That's the team, or at least a small part of it.  Our team that has gotten us to this moment, just 3 days away from the Tech4Society event.

It's about 1am here in Hyderabad.  A group of us are sitting in our guest house working, on about our 18th hour of the day.  You'd think it would be drudgery but its not.  Everyone is so tired that at this point, everything is funny.  Everything is hysterical.  The fact that it was suggested that we have a fortune-telling parrot at our event made us laugh so hard.  (The parrot won't be there, just in case you were curious).

Our Keynote speaker, Fernando Flores, arrived tonight and was brought to his hotel safe and sound.  We have volunteers and event planners at the airport and a fantastic-sounding line-up of presentations and activities for our Market Place Evening on the 12th.

Our videographer has landed, as has nearly the whole team.

Now is the time when we move from plans to action, from well-thought-out lists to quick-response phone calls.

3 days until a year's worth of work comes to fruition and hopefully something even better.

Can't wait to share the ride with you all!

***

Tune in this Thursday, Friday and Saturday for coverage of the event "live" on the AshokaTECH blog and Twitter (@AshokaTECH).  Follow and join in on the discussion in Hyderabad as it happens and all day long using hashtag #tech4soc.  See you there!

In this interview from Knowledge@Wharton, Alex Brown, owner of the website Alex Brown Racing, dedicated to the welfare of horses (and saving them from the slaughter house), gives us a first hand account of his experience building the website and its popularity using social media tools including Wikis, discussion forums, YouTube Contests and Twitter.

What I really like about this video is how open Alex is about the mistakes he made, the difficulties experienced, and more importantly, how he used these tools to help raise funds for the cause.

If you're a social media veteran, you might find some of the tips Alex shares elementary, but if you're new, this is a video you want to watch to understand the decision-making process involved which led Alex to use the platforms he does today. (And it's not every day that people talk about how they raise funds with these tools.) Enjoy!

By Su Yuen, CHIN (suyuen@gmail.com)

The following is written by Lukas Biewald, originally published on CrowdFlower's blog and reposted with his permission.  Lukas is the founder and CEO of Dolores Labs and CrowdFlower, a crowdsourcing resource.

Image source: Ushahidi

Friday night I was getting ready to spend the weekend working on my board meeting slides when my friend Ian Monroe came by the office and told me to talk to Robert Munro. Robert is a computational linguist who does research on large scale processing of text messages — an obscure subject until the earthquake in Haiti happened two weeks ago.Robert had been working with Josh Nesbit, cofounder of FrontLineSMS:Medic, an awesome NGO dedicated to building SMS based communication infrastructure for people in the developing world.

Just after the earthquake, Josh convinced Digicel and Comcel, the two largest mobile carriers in Haiti to setup a number, 4636, that anyone could text message to. They advertised it all over Haiti and pretty soon they were getting a message every few seconds. A team of techies including Robert and (in particular) Brian Herbert of Ushahidi (a very cool organization which creates various kinds of crowdsourced mapping projects) hacked together an infrastructure which aggregates and processes the SMS messages coming from Haiti. This allowed a team of volunteers to translate, classify and geocode the messages. From launch, InSTEDD/Thompson Reuters worked with the Red Cross on the ground, responding to emergency requests. Within days, Ushahidi and a second team of volunteers were mapping incidents and coordinating actionable responses with the US Coast Guard.

Robert and Brian were looking for a scalable solution to route tasks to a distributed workforce that could handle the high volume and low latency necessary to make their program a success — exactly what CrowdFlower does. They were also looking for a more stable, long term solution than a strictly volunteer workforce. Our partners at Samasource, a socially responsible outsourcing organization, had just setup a large bilingual digital workforce in Haiti.

It felt like we had a perfect solution to an important problem and I stopped working on the board slides and started writing code to glue the Digicel and Comcel feeds into our API and build the task within our framework. Our engineers were extremely responsive to bug reports from a CEO who may not have read the API documentation as thoroughly as he could have at first. I presented my most underprepared board slides to a very understanding board ☺ and on Wednesday night we became the live feed and essentially the 911 switchboard for the 4636 project in Haiti.

You can learn more about the project at Mission 4636 on the Samasource website where, if you speak Kreyol or know someone that does, you can sign up to volunteer. Samasource has been hard at work building up the infrastructure in Haiti needed to process the messages.  In the meantime, we’re recruiting volunteers around the world to help meet the demand. As I write this, more than 12,000 messages have been translated and processed by the amazing volunteers.

