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    • Problem
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      • description<p>PROBLEM STATEMENT: Design simple rainwater harvesting system for use in a favela in Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro&rsquo;s favelas present a singular opportunity to prototype resilient DIY green designs that can be adapted for use in slum communities elsewhere. Because of the lack of government regulation, and simple, self-built infrastructure, favelas are an ideal place to implement solutions like urban gardening, composting, and rainwater capture. These improvements can alleviate some of the environmental and social burdens on favela residents. Rio de Janeiro has a higher cost of living than New York, but most favela residents earn a minimum wage of R5 (approx. US0) per month. Food prices jumped 1.56% in 2012 due to inflation. Favelas ration their water supplies, and residents regularly run out of water for days or weeks at a time. Most favelas have very little green space, creating heat islands and increased concentrations of air pollutants. Waste management is insufficient, leaving tons of trash that could have been recycled or composted rotting in the streets every day. Addressing environmental problems in favelas is essential because it benefits residents directly while addressing global issues. LOOKING FOR: Green My Favela (GMF) works with favela residents, grassroots NGOs, and local government to remediate degraded land and create productive green spaces primarily in the Rocinha favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil's largest urban slum. We have recently begun an ambitious food security project: a terraced garden in a very poor area with limited infrastructure. We're looking for engineers, architects, builders, gardeners, and designers to help us prototype a large-scale rainwater capture and drip irrigation system to support the garden; ideally, a simple, affordable design that can be replicated in other favelas. We also hope to apply students' expertise to green infrastructure elements like grey water systems, compost toilets, green roofing, roof gardens, and DIY solar energy. GMF can provide on-the-ground expertise on local needs and resources, connections to community leaders and residents, green spaces, spaces in need of remediation, and other logistical support. ABOUT GMF is a joint project created by Lea Rekow and Zoe Roller. Lea is an artist, filmmaker, and researcher whose work focuses on the intersection of social justice and the environment. Her past projects include a media empowerment program which explored the legacy of uranium on Navajo Nation, a study of chemical toxicity levels in Utah, and an oral histories project and documentary based on the civil war in Burma. Zo&euml; is a writer and activist who has worked in community development in Rio for the past two years. She runs a digital inclusion program in elementary schools in Complexo do Alem&atilde;o favela. If interested in learning more - reach out to Lea and Zoe at: info@greenmyfavela.org MORE INFORMATION More about GMF: http://www.greenmyfavela.org/, http://riotimesonline.com/brazil-news/ rio-politics/rocinha-mais-verde-ngo-at-rio20/#</p>
      • created2013-03-08 19:29:39
      • modified2013-03-08 19:29:00
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      • titleDesign simple rainwater harvesting system for use in a favela in Rio de Janeiro
      • published2013-03-08
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        • areas_of_interestFirst and foremost, I love teaching. I've been drawn to education from a very early age. Even if very little of what I do is standing in front of a blackboard, most of it is about finding effective ways to share knowledge. When someone tells me what they are working on, I usually try to learn as much about it as possible [1]. I often find myself saying "You know, you should talk to my friend who works on X..." so that even if I don't know much about what the person is working on, I might be able to introduce them to someone who they could share ideas with. I spent a year living in Kenya in a very dry area during a drought, which gave me a deep appreciation for water issues. I try as much as possible to soak up [2] as much knowledge about water collection and storage as well as water treatment and purification. My enthusiasm for agriculture was entirely accidental, as I was working on a class project, and one of my teammates "claimed" education and told me that I needed to find a different sector. I picked agriculture without any particular reason, and found myself hooked. I'm actually terrible when it comes to raising crops, and even worse when it comes to livestock, but that doesn't stop me from trying to work on challenges like reducing post-harvest losses [3] and promoting agro-forestry projects (I'm also big into forestry issues). I also like to work on projects related to energy and the environment. I have a habit of talking endlessly about producing charcoal from agricultural waste [4], but I'm also interested in cookstoves, lighting systems and human-powered devices. And in order to address the practical side of projects, I spend a lot of time thinking about business development and whether a project could actually turn into a viable business (I have the nasty habit of being a bit too frank when people describe their project to me and I see a gaping hole). And of course, most of my work actually overlaps several of these sectors (e.g. a bicycle-powered corn sheller [5] is energy, agriculture and business development). I'm interested in health projects, but most of the time I'm out of my depth