Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 15, 2013

Spinning off projects when they reach sustainability, and when doing so would allow them to better achieve their mission, is all part of the Benetech model. With each of the projects we launch, we plan for at least three successful exit options. We used it to review our planning as we wrapped up this move.

Analysis 174

Analysis Project Open Source Analytics 174

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 28, 2014

He also championed an open source ethos so that our work can be broadly shared (you can view all our open source projects on GitHub ). Overseeing the Accessibility Metadata Project , with which we led a collaborative effort to develop standards for accessibility metadata.

Open Source 184

Open Source Literacy eBook Empowerment 184

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 16, 2014

SocialCoding4Good We are very excited about our SocialCoding4Good project, one of our Benetech Labs initiatives, which is working to increase the engagement of the technology sector with social good initiatives beyond just the scope of our own programs. billion poor and unbanked.

Open Source 183

Open Source Africa Zimbabwe Malawi 183

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Many of our projects turn on legal questions, and our attorneys are a core part of figuring out solutions that will have real positive impact on society. Right now, we have multiple law school clinics that would love to tackle new projects with us, projects we actually have but lack the bandwidth to pursue.

United States 134

United States Library Copyright License 134

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 27, 2012

He's joined forces with other social entrepreneurs in the field to found UpEnergy , a new for-profit social enterprise that wants to scale the impact of their successful pilot projects. I love to see projects like this going to scale, that's true innovation!

El Salvador 133

El Salvador Profit Nicaragua Liberia 133

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 3, 2011

Bookshare is dramatically exceeding its five-year collection and member targets at the close of the fourth year of our Bookshare for Education (B4E) project funded by the U.S. Through the LIT project, we’re adding many new innovations to the groundwork laid by the B4E project, with a focus on three core areas: content, tools, and utilization.

Impact 140

Impact Technology eBook Student 140

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 17, 2012

Many thanks to Thushan Ganegedara for this guest post about his summer open source project. My project is associated with the ‘Go Read’ Android application. The project I’m working on consists of several major objectives: Implement Periodical Downloading Go Read currently has download capability only for books.

Sri Lanka 124

Sri Lanka Google API Mentoring 124

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 5, 2015

Embracing measured risk, The Fund has been willing to make early bets on Benetech, and has repeatedly chosen to invest in our prototype projects. These projects ended up becoming successful and found sustainable funding streams, allowing the innovation to go to scale without needing continued funding from Lavelle.

Fund 100

Fund India United States eBook 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 18, 2011

Scott McNeil came to Benetech and we talked about their MetaMouse project (getting multiple mice to work on the same PC, so that kids in low-PC resource places can work together). We talked about their Jaipur knee project, and a low-cost lighting solution to fight jaundice in newborns.

Uganda 124

Uganda Africa Proposal Survey 124

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 14, 2012

I have led Martus outreach and training for the past 4 years and worked with human rights defenders all over the world, but because of the project-specific nature of our work, I interact with each of our partners separately. And, support from the Open Society Foundation made this event possible!

Global 157

Global Group Thailand Burma 157

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 15, 2011

They've also done a similar project in Tanzania and Uganda. Our discussion of these projects and new ideas was exciting: the barriers to implementing new ideas with technology keep getting smaller. Even better, I think these technology innovations are best done in close touch with the community.

Africa 151

Africa Tanzania Kenya Ghana 151

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 11, 2010

The project's goals were to work with organizations that provide opportunities for people with disabilities and digitize a million pages of books to be added to the Bookshare collection. The Worth Trust-Bookshare project provided her with an opportunity where she could work hard and learn a lot.

Skype 168

Skype India California Chart 168

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 16, 2010

Miradi gives conservation planners cutting edge tools to design, manage, monitor and learn from their projects. 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. with new changes based on feedback from our users.

Norway 133

Norway Conservancy Sweden Software 133

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Through this three-year project—made possible with support from the Lavelle Fund for the Blind as well as India’s adoption of a new copyright exception for people with print disabilities —we will pilot Bookshare International at scale in India.

Global 134

Global India Mobile Impact 134

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Through this project and the Treaty, we’re looking forward to realizing the potential of Bookshare International to eventually help millions of other people globally live fuller lives. 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

JUNE 9, 2014

Gallucci and Roy jointly announced a partnership of philanthropic organizations investing more than $15 million in grants to 23 projects as well as an additional $13 million available in the coming year for innovative projects that will increase the participation, quality, and relevance of secondary education.

Education 164

Education Philanthropy Africa Foundation 164

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 17, 2009

Get this: the funding decisions on their new clean water projects are made by peer project leaders. So, your effort to address the needs of your community through a new water or sanitation project is going to be evaluated by a group of people who have been through doing the same thing in their communities.

India 113

India Map Proposal Project 113

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 10, 2011

Through projects that integrated statistical analyses into multidisciplinary human rights work, we engaged in the public debate about human rights violations in Colombia. In that regard, we recently got terrific news about our Martus project. We’re so excited to embark upon this new project! and Catherine T.

