Charles Leadbeater on Innovation

Presentation: On Innovation – Aliens vs. Robots

I presented this yesterday at the graduation of JKUAT’ Endeavor Program MIT-AITIx. It was great to see the good stuff happening there with mobile tech training and innovation. I was thoroughly impressed by the student’s efforts.

Map Kibera (Official Press Release)

Update: Mikel on PamojaFM Community Radio in Kibera

From the Map Kibera team:

Kenyans collaborate with international mappers to complete first free and open map of Africa’s largest slum: Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya

Map Kibera to shed new light on details of troubled slum for public use

Nairobi, Kenya – October 24, 2009 – This November, motivated young Kenyans will create the first public digital map of Kibera, widely known as Africa’s largest slum. Map Kibera is a collaborative project lead by Mikel Maron of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and supported by JumpStart International. Partners include Jubal Harpster of WhereCampAfrica, the Social Development Network (Sodnet), Pamoja Trust, Hands on Kenya, Carolina for Kibera and others.

Kibera remains a blank spot on the Kenyan map, though it holds as many as one million inhabitants according to UN-HABITAT. Its limited health and water resources, traffic patterns, and housing layouts remain largely invisible to the outside world and to residents themselves. Though many organizations have collected data on Kibera, the information is not yet shared as a resource for all to use. Map Kibera will fill in this gap by producing free, open-source digital map data using the techniques of OpenStreetMap, a user-edited map of the world. The resulting information will be freely available to residents, NGOs, private companies, and others interested in working with and for Kibera.

Twelve young residents of Kibera will first be trained on current mapping techniques during a two-day workshop. Individuals from the growing Nairobi technology scene will help train and network with the larger community. The group will then map all of Kibera over a two-week period in mid-November and share the results through OpenStreetMap, joining a growing global community of tech-savvy grassroots mapmakers. “The project will provide open-source data that will help illustrate the living conditions in Kibera. Without basic knowledge of the geography of Kibera it is impossible to have an informed discussion on how to improve the lives of residents of Kibera,” said Mikel Maron.

Following the completion of the map, raw data will be made available at no charge to upload into collaborative mapping platforms. A workshop with local interested civic organizations will introduce them to the final map, and spark follow-up initiatives. The new group of mappers will share the information with their own communities by distributing paper maps, and will be able to keep information current as conditions change in Kibera.

For more information, please visit http://www.mapkibera.org.

OpenStreetMap, http://www.openstreetmap.org is a web project to create a free and open map of the entire world, built entirely by volunteer map-makers.

The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Humanitarian_OSM_Team applies the principles and techniques of OpenStreetMap towards humanitarian response and economic development.

JumpStart International, http://www.jumpstartinternational.org promotes sustainable economic development and self-sufficiency through active projects that focus on building livelihoods and rebuilding communities to overcome effects of conflict, disaster, and systemic poverty.

Media Contact:
Erica Hagen
erica.hagen@gmail.com
+254 0711 232 011

David Kelley (IDEO) on Human Centered Design

Economy + Internet Trends

Presented by Mary Meeker (et al) of Morgan Stanley at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Fransisco:

View this document on Scribd

Disruptive Innovation

Wanna take photos of the Earth from the deep in the atmosphere… well, apparently with $150 you can! This story of Oliver & Lee from MIT who accomplished this feat, taking 4000 photos of the Earth from the Stratosphere definitely got me buzzing in my chair.

The story is used as an example of disruptive ideas, those kinds of innovation that just literally pull the rug right from under the feet of the current status quo in that industry. John Sviolka in this article on the Harvard Business site talks about disruptive innovation and goes on to identify some interesting ways that certain businesses or innovations have become disruptive from Craigslist to Southwest Airlines. Here’s a quick point summary:

1. Simultaneously simplify a number of advantages together to create a new cost base
2. Give away the other guy’s razor!
3. Look for new, radically cheaper ways to do the job
4. Think about leveraging a very few individuals with extraordinary talent

A Quiet Storm is Brewing (Barely there)

A quiet storm is brewing

I stand in the expansive plain
There it is,
The wisp of a slight breeze
Barely there
Yet, yes, it is there

I listen
A soft sound in the distance, calling
Barely there
Yet, yes, it is there

I look up into the sky
Blue, almost cloudless, almost
Barely there
Yet, yes, it is there

The sun burns relentlessly
And the sweat beads fall freely on my face

I reach out
Gather the dust in my hands
Let it sift through my fingers slowly
It is barely moist
Barely there
Yet, yes, it is there

A chill runs down my spine
A simple smile forms

I close my eyes
I stretch my hands out
I feel it
I know it
I believe it
The dark clouds gather
The thunder echoes
The flashes of lightning streak out from heaven
Igniting the earth
Bringing it to life
It breathes
It is alive
And the life flows through the ground
Through my feet
Into my body
Surging
Electrifying

I open my eyes
The sun still shines
The heat still burns
The earth still looks dry

I turn around and walk on
Smiling sheepishly but knowingly

A quiet storm is brewing