Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 7, 2011

The Guatemalan Attorney General’s office summoned Guzmán to present evidence based on his analysis of random samples drawn from the millions of documents in the Guatemalan National Police Archive. Guzmán and his colleagues at Benetech’s Human Rights Data Analysis Group spent four years intensely analyzing the documents.

Guatemala 129

Guatemala Statistics Analysis Sample 129

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 10, 2013

Human rights workers collect massive amounts of information about abuse that occurs in their countries—the individual stories are compelling, but scientific analysis of the collective data can inspire action. The analysis made news globally and expanded an international conversation.

Profit 171

Profit Data SWF Syria 171

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 15, 2013

We continue to believe that the stories of individuals suffering abuse, secured with Martus and combined with analysis of the patterns and scale of abuse, can make a powerful contribution to the cause of justice. We will continue to support human rights defenders and other social justice actors and our theory of change remains the same.

Analysis 174

Analysis Project Open Source Analytics 174

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 29, 2010

Benetech Statistical Expert Testifies in Guatemala Disappearance Case The Benetech Human Rights Program uses cutting edge computing methods and statistical analysis to provide objective evidence of human rights violations. Will share more details from our team later, but this is a great day for fighting impunity around forced disappearances.

Guatemala 145

Guatemala Statistics National Analysis 145

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 23, 2010

The dataset can be used to replicate the analysis presented in our report, "Descriptive Statistics From Statements to the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission," and for extended analysis of statistical patterns of human rights violations reported to the TRC.

Liberia 100

Liberia Data Statistics Analysis 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 25, 2013

Patrick provided me with a profound analysis of the human rights sector that formed the basis for what would turn into the Martus initiative. He is now the Executive Director of the Human Rights Data Analysis Group , which earlier this year spun off from Benetech to become its own independent organization.

Burma 168

Burma Analysis Guatemala Law 168

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

An expert on agricultural economics and spatial analysis, Jerry most recently served as a Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, DC, where he led major projects on food security and climate change issues.

Open Source 174

Open Source Open Illinois Model 174

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 17, 2011

An analysis team from European Commission's Joint Research Center analyzed the text messages gathered through Ushahidi together with data on damaged buildings collected by the World Bank and the UN from satellite images. We think that this is important and valuable.

Statistics 263

Statistics Data Haiti Stream 263

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

Rather, this is a hot-off-the-presses Smithsonian Magazine article about our Human Rights Data Analysis Group’s work in Guatamala. No, this is not a description of Benetech’s Palo Alto, California headquarters.

Guatemala 124

Guatemala California Press Analysis 124

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 6, 2009

Benetech Analyzes Human Rights Data for the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission A Guest Beneblog post by Kristen Cibelli Our team at the Benetech Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) has recently concluded a three-year project with Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help clarify Liberia's violent history.

Liberia 100

Liberia Statistics Analysis United States 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 22, 2013

Whether it’s turning optical pattern recognition for targeting missiles into reading systems for the blind, building the largest online library for people who are blind or dyslexic, doing the analysis for the United Nations to determine how many people have actually been killed in the civil war in Syria, assisting in the dramatic trial of the former (..)

Syria 196

Syria Guatemala Open Source Lecture 196

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 21, 2006

Romesh Silva, a statistician with Benetech's Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) , has provided key statistical analysis for a Human Rights Watch report issued this week documenting torture and unlawful killings by Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), an elite anti-crime and anti-terrorism force.

Bangladesh 100

Bangladesh Data Analysis Policy 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 11, 2006

Benetech's statistical analysis establishes that at least 102,800 (+/- 11,000) Timorese died as a result of the conflict. This is core Benetech work: using science and technology to measure human rights abuse and provide careful analysis of the scale of such violations. For more information, check these links: Benetech's press release.

Timor 100

Timor Hunger Statistics Analysis 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 20, 2007

Our Human Rights Data Analysis Group is one of the leading teams that helps countries around the world answer the question "Who Did What to Whom?" It's our collective job to get as close to the truth as possible and use that process of data analysis to advocate for international human rights standards and end impunity.

Darfur 100

Darfur New York Analysis Press 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 17, 2010

A Guest Beneblog by Kristian Lum When I first started my summer internship at Benetech with the Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG), I learned that my project would involve quantifying the number of deaths and disappearances in the Colombian state of Casanare.

Colombia 122

Colombia Statistics Analysis Data 122

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Experts we've talked with have told us that the analysis by Heninger et al. identified have weaknesses; solid analysis is becoming available. Although p and q are very, very large numbers hundreds of digits long, only a relative small range of possible numbers were being used to choose p and q. are examining. Both Heninger et al.

Public 150

Public Generation Problem Analysis 150

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 5, 2007

This week there was a great post, Lauren Weinstein's Blog: For Google and Others, Few Good Deeds Go Unpunished, where Lauren gave a very interesting and even somewhat sympathetic analysis of Google.

Google 100

Google Attitude Policy Analysis 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 3, 2004

Benetech will conduct statistical analysis of the Commission's four databases, including personal testimonies, gravesite registries, military unit deployment records and a retrospective mortality survey. Our analysis will complement the CAVR's legal, qualitative and historical findings.

