Ushahidi or 'testimony': Web 2.0 tools for crowdsourcing crisis information (PLA 59)

Ory Okolloh explores the potentials for citizen journalism or 'crowdsourcing'. The author describes how in Kenya the innovative Ushahidi website was developed for sharing information during the election crisis in 2007. The website enabled citizens to send in and receive news reports either via the Internet or mobile phones. The Ushahidi platform has now been redeveloped to improve its potential for application in humanitarian crisis situations – integrating a series of Web 2.0 applications.

Participatory Learning and Action (PLA, formerly PLA Notes) is the world's leading series on participatory learning and action approaches and methods. PLA publishes articles on participation aimed at practitioners, researchers, academics and activists. All articles are peer-reviewed by an international editorial board. See: www.planotes.org

Article in: PLA 59. Guest editors: Holly Ashley, Jon Corbett, Ben Garside and Giacomo Rambaldi. Published by IIED and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA).

Keywords: Web 2.0, Web2forDev, ICT, ICT4D, mobile, Internet.

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