Amassing the Troops to Battle Back Snowmaggedon
BY Nancy Scola | Wednesday, February 10 2010
Credit: SnowmageddonCleanup.comCheck out SnowmageddonCleanup.com. Built on the Ushahidi platform, the new hub is meant as a way for the residents of the snow-bound District of Columbia to come together and shovel one another out of the great snowfall of '1o.
As more and more of these projects emerge that bring new tech solutions to enduring human problems -- our own (and others') humble Vote Report, Haiti disaster relief efforts, Ushahidi's own work at election protection and humanitarian efforts all over the world -- it's looking more and more like the question of how successful they'll ultimately be doesn't really hinge on how good the technology is. In many ways, those nuts have been cracked, at least sufficiently crudely. Instead, whether these innovations will fulfill their potential seems to depend on whether they can get adopted by their target audiences, which often means convincing groups like the Red Cross, for example, to weave these new tools into their own approaches to crisis situations. That can be a challenge, no doubt.
Here, though, there are a few factors working in the apps favor. For one thing, DC is a teeny city, and news can spread pretty quickly, at least in some neighborhoods and areas. And the need is great -- there aren't that many snow shovels to go around.