The Power of Open: Crowd-Sourced Ideas & Crowd-Powered Solutions
#DDC2012 + #RHoK - The people spoke, financial data was published, and answers were developed.
What did you do this weekend? How was your weekend? For most of us, these are simple routine questions which often warrant rote and unrehearsed responses: “fine,” “great,” and perhaps even a nonchalant, “not bad.” However, those who took part in the World Bank Finances Development Data Challenge (DDC) on Friday and Random Hacks of Kindness (RHoK) on Saturday & Sunday were not only witness to but a part of an extraordinary series of events that displayed the power of crowd-sourced ideas and solutions. They might tell the story of an amazing three days, a story of collective passion, resolve, collaboration, and results. It is the story of how an idea was formed, empowered, and developed over what was collectively just over twenty-four hours.
A bunch of software programmers get together, listen to a list of desired projects formulated by aid, emergency, and development experts that would help tackle issues related to disaster relief, work for two days and the result is eleven applications that will allow users to easily report their status in the event of a disaster, locate family, provide data needed by emergency responders, or that will automatically process aerial images taken by Unmanned Aerial Vehic