Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 23, 2010

We are pleased to announce the publication of the data and the accompanying data dictionary from the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Benetech team worked closely with the team at the Liberian TRC, who did an incredible job of collecting data about human rights violations during Liberia's civil conflict.

Liberia 100

Liberia Data Statistics Analysis 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 7, 2011

You're absolutely right that information quality comes from people and that data's fitness for a particular purpose is very contextual. Successful approach to crowdsourcing data: Captain Lopez’ team gathers information from every source imaginable. To continue in this direction, let’s look at how people use this information.

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Picture Data Disaster Map 140

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 8, 2017

Bottom-line: If a sophisticated state actor really wants your data, they have a lot of ways to get it, and probably will The whole point of crypto and security is to raise the cost of breaking into your data. It did surprise me that it got disclosed! Use crypto. Use Signal. Use WhatsApp. Encrypt your hard drive.

Facebook 186

Facebook Nigeria Amazon Government 186

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

DECEMBER 1, 2014

The cost of prototyping and deploying new technology tools is now extremely low and data has the potential to accelerate social progress in areas ranging from poverty to human rights, education, health, and the environment. accessibility Bookshare civil society data ethics human centered approach human rights IEEE Martus privacy'

Technology 192

Technology Open Source Data Exercise 192

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

Jerry is involved in collective efforts to advance methods for improving data and models that inform government and private industry decision makers about the role of food systems in achieving “sustainable nutrition security”—our ability to meet growing demand for safe, affordable, and nutritious food in a sustainable manner.

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Open Source Open Illinois Model 174

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 16, 2018

It was a blast to be with an entire conference full of social good software and data people from around the world. Using Software and Data to Change the World We are in an amazing time. Of course we know that the questioner has no data to speak of and today’s answer is probably “nothing.” This is data in service to communities.

Software 118

Software Data Change eBook 118

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 18, 2012

Scientist / Data Analysis Engineer / General Techie Want to help save the world with your code? We're Benetech's Human Rights Data Analysis Group, and we're hiring right now ! What you will do: Write computer programs for human rights data analysis projects. Process, clean, and transform data.

Analysis 150

Analysis Statistics Chart Language 150

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 3, 2011

Data Without Border’s kickoff Data Dive is what tempted me across the country, and after a much longer than expected day of travel I found myself surrounded by fellow nerds (data scientists, as this particular group prefers to be called). Sara LaPlante, NYCLU’s data and policy analyst laid out two clear goals for us.

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New York City New York San Francisco Analysis 133

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 29, 2011

A social entrepreneur who very much exemplified this was Stephen Muthee, founder of Daproim, a data entry social enterprise based in Nairobi. He notes that students with these backgrounds have already overcome great obstacles, and he sees that they have the skills and the motivation to do high quality data entry work.

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Kenya Student Africa University 228

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 29, 2018

Data for Inclusion: Enabling people with disabilities to provide firsthand reports on the issues they face to inform policy at the local, national, and global level. Born Accessible: Working with publishers to ensure that any new ebook is accessible to people who read differently - with the goal of one day making Bookshare obsolete.

News 189

News Syria Conservancy eBook 189

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 3, 2011

Zerofootprint shows what you can do with real data to influence meaningful social change. What blew my mind in the demonstration was how the Zerofootprint team took a metro area’s schools, and mashed the energy consumption data together with student census data to demonstrate how much the energy costs by dollar per student per year.

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Classroom Demonstration Student Contest 162

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 10, 2012

Then again, I shouldn’t have been surprised when I heard the playful notes of a street band wafting through the window while in Guatemala with Benetech's Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG). Indeed, much of our work in Guatemala centered on framing our partners’ substantive questions in a way we could actually answer using Archive data.

Guatemala 137

Guatemala International Project Statistics 137

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 14, 2012

Martus is Benetech's free and open source software package designed for human rights activists to collect stories and data about human rights abuses. Currently, you can manually enter data into Martus, or import data after formatting it into XML. For me personally, the meeting was a rare experience.

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Global Group Thailand Burma 157

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 11, 2014

The world is undergoing a data revolution, and the social sector is no exception. Social enterprises are collecting more and more data: data about social problems; data about intervention outcomes; data for collective impact; data for learning; data for dashboards to better operate their enterprises; data for funders; and the list goes on.

Data 187

Data Impact Open Source Mobile 187

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 10, 2011

Our human rights program has many important moving parts: Improving the science of human rights statistics Doing major projects to help a country figure out what happened in the last ten or twenty years of civil wars Helping both academics and prosecutors get data usable for their needs Building technology tools like Martus for capturing human rights (..)

Literacy 150

Literacy Disaster Phone Press 150

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 25, 2012

Guest Beneblog by Ann Harrison In 2006, the Benetech Human Rights Program was asked to participate in one of the most important human rights data projects in the world. You can read about Benetech’s findings from the Archive here and here.

National 206

National Guatemala Texas Online 206

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 7, 2011

The story illustrates the crucial role that scientists can play in analyzing large collections of human rights data and presenting findings that can help hold perpetrators accountable for terrible crimes. We have been working in partnership with the archive staff who have been using Benetech’s Martus software to secure the data.