Timor 100

Timor Analysis Statistics Database 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

On February 1st, two people on the team spun out to become an independent nonprofit—the Human Rights Data Analysis Group —to focus on the statistical and analytical side of our human rights work. Our flagship Martus software project marks its tenth anniversary of bringing strong crypto to human rights activists.

India 142

India Literacy Global Accessibility 142

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 8, 2011

HRP’s statistical analysis of evidence from the Guatemalan National Police Archives, which contains some 80 million documents, has helped to establish forced disappearance as a crime in Guatemala. Now I can report that the two policemen were convicted and sentenced to forty years each for the disappearance of Edgar Fernando García.

Guatemala 159

Guatemala Literacy Qatar Open Source 159

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 23, 2005

I felt the articles were not at the usual Economist level of analysis, and came across as more a negative editorial than impartial articles. One of last month's issues of the Economist featured a cover story was heavy handed against corporate social responsibility.

Analysis 100

Analysis Generation Issue Story 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 18, 2006

The analysis could be used to shape institutional reform within the new civilian police and other public security institutions, and it could contribute further to historical clarification in Guatemala.

Guatemala 100

Guatemala Statistics National Sample 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 3, 2004

I covered our Human Rights program, including the Martus Project and the Human Rights Data Analysis Group (which joined Benetech last year). My talk this week at Stanford was videoed and placed on the EE380 class website.

Sri Lanka 100

Sri Lanka Classes Analysis University 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 18, 2006

In the final analysis, most people are going to use the "I-know-it-when-I-see-it" test. If you really care in a particular case, I use the same filter when someone self-identifies as an entrepreneur. Did that person really create something new, either as a startup or a novel approach in an existing organization?

Social 100

Social Application Analysis Foundation 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 5, 2004

All the President's Spin is just out, and promises to deliver the same kind of analysis that has made Spinsanity an important part of the political debate. Brendan is now getting his doctorate in political science at Duke, and just published his first book. It's already in Amazon's Top 50 Sales Rank. Check it out!

Amazon 100

Amazon Analysis National Websites 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 27, 2008

The analysis of the placement of the Alanganallur site was reminiscent of what MacDonalds must go through when deciding to site one of their restaurants. The first thing I noticed was that the start-up costs had been supported by Lavelle Fund, which is also funding our first major project in India (more on that later).

India 100

India Hype United States Europe 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 26, 2004

Patrick Ball is here working on the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission data analysis. I have had several great conversations about the state of adaptive technology for the African blind, and am getting good ideas for how we can help over the next few years. I also have been meeting with human rights groups.

Sierra Leone 100

Sierra Leone South Africa Africa California 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 22, 2006

Patrick Ball, director of Benetech's Human Rights Program, developed a plan to collect a scientific random sample of the jumbled documents and secure them with Martus for later analysis and public access.

Guatemala 124

Guatemala National Switzerland Camera 124

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 23, 2007

His analysis of global entrepreneurship is that it has gone through a revolution in the last thirty years, driven by transparency and innovation in capital markets. Breakthroughs by entrepreneurs are followed by productivity improvements embedded in more traditional organizations.

Social 100

Social South Africa India Global 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

Meaningful use of data in research, analysis, and decision-making. Here are a few of the benefits: Better access to services for people in need. Decrease in data maintenance costs and increase in data quality. Acceleration of innovation for new tools, apps, and projects.

Help 104

Help Social Florida California 104

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 11, 2014

The solution we have been exploring is a semi-customized, open source, secure, data collection and analysis application that makes it easier for social sector users to safely gather and use information more efficiently. In fact, a secure mobile app for data collection is merely the beginning.

Data 187

Data Impact Open Source Mobile 187

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 2, 2009

Jule has been working with Benetech’s Human Rights Data Analysis Group, HRDAG, which completed analyzing data for Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Her goal while at Benetech: to learn more about the data processing techniques and quantitative analysis methods that HRDAG uses to investigate large-scale human rights violations.

Los Angeles 100

Los Angeles South Africa United States Statistics 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 11, 2009

A Guest Beneblog by Tamy Guberek (Benetech HRDAG team member from Colombia) There is important news this month from our partners at the Guatemalan National Police Archive, which has worked since 2006 with Benetech’s Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG).

Montenegro 100

Montenegro Guatemala Colombia National 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 21, 2008

Human Rights Patrick Ball recently spent a month at the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he held office hours and helped prosecutors use quantitative data and statistical analysis to pursue war crimes cases. We have just completed a new case study detailing our multi-year project with the TRC.

Darfur 100

Darfur Sri Lanka Liberia Colombia 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 5, 2016

Benetech successfully spun off our data team as the Human Rights Data Analysis Group, an independent NGO. Our team believed that better data would lead to better policy and maybe even justice for the victims of large-scale atrocities.

Change 100

Change eBook United States Conservancy 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 19, 2009

This type of documentation is often a critical step in the large-scale data analysis projects conducted by Benetech’s Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) in partnership with human rights organizations. My first presentation discussed principles of documentation, developing databases, and analysis.

Cambodia 104

Cambodia Training Train Sri Lanka 104

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 9, 2008

Perhaps my suggestion that this is less of the comprehensive, authoritative analysis than represented is not as outlandish and improbable as suggested by the author. Took me less than an hour to find a pile of evidence, using groups and philanthrocapitalists cited in Edwards' book. The Ad Hominem Abusive attack, redux.

North America 100

North America Europe Asia Africa 100