If you don’t speak Kreyol and want to support the project, another way to help is by donating money directly to Samasource.

Richard Jefferson Photo source: Richard Poydner

One of the many sessions in Hyderabad that I'm really excited about is a discussion on intellectual property with Richard Jefferson of Cambia, John Wilbanks of Science Commons, Phil Weilerstein of the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance, and Ashoka fellow Bright Simons of mPedigree.

Here's a great interview with Richard Jefferson that ABC TV Australia ran a few months ago. Jefferson explains how Cambia is enabling biotech innovation by rethinking how scientists deal with IP issues. He makes the alluring point that open source - something we often think of as a recent development - has actually existed for millennia, much longer than proprietary technologies.

Jefferson argues that potentially lifesaving biotech developments are now being obstructed by muddy webs of ownership that get in the way of people building on one another's ideas. He uses the example of golden rice:

the genetically enhanced food "...has been heralded as a biotech revolution to save children with a Vitamin A deficiency," Jefferson says. "It's a terrific technological contribution and it’s been held back for many years because of intellectual property, regulations, and fear of litigation." Jefferson argues that intellectual property issues hamper biotech development more than technical limitations do.

Jefferson sees the patent system not as a barrier but as one of his most important allies. In this interview, Jefferson explains that unlike scientific literature, patents have to explain how to recreate an invention. "The patent system is the most powerful, enabling literature in the world," Jefferson says.

He argues that what's needed isn't a major overhaul of patents, but systems for helping inventors, social enterprises, and NGOs understand and contextualize them. The system he describes would also help innovators negotiate with rights-holders to overcome IP barriers, arguably returning patents to their original purpose. Cambia is now making Jefferson's idea a reality with its recently-launched Initiative for Open Innovation.

In this keynote talk (Part 2) at the SPARC Digital Repositories conference, John Wilbanks argues that copyright is now used in science literature in ways in which it was never intended. By design, copyright provisions protect creative expression; they protect the wording of a paper, but not the ideas behind it.

But now, Wilbanks argues, copyright protection is growing in potentially harmful ways. Showing the audience a chemical formula, he says, "This is going to be the same whether you synthesize it or I synthesize it, just like the height of Mount Everest. These are not creative works; they're not intended to be covered by copyright." Wilbanks sees Science Commons as a way of addressing that problem, making it easier for researchers to share ideas with each other by changing the way in which their publications are protected.

I think it's fascinating to see new innovations in how innovators can share and reuse data. Programs like the Initiative for Open Innovation and Science Commons have the potential to actually accelerate the scientific developments they support.

Friends, this is my second to last Road to Hyderabad post.  That means we are less than 2 weeks away from the opening of the Tech4Society event.

To be honest, it still feels very far away.  There are lots of last minute arrangements and decisions to make.  Long ago I naively believed I would feel like we were “almost done” by this point.  Ha! At this point 10 days feels like both an incredibly long time and an incredibly short one.  It will be bizarre to write this post next week when we are truly just days away. 

This past week was an interesting one.  I spent time cultivating relationships, drinking lots of tea and coffee and coke (my neighbor at the apartment likes to buy me cokes for some reason).   I wandered around the city, I thought a lot about the details.  I had my first Andhra thali and criss-crossed the city by foot and by auto.

On one hand, I can’t point to any real tangible progress that I made; on the other, I feel like it was important for me to just be here.

And the surprising thing:  I really like Hyderabad.  I’ve lived in India before, I’ve even lived in Southern India before but this city is far different than the last one I stayed in (Chennai). 

The people here are warm and friendly.  Everyone is so kind and, even though there are some pretty serious language barriers, we are getting along just fine.  I have my “friends” in the neighborhoods and feel comfortable wandering around the streets here.  I’ve found a park to walk in nearby and have had some nice conversations with the other people staying at my apartment.

In honor of my week of relationship-building and city exploring, I thought instead of sharing work insights, I’d share travel insights and a few photos:

1)    If you want to fall in love with a city, go to the places that the people who live there love.  (No the mall doesn’t count)  I have to say, walking in KBR Park each evening has made me love Hyderabad even more.  Seeing so many people out enjoying the nature, groups of women in beautiful salwar kameez and tennis shoes, men huffing and puffing in wind pants, and little kids squealing with delight over the peacocks makes me really happy and makes me like Hyderabad even more. 

