The open source mapping and reporting platform Ushahidi has spawned a customized hosted service for India that aims to promote effective governance through awareness and citizen engagement. The site is called kiirti, which is Sanskrit for report or reputation, combines mapping functionality with reporting tools through phone, sms, emal and the Web.
Ushahidi, Swahili for witness, got its start mapping the violence following the 2008 Kenyan elections. Shortly thereafter the technology underpinnings of the site became an open source project aimed at spreading the capability to other groups. The open source platform is designed for this ability to collect and distribute reports and to monitor and visualize events. Capabilities of this software include the ability to map and visualize via an interactive map, to view details on a dynamic timeline and to visualize and track incoming data in real-time.
The objective of Kiirti is to promote participation and transparency by providing easy and accessible technology tools, close alliances with government, measurable performance tools to track change, and shared performance metrics. The site is aligned with causes that are working toward more effective governance.
Among the causes that Kiirti supports are:
- 5th Pillar, an organization that aims to attack corruption
- Janaagraha, an outreach group aimed an improving participation with local government
- FixOurCity Delhi, a reporting tool for civic issues in Delhi
- CHIRAG, an organization concerned with rural health
- Environmental Support Group who train for advocacy in environmental and social justice issues
- The Indian Institute for Geographical Studies, who aim to use the site to make geography interesting, fun and exciting
Kiirti is an initiative of eMoksha, a non-profit organization focused on enabling citizen awareness and engagement using internet and mobile technologies. One of the benefits, and unique components of this deployment of the Ushahidi mapping platform is the move toward action. The various partnerships with the causes and organizations above help moderate the reports, aggregate the issues and initiate action.
