Kenyan citizen journalists developed Ushahidi, a website to map violence during election time based on reports submitted via the Web and mobile phones. Ushahidi, which means “testimony” in Swahili, has also been used to map xenophobic attacks in South Africa in 2008; monitor elections in Burundi, India, Mexico and Sudan; warn drivers about snow-covered roads and map cleanup efforts during a blizzard in Washington in February 2010; and monitor the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, reported news website www.irinnews.org.

[thinkstock]

Kenyan citizen journalists developed Ushahidi, a website to map violence during election time based on reports submitted via the Web and mobile phones. Ushahidi, which means “testimony” in Swahili, has also been used to map xenophobic attacks in South Africa in 2008; monitor elections in Burundi, India, Mexico and Sudan; warn drivers about snow-covered roads and map cleanup efforts during a blizzard in Washington in February 2010; and monitor the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, reported news website www.irinnews.org.

A new version of the software called Mogadishu was developed for humanitarian catastrophes. It allows people to send data via e-mail or text message, creating a simple way for the public to share information during crisis response.

For more information, visit www.ushahidi.com.

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