Google Launches Open Source Initiative to Help Refugees

[Centurius]

 

Following other recent initiatives Google has launched a new service intended to provide refugees fleeing from war in the Middle East with up to date local information relevant to them. The service itself(which is optimized for use on smartphones and attempts to save battery) is a website in various translations that is easily accessible by individuals.

 

One issue identified was the the lack of timely, hyperlocal information for refugees. Working with the International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps, we’ve developed an open source project called “Crisis Info Hub” to disseminate such information in a lightweight, battery-saving way. Already live in Lesvos (with more locations coming online shortly) and being run by our NGO partners, Crisis Info Hub is providing refugees—most of whom carry smartphones—with critical information for their journeys: lodging, transportation, medical facilities, etc. And we’re working to make connectivity in the region more widespread and reliable by partnering with NetHope to deploy robust access solutions where they’re needed most.

 

 

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Regardless of what you think on refugees and the crisis specifically I feel initiatives such as these illustrate just how powerful technology has become. My mother is from Croatia and while she had left the country before the Yugoslav Wars some of her relatives and acquaintances were refugees and tools such as these would have really been able to help them.

 

It is also definitely one of the redeeming qualities of the tech industry that initiatives such as these can find support among very large corporations.

 

Original Article: https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/update-response-refugee-migrants.html

[CydiaDash]

Brilliant, Google you take all my information... but I love you.

[Majestic]

Regardless of what you think on refugees and the crisis specifically I feel initiatives such as these illustrate just how powerful technology has become.

 

This very quickly turns into;

"Let's take this time of crisis to plug Silicon Valley products"

 

Like with the arab spring in 2009. All the buzz about how awesome twitter was, actually made shit worse. Since the iranian goverment took notice and started prosecuting people on twtiter. 

 

Not even talking about how shameless it is to make your buck out of humanitary crisis. Not saying that was your intention OP (or google's for that matter), but it very quickly becomes this the second blogs and new-media catch wind of these techs.

[snes]

So, refugees get a battery saving dark mode but the rest of the world still does't. This so called refugee crisis is pissing me off more and more.

[Deletive]

So, refugees get a battery saving dark mode but the rest of the world still does't. This so called refugee crisis is pissing me off more and more.

Well aren't you insensitive. 

OT: nice to see people actually trying to do stuff to help when only the governments can really decide how to treat/help these refugees. 

[soaringchicken]

cool bananas 

[CydiaDash]

So, refugees get a battery saving dark mode but the rest of the world still does't. This so called refugee crisis is pissing me off more and more.

Way to be an ass about it...

[ThinkWithPortals]

Good on you, Google. Thanks

[ThinkWithPortals]

So, refugees get a battery saving dark mode but the rest of the world still does't. This so called refugee crisis is pissing me off more and more.

Seriously?!

What do you mean, "so called?"

[snes]

http://www.hna.de/lokales/hofgeismar/calden-ort74694/rettungsdienst-geht-polizei-caldener-zeltstadt-5590893.html

 

So sei beispielsweise einer Ärztin von einem männlichen Patienten bei einer Untersuchung ein Faustschlag in die Magengegend verpasst worden, erfuhr unsere Zeitung aus sicherer Quelle.

 

A female doctor was punched in the stomach by a male patient.

 

https://mopo24.de/nachrichten/raub-angriff-drei-maenner-gegen-einen-jungen-schwer-verletzt-21920

https://mopo24.de/nachrichten/schwere-randale-und-verletzte-in-asylheimen-21710

https://mopo24.de/nachrichten/junge-frau-in-dresden-vergewaltigt-polizei-sucht-zeugen-21164

https://mopo24.de/nachrichten/muessen-wir-bald-fluechtlingen-in-unseren-wohnungen-aufnehmen-21440

https://mopo24.de/nachrichten/wueste-schlaegerei-in-dresdner-asylheim-21344

https://mopo24.de/nachrichten/asyl-helfer-schlagen-alarm-schaffen-nicht-mehr-chemnitz-sachsen-21242

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/krisentreffen-zu-fluechtlingen-viel-wollen-wenig-koennen-13876324.html

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/700-fluechtlinge-verschwinden-aus-notunterkunft-13873778.html

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/fluechtlingskrise-nahles-erwartet-starken-anstieg-von-hartz-iv-kosten-13873669.html

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/fluechtlingskrise-zweifel-in-der-cdu-an-angela-merkel-wachsen-13869088.html

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/fluechtlingskrise-appell-der-nrw-buergermeister-an-angela-merkel-13868746.html

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/zweifel-an-loesung-der-fluechtlingskrise-durch-die-politik-13866897.html

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/die-tuerkei-stellt-forderungen-fuer-hilfe-in-der-fluechtlingsfrage-13864930.html

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/asylpolitik-fluechtlingsansturm-bringt-kommunen-ans-limit-13863245.html

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/fluechtlingskrise-polizeigewerkschaft-fordert-grenzzaun-13862784.html

http://www.hna.de/lokales/hofgeismar/calden-ort74694/wieder-schlaegerei-unter-fluechtlingen-zeltstadt-calden-5666053.html

http://www.hna.de/lokales/hofgeismar/calden-ort74694/polizeigewerkschaft-kritik-nach-erneutem-vorfall-calden-5668083.html

http://www.hna.de/lokales/hofgeismar/calden-ort74694/massenschlaegerei-calden-audi-eines-sachsenhaeusers-parkte-nahe-zeltlagers-5620278.html

http://www.hna.de/lokales/hofgeismar/video-massenschlaegerei-calden-aufgetaucht-5598133.html

 

Seriously?!

What do you mean, "so called?"

 

That they should call it infestation or invasion, instead. Not all of those people fled from warzones. Those who did don't get enough help because of all the parasites that only came because of our welfare system.

 

Well aren't you insensitive. 

OT: nice to see people actually trying to do stuff to help when only the governments can really decide how to treat/help these refugees. 

 

Well aren't you naive.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqWo4nLPIeM&ab_channel=ManfredO.

 

[ThinkWithPortals]

That they should call it infestation or invasion, instead. Not all of those people fled from warzones. Those who did don't get enough help because of all the parasites that only came because of our welfare system.

 

There are those who abuse the system, I agree, but there is a vast amount of people who really are fleeing from troubled countries and who really do need the aid of the first world. We shouldn't condemn so many because of the actions of the few.

[Admiral Naismith]

(snip unrelated bs)

This post isn't about your political agenda. There are asshole refugees and perfectly honest refugees. As always, punish the assholes, not the poor bastards who have to sit near them.

 

This is an interesting indicator of the future of technology in disasters/warfare/politics. Interested to see where this goes.