2)    Smiles are important.  Sometimes they confuse people (like the men working at my apartment) but for the most part they are good.  People might think you are strange, but at least they know you are happy and/or appreciative.  Of course, if you are a chick and a group of guys is whistling at you, you probably want to choose your smiles more carefully.

3)    Along those lines, you can always haggle with a smile and a kind voice.  Many times you have to be firm when you are bargaining but for the most part, as a foreigner, you’ll get further and enjoy the experience more if you can smile and laugh and joke with your “adversary.”  Always remember that you are bargaining over someone’s source of income.  You don’t have to pay 100rupees for a 30rupee auto ride, but it’s not worth it to squabble too much over the difference between 30 and 40, especially if you have the means:

Case in point:  I was haggling a fare down to 35 rupees when the guy wanted first 70 and then 50 rupees.  In truth, it was probably a 30rupee ride but then I realized that the squatter’s tent next to my apartment belonged to my driver’s family.  All of a sudden, 50rupees didn’t seem too much for him to ask and I paid it gladly.
 
4)    Tipping IS IN in India, or at least in Hyderabad.  When I lived in Chennai a few years ago, I never tipped or if I did, it wasn’t more than a rupee or two.  Now I see everyone tipping and I’ve followed suit.  Especially since I have to keep coming back to the same places, it’s worth it to pay a little extra to show my appreciation.

5)    When taking a phone call or having a meeting in India, know that there will always be “one more thing” and that the “one more thing” is the most important part of the meeting, and usually the reason why the person called.  I had forgotten about this but have been vividly reminded this week.  I actually like this way of doing things, what with the pleasantries first and then the little things and then the big thing you or the other person really needs to talk about.  It’s a dance for sure, but it makes for stronger relationships I think.

Ok, that’s it for this week.  Here’s a few photos from my first week here:

For all you social innovators in tech and beyond, here's a site with a pretty solid collection of links to resources for social entrepreneurs—tool kits and guides, tools for best uses of online media and others, crowdfunding links, books, and articles.

Essential tools to start a social enterprise >>

Thank you to Martin Montero for taking the time and effort to collect them all.  View his full blog for a few more posts on the subject on social enterprise.

"Earthquakes don't kill people...poorly built buildings do." -- Elizabeth Hausler

On this week's episode of the AshokaTECH Podcast, host Alex Budak interviews the founder of Build Change, Elizabeth Hausler, an expert on sustainable building practices to prevent earthquake damage and an Ashoka-Lemelson Fellow.  Alex asks her for her thoughts on the recent tragedy in Haiti, and how similar catastrophies might be avoided in the future.  Elizabeth has faced similar challenges following earthquakes in India, China and Indonesia, and provides poignant commentary on the challenges that now face Haiti, as well as advice on engaging the community.  

As always, be sure to follow Alex on Twitter, @TheBudak, for updates on the podcast and your chance to have your own questions answered in future interviews.

Listen and subscribe to the AshokaTECH Podcast on iTunes

Or visit the AshokaTECH Audioroom to listen to this and all AshokaTECH Podcasts.

Have feedback on the podcast, or a guest you'd like to see interviewed?  Get in touch!  Enjoy the podcast?  Consider leaving a comment and a rating on iTunes to spread the word to other changemakers around the world.

Image Source: Boing Boing

I previously wrote about different technology-enabled clinics that are using different innovations—from low-cost ehealth tools to converting shipping containers into clinics—in India, Kenya, Pakistan, and the Dominican Republic.

There has been a ton of news and blog coverage about what has been happening in Haiti over the last two weeks, most of the information being not so great, while some is more hopeful. I am happy to share some new of the hopefull kind.

Adding to the list of previously mentioned clinics, these inflatable plug-and-play hospitals that Doctors Without Borders/Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF) have deployed in Haiti are really fascinating. This post on Boing Boing shares video and an interview with two MSF employees about the hospital and the challenges and successes in setting it up.

The hospital has 9 inflatable tents, 100 beds and includes and ICU, triage, and two operations theaters.

The success that they have had in setting up this hospital (once difficulties in landing the gear were overcome) is directly attributed to what MSF has learned over the years. It is great to see how candid the employees are about what has worked and what hasn't in the past. Of particular interest is the use of a gauge on each tent which measures air pressure and automatically re-inflates the tent if it falls below the required level. That solution came from their experience in 2005 in Pakistan, where the temperature and air pressure changed so drastically between night and day, that there was trouble in keeping the tents inflated.