International 150

International Guatemala Colombia Analysis 150

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 10, 2011

Next quarter will be our new projects meeting, where we talk about the pipeline of new ideas for Benetech social enterprises. Each of our quarterly meetings tends to focus on big strategic issues facing Benetech. Last quarter Betsy Beaumon presented the future of our Literacy program including Bookshare.

Literacy 150

Literacy Disaster Phone Press 150

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

There was also an associated effort called the Trusted Intermediary Global Accessible Resources (TIGAR) project, to ease the exchange of accessible book files between libraries for the blind and print disabled. The Stakeholders Platform and the TIGAR project were time-limited and needed to be replaced by a new structure.

Accessibility 247

Accessibility License Copyright Library 247

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 3, 2011

This particular weekend we divided into teams and tackled projects from the New York chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), MiX Market, and UN Global Pulse. Descriptions of our project, plus the projects with MiX and Global Pulse, can be found on the Data Without Borders wiki. 4-6 (tomorrow!),

New York City 133

New York City New York San Francisco Analysis 133

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 3, 2013

We are now directly participating in the DAISY Consortium’s Transforming Braille project, which seeks to dramatically lower the cost of braille cell technology, the fundamental technical building block of a braille display. This is important here in the U.S., and critical for the inclusion and empowerment of people in developing countries.

Literacy 208

Literacy eBook Images Accessibility 208

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 14, 2011

We use technology to create products and projects that serve humanity where the market will fail to go because they offer modest financial returns. We are expanding our new projects pipeline, growing our capacity to make social change through technology. And we’re nowhere near done!

Technology 150

Technology Change Social Literacy 150

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 18, 2012

What you will do: Write computer programs for human rights data analysis projects. Write technical descriptions of HRP methods and projects at many levels of detail for academic publications, white papers, grant applications, grant reports, and internal documentation. Process, clean, and transform data.

Analysis 150

Analysis Statistics Chart Language 150

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

IISE is an institute that has been established to train participants (age 18+) who have the right initiative, motivation and potential to establish and run their own social projects. Paul took great pride in showing me around the three acre campus that has been built with eco-friendly materials.

International 129

International India Social Student 129

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 7, 2012

Once one of their ideas is established, they can mobilize large sums of capital restricted to that specific project or area. It had a list of seven new projects that it would be able to do with this funding, to make this open-ended funding tangible.

Fund 154

Fund Social Liberia Money 154

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. Benetech is proud to support this project and our ongoing work with the Archive to analyze the contents of the records.

National 206

National Guatemala Texas Online 206

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 20, 2013

After talking me out of calling it Bookster, he explained how the DAISY format would be ideal for our new Bookshare project, that he had made sure that it would work well for ebooks like the ones we were hoping to provide. And when the idea of a peer-to-peer ebook library came to me, it was George who I went to with the idea.

eBook 221

eBook Award Copyright Syria 221

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 14, 2013

By then they were collaborating on projects to add more books appealing to young boys, holiday books, books about Ireland, Scotland and Wales, mysteries, and science fiction. They worked on projects with many other Bookshare volunteers at the same time. He moved to Pennsylvania to be closer to her.

Story 123

Story Ohio Ireland Pennsylvania 123

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 20, 2011

Miradi, is used by nature conservation practitioners around the world to design, manage, monitor and learn from their projects. Now she’s a Special Project Coordinator for the Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans Guam Coastal Management Program where she uses Miradi to prioritize threats to Guam ecosystems.

Guam 124

Guam Conservancy Software Help 124

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 10, 2013

Unfortunately, most companies won’t pursue projects without the promise of big profits and the people who need tech tools the most often can’t afford them. Technology has the potential to improve the lives of millions across the world.

Technology 172

Technology India Washington America 172

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 22, 2013

The thrill of solving problems, of figuring something out, and bringing that understanding into the service of humanity.

Syria 196

Syria Guatemala Open Source Lecture 196

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 19, 2013

Majora realized that creating green projects and jobs empowers communities to see themselves in a different light, and that beautiful things happen in neighborhoods where people feel invested in their own economic and environmental well being.

Local 129

Local New York Culture Open Source 129

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

AUGUST 18, 2008

Many folks ask us to be a fiscal sponsor for their social tech projects, but we've decided it would be a distraction from our core work, plus we're not experts in supporting other projects. I also know a tech project that has used the FJC Fiscal Sponsorship Program , based in New York.

Resource 123

Resource San Francisco New York Sponsor 123

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 5, 2008

One of the coolest has been the reaction to our brand new environmental project management software, Miradi. So, spread the news to folks you know who need project management tools for environmental projects! There's so many cool things going on at Benetech. Miradi just launched and we're busy signing up users!

Conservancy 100

Conservancy Press Software Environment 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

Our Bookshare team has also been working on a special project with Qatar’s Mada Assistive Technology Center to add Arabic-language books to the collection. Bookshare International members now have access to more than 50,000 titles, including books in Spanish, German, French, Hindi, and Tamil, and a collection of textbooks in Afrikaans.

International 166

International Brazil Austria eBook 166