Brck
Ushahidi 's rugged BRCK, 'the backup generator for the internet '
Author: Ian Steadman
Date of publication 13th May 2013
Reference: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-05/13/brck
SUMMARY OF ARTICLE
"Ushahidi", which means "testimony" in Swahili, was a website that was initially developed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election fallout at the beginning of 2008. Since then, the name "Ushahidi" has come to represent the people behind the;"Ushahidi Platform" (Ushahidi, 2013).Ushahidi’s motto is 'if it works in Africa, it will work anywhere '."
Ushahidi is a powerful platform for crowdsourcing data in less than ideal conditions, be they because of a natural disaster or simply because of a lack of infrastructure. It 's been used effectively, for example, in the aftermath of the disputed 2007 Kenyan elections, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, generating maps for the emergency services and documenting eyewitness testimonies.
The kind of rugged environments that Ushahidi was created for are also the kinds of places where web access can be decidedly unreliable at best. That 's why Ushahidi has developed BRCK. (Steadman, 2013)
BRCK is a wireless, battery-powered modem that aims to help users connect to the web no matter where they are in the world.The Brck device works with unreliable power and unreliable Internet to provide connectivity to entire villages. (Scaturro, 2013)
Described as "the backup generator for the internet", BRCK can support up to 20 devices connected at once, has a tough exterior shell and an eight hour battery life so it can sit out any blackouts. Like a smartphone, it can connect to the web via ethernet, Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G, shifting between them dependent on service. (Steadman, 2013)
Each BRCK is connected to the BRCK Cloud, which lets users check on their BRCK from anywhere in the world even if they 're not directly connected to it and, if needed, set up alerts and applications. More
Author: Ian Steadman
Date of publication 13th May 2013
Reference: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-05/13/brck
SUMMARY OF ARTICLE
"Ushahidi", which means "testimony" in Swahili, was a website that was initially developed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election fallout at the beginning of 2008. Since then, the name "Ushahidi" has come to represent the people behind the;"Ushahidi Platform" (Ushahidi, 2013).Ushahidi’s motto is 'if it works in Africa, it will work anywhere '."
Ushahidi is a powerful platform for crowdsourcing data in less than ideal conditions, be they because of a natural disaster or simply because of a lack of infrastructure. It 's been used effectively, for example, in the aftermath of the disputed 2007 Kenyan elections, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, generating maps for the emergency services and documenting eyewitness testimonies.
The kind of rugged environments that Ushahidi was created for are also the kinds of places where web access can be decidedly unreliable at best. That 's why Ushahidi has developed BRCK. (Steadman, 2013)
BRCK is a wireless, battery-powered modem that aims to help users connect to the web no matter where they are in the world.The Brck device works with unreliable power and unreliable Internet to provide connectivity to entire villages. (Scaturro, 2013)
Described as "the backup generator for the internet", BRCK can support up to 20 devices connected at once, has a tough exterior shell and an eight hour battery life so it can sit out any blackouts. Like a smartphone, it can connect to the web via ethernet, Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G, shifting between them dependent on service. (Steadman, 2013)
Each BRCK is connected to the BRCK Cloud, which lets users check on their BRCK from anywhere in the world even if they 're not directly connected to it and, if needed, set up alerts and applications. More
References: Scaturro, M. (2013, May 14). Retrieved from Voice of America: http://www.voanews.com/content/device-keeps-internet-on-when-power-goes-off/1661067.html Steadman, I. (2013, May 13). Ushahidi 's rugged BRCK, 'the backup generator for the internet '. Retrieved from wired.co.uk: http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-05/13/brck Ushahidi. (2013, June 1). Ushahidi. Retrieved from Ushahidi: http://www.ushahidi.com/about-us