The interview touches upon MSF's use of their own standard equipment and medicine, which is one of the main reasons they are able to deploy such robust units. They discuss the importance of knowing what you are working with and where, and that although innovation is great, disaster zones are not appropriate places to test new innovations. That was also one of the themes of last week's ICT4D twitter chat on working with local governments, also which focused on Haiti (transcript here).

Here is a great photo gallery of the set-up of the inflatable hospital. The photos are quite inspiring considering what has happened there.

I also came across today photos from Inveneo, hard at work creating long-distance wi-fi networks in Haiti.

I am sure everyone working on the ground in Haiti right now is learning from their successes and mistakes. I believe we can learn a lesson from MSF in taking what we learn and using that knowledge to make our work better.

Deadline Feb. 1, 2010

Apply for up to $650,000 for "Wireless Projects Demonstrating Promise Of Solving Critical Global Issues and mHealth." The Wireless Innovation Project identifies and rewards the most promising advances in wireless related technologies that can be used to solve critical problems around the globe. Although projects may be global in scope, applicants must be nonprofits, educational institutions or social entrepreneurs based in the United States. Up to $650,000 will be awarded to wireless projects demonstrating exceptional promise to solve a critical global issue in the following fields: education; health; access to communication; the environment; or economic development. Final winners will be announced on April 19, 2010 at the annual Global Philanthropy Forum in Redwood City, California.

Find complete detailed information about eligibility and an application here.

This post contributed by Ben Lyon.

Welcome to TECHONOMICS, a new AshokaTECH Blog series devoted to shining a spotlight on the technologies that are fundamentally altering—and have indeed altered—the financial landscape in emerging markets.  From prepaid debit cards to mobile banking and payments, the pace with which information communication technologies (ICTs) are bringing financial services to the previously unbanked is staggering.  This and following posts will attempt to break down the market failures that gave rise to this trend, assess why some ICTs  are succeeding where others failed, and generate a list of best practices to facilitate future success.

Before jumping into a particular technology, though, it's important to step back and ask “Why do ICTs matter?”  Put simply, the operative word in the acronym is information.  Information allows us to know the market value of a good or service, avoid manipulation, determine whether or not a journey is worth our time, educate ourselves, and so on.  The more information we have, the better positioned we are to make the best decisions and receive the greatest benefits.

Some tangible examples from Sierra Leone: If a market lady on Jomo Kenyatta Road learns that tourists will pay her an additional Le2,000 (roughly US$0.50) per unit on Siaka Stevens Street, she has every incentive to relocate.  Similarly, if a cassava farmer in Bo learns that her middleman is re-selling her produce at a tremendous markup in Freetown, she will either cut the middleman out or demand a higher price per unit.  Just as buyers chase the highest quality product for the cheapest price, sellers chase the highest price consumers will bear, roughly establishing a balance economists term 'market equilibrium'.  The real task for all parties involved is to get enough information to approximate that equilibrium.

When one party in a transaction knows more than the other, an 'information asymmetry' occurs.  That is, the more knowledgeable party can—and has every incentive to—take advantage of the less knowledgeable party.  If the cassava farmer from our previous example doesn't know that her middleman is getting Le400 (roughly US$0.10) per unit from arbitrage, she has no reason to demand a higher price.  Conversely, if she does have that information, she can get more Leones per unit and benefit from a range of 'positive income effects,' which could include paying her child's school fees, saving for the future, investing in a micro-enterprise, or addressing any number of family needs.

Image source: kiwanja.net

 Whether CellBazaar in Bangladesh, eSoko in Ghana, Trade at Hand in Liberia, or Zain Info Services throughout Africa and The Middle East, ICT services are popping up at lightning speed to meet the demand for information outlined above.  By simply typing a text message command or thumbing through an interactive menu on a mobile phone, millions of people in emerging markets now have a range of  information at their fingertips.  Making that information universally accessible should be the paramount mission of ICT practitioners worldwide.

For those of us raised on School House Rock, the phrase “Knowledge is Power!” is deeply engrained in our psyche.  Knowledge disrupts hierarchies, fosters understanding, insulates us from abuse and generally levels the playing field.  Due in large part to an influx of accessible ICTs, an information revolution is sweeping the emerging world.  Where and to what extent this revolution promotes financial inclusion will be the subject of future posts. 

***

Check out these previous AshokaTECH posts on ICT for economic and other benefit:

Mobile for development - reaching the unreached

Mobile Telephony and Financial Inclusion

The Next Wave of the Mobile Boom in Africa is not a Foregone Conclusion