runner up. eMazingira (eEnvironment in Swahili): A web and SMS based reporting system to monitor forest reserves and visualize the extent of damage on a map through crowdsourcing information on logging activities. The tool responds to a problem statement from TI Kenya related their climate change programme. We report: This tool responds to a problem statement by TI Uganda – it allows citizens, especially in the rural area to report various forms of corruption in the health sector. The tool aims to complement and improve the existing “SPIDER” project implemented by TI Uganda.Update from UN-SPIDER meeting
[caption id="attachment_10838" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Covering the UN Walls with crowdsourced ideas[/caption]
As part of keeping Ushahidi in the important and ongoing discussions of the role of crowdsourcing in humanitarian response, Heather Leson and Rob Baker of Ushahidi attended the UN-SPIDER meeting for "Crowdsource Mapping for Disaster Risk Management and Emergency Response" in Vienna, Austria. Eighty-one participants were in attendance in a three-day conversation that revealed so much about how far we've come and, perhaps more importantly, how much further we need to go in this crucial time to focus on not just processing mobile and social data but transforming and translating it into operational, digestible data for first responders, NGOs, governments, and CSOs. It was great to see highlights from those already leading the way in this space from our colleagues and partners in the SBTF and DH Network. Our readers might be particularly interested in the presentations, all of which are available on their website, including Heather's on "Hurricane Sandy & the Crowdsourcing Community" (PDF).
Research
Juliana Rotich wrote a guest post for ICT Update: "Engaging with the Crowd"Crowdsourcing is booming thanks to innovative technology and new developments, and more and more people are picking up on it. But the logistics of setting up crowdsourcing projects in remote rural areas in developing countries is a major challenge.Ihub Research is conducting an extensive and monthly project leading up to the .ke elections. The October report is available (November will be ready early next week.) Umati: Monitoring Dangerous Online Speech (October 2012 findings) (PDF) Vodafone released their Mobile for Good Summit report (mentioning Ushahidi) (PDF). Happy Week!