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Guatemala Statistics Analysis Sample 129

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 18, 2010

But the NHRC is developing an information management system that uses our Martus software to keep their data more secure. Martus allows human rights defenders to create a searchable and encrypted database of sensitive information from witnesses and victims - and back this data up remotely to their choice of publicly available servers.

Nigeria 138

Nigeria Training Train San Francisco 138

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 15, 2013

As HRDAG sets out on its own, its primary focus will continue to be on the data-driven and scientific side of analyzing human rights violations around the world. Patrick has become widely recognized as the world's leading human rights statistician, something that I personally already felt was true when I recruited Patrick to Benetech!

Analysis 174

Analysis Project Open Source Analytics 174

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 29, 2010

The scientifically defensible data in our findings serve as a powerful tool to combat impunity and hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes. He described the patterns of data found in the documents and the probability that police officials knew about the 667 documents related to García.

Guatemala 145

Guatemala Statistics National Analysis 145

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 19, 2014

My comments were based on the recent HuffPo op-ed authored by Enrique Piracés and me, entitled Human Rights and the Duty to Protect Sensitive Data. I delivered the exhortation above from the TED main stage tonight to my fellow technologists, about our responsibility to secure sensitive information.

Open Source 137

Open Source Government Reflection Software 137

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 10, 2011

Among their recommendations is that NGOs be trained to collect, analyze and use data effectively, since the impact of their advocacy depends on establishing credibility through good data. In another section they add: “[Benetech’s work in] human rights data collection and analysis … should grow at least tenfold.”

International 150

International Guatemala Colombia Analysis 150

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. And then we went to Colombia.

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Colombia Statistics Analysis Data 122

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 30, 2010

Guzmán and the other statisticians, programmers, demographers and data analysts of Benetech’s Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG) believe that scientific arguments can help clarify the past and end impunity. But in order to prosecute perpetrators of human rights violations, the courts rightly demand evidence.

Guatemala 149

Guatemala Help Analysis Statistics 149

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 20, 2015

She runs a for-profit social enterprise named Daproim that provides data entry services using disadvantaged students as their primary workforce. So, if you’re searching for great data entry services for outsourcing, make your money work twice as hard like we do. Carol Wanjiku is the CEO of Daproim. We go way back with her firm.

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Kenya Social Student India 100

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

OCTOBER 5, 2010

Dan Goldin (former head of NASA) and Charlie Kennel (former head of the Scripps Institiute of Oceanography) pulled together a proposal for what they call "Knowledge Action Networks," to help local community get access to data about how climate change was likely to affect their communities.

Japan 113

Japan Technology Conservancy Proposal 113

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 16, 2010

The new Miradi 3 release offers a powerful work planning interface that lets users forecast expenses, develop budgets, and export project data to donor reports. Miradi gives conservation planners cutting edge tools to design, manage, monitor and learn from their projects.

Norway 133

Norway Conservancy Sweden Software 133

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 28, 2014

Clean Water Project , an effort to strengthen the capacity of Latin American clean water organizations through enhanced data platforms. Gerardo has publically shared many of his presentations on these and other topics, which are available via SlideShare.

Open Source 184

Open Source Literacy eBook Empowerment 184

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Our partnership, launched shortly after RHoK June 2012, continues forward with a focus on data and digital security. As RHoK Global December 2012 event is taking place this weekend (December 1st and 2nd) worldwide, Benetech and SocialCoding4Good are thrilled to be participating once again.

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International San Francisco Open Source Global 209

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. Above all there is the musty odor of decaying paper. No, this is not a description of Benetech’s Palo Alto, California headquarters.

Guatemala 124

Guatemala California Press Analysis 124

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 8, 2011

A lengthy broadcast segment, “To Combat Human Rights Abuses, California Company Looks to Computer Code,” noted that Benetech's Martus software is used to secure sensitive human rights data such as the type of information about abuses that have recently been documented in the Middle East.

Guatemala 159

Guatemala Literacy Qatar Open Source 159

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 23, 2014

Built on our Martus technology, Mobile Martus is designed to bring secure data collection, storage, and backup closer to activists working in the field. Prior to the conference, Enrique Piracés and I authored a Huffington Post op-ed on human rights and the duty to protect sensitive data and our maxim: first, do no harm.

Literacy 158

Literacy eBook United Kingdom Accessibility 158

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 22, 2006

Protecting Guatemala's National Police Historical Archive A Guest Blog By Ann Harrison Benetech Communications Director Since 2003, Benetech's Martus information management software has helped human rights activists create encrypted databases and back up their data remotely to their choice of publicly available servers.

Guatemala 124

Guatemala National Switzerland Camera 124

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 9, 2010

But, the weight of evidence is that they can associate learning management system data with an increased likelihood of failure, and then intervene. For example, a really bright student who can pull everything together just before the exams might present with a red light a third of the way into the quarter, but still be ok.

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Student France Blended University 113

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 8, 2015

The Vice President of Human Rights will lead the work of the Benetech Human Rights Program, harnessing the power of technology to meet the pressing needs of advocates and human rights defenders to securely gather, store, and appropriately report sensitive data.

Technology 100

Technology Literacy Social Uganda 100