The open source Ushahidi platform has now morphed into a cloud-based Crowdmap service. The site promises all the benefits of the Ushahidi functionality to create crowdsourced map content, but without any of the inherent difficulties of setting up and configuring any software. Anyone wanting to use the software can be up and running with their own subdomain on the site within minutes.
The Ushahidi site got its start mapping the violence following the 2008 Kenyan elections. The site is designed for this ability to collect details via Twitter, SMS, web forms, RSS feeds and other means of syndication to monitor and visualize such events or to map a crisis. Functionality also can be used to build a knowledge base about a place. The site includes the ability to map and visualize via a dynamic interactive map, to view details on a dynamic timeline and to visualize and track incoming data in real-time.
The Crowdmap site is currently in Beta, and the site functionality was seriously tested by the initial onslaught of interest. Given the outpouring of interest, I’m sure that the site will add resources to deal with the traffic, and with great interest will come a more rapid development of example sites and enhanced functionality.
It’s interesting that the Ushahidi functionality has moved so quickly to a Web-based platform rather than continuing as just open source software. Certainly, the majority of the crowd would rather avoid the messiness of software installation and hosting, and now they’ve got the means to get up and running quickly and easily.
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Thanks for the post on Crowdmap. Just taking a moment to say that we’re basing Crowdmap on the downloadable Ushahidi platform, so the two share the same code and we don’t get stuck supporting two completely branched sets of code. This is our big step to help the non-technologists amongst us to embrace crowdsourced mapping.
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