there. I don't have nearly as much passion for housing and building technologies or transportation and mobility. It's not to say that I'm not interested in those sectors, only that my passion is stronger for the above sectors. Finally, I have deep respect for people who successfully run a social program or behavior change project, though I hold them to very high standards. I only have minimal experience working in this sector, but I've seen projects where the people leading the program assume that this is a quick and easy task and may end up harming or exploiting their intended "beneficiaries". Social programs are especially difficult to scale because replicating a successful program, even in a nearby community can be an abysmal failure for countless reasons. [1] The exception is when it comes to information and communication technologies. I spent a semester learning Java, but in general, programming goes way over my head, and I'm happy to leave it that way. [2] Yep, pun intended. [3] This is a huge problem in many places. A Tanzanian farmer will lose an average of 20-25% of his or her harvest between the fields and selling it at the market. [4] http://practicalaction.org/fuel-from-the-fields-charcoal-from-agricultural-waste [5] http://gcstz.com
        • skillsLanguages: English, Swahili (conversational), Spanish (conversational), French (rudimentary) Jack of all trades, master of none. Experience in education, business (start-up), grant-writing, research, wood and metal working, and electrical systems. Lived in Kenya and Tanzania with additional experience in India, Ghana, Uganda and Zambia
        • bioI was born and raised in Oak Park, IL (just outside of Chicago). In high school, I split my time between technical theatre and math club. I graduated from MIT in 2008 where I majored in math and physics and had a minor in history. At MIT, I worked at the Public Service Center as an events coordinator (CityDays, Giving Tree and Science Expo) and then as a Service Learning Assistant. I also worked as a math tutor and physics TA and was involved in my dorm as an associate advisor, dorm government and service organization. In summer of 2007, I received a fellowship from MISTI to implement a TB awareness curriculum in a rural primary school in India and in January of 2008, I traveled to Ghana with D-Lab. After graduating, I joined the Peace Corps to teach math and science in a rural secondary school in Kenya. I am working on a project for Global Cycle Solutions (http://gcstz.com) to assess the impact that we've had on customers since 2010. I am also working to develop a non-profit organization where people can learn the design process and have the opportunity to become inventors (http://aisetanzania.tumblr.com). And I work on the International Development Design Summit (http://iddsummit.org), which holds annual technology conferences that bring together people from all over the world to address local challenges (I helped organize the events in 2008 at MIT, 2010 at Colorado State and 2011 in Ghana). And in my spare time, I play ultimate Frisbee with my friends.
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    • Problem
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      • description<p><strong>CHALLENGE</strong><br />Many secondary schools in Tanzania conduct chemistry laboratory experiments with hundreds of students.</p> <p>As a result of these exercises, these schools generate non-trivial quantities of chemical waste. These wastes can contain heavy metals from qualitative analysis experiments (lead, silver, and copper), organic chemicals (diethyl ether, chloroform), and may be corrosive and/or reactive. Current practice is to pour these wastes directly into the environment (school flower beds, for example), or into school latrine pits that are sometimes subsequently pumped onto school crops.</p> <p><strong>SOLUTION</strong><br />A successful project would identify the kinds and volumes of waste being produced and develop a set of very inexpensive and very simple protocols that teachers could follow to mitigate human and environmental risk from chemical waste. A successful project also creates a training and protocol to guide adoption and implementation. A regional waste collection and treatment company would also be an acceptable solution.</p> <p>The Tanzanian Ministry of Education has an extensive in-service teacher training program that could disseminate ideas to hundreds of teachers. Local teachers colleges and universities could also serve as means of dissemination.</p> <p><strong>INTERESTED:</strong><br />Contact Aron Walker who is teaching MIT D-Lab's Education Class at&nbsp; aronwalk (at) alum (dot) mit.edu.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>(image from flickr under the use of Creative Commons; <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/danisabella/3986335522/">thanks to user Danisabella</a>.)</p>
      • created2013-02-13 14:23:22
      • modified2013-02-13 14:23:00
      • contestyear0000-00-00
      • user_id19050
      • titleRural School Science Lab Waste Treatment in Tanzania
      • published2013-02-14
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        • created2012-03-26 05:48:32
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        • areas_of_interestFirst and foremost, I love teaching. I've been drawn to education from a very early age. Even if very little of what I do is standing in front of a blackboard, most of it is about finding effective ways to share knowledge. When someone tells me what they are working on, I usually try to learn as much about it as possible [1]. I often find myself saying "You know, you should talk to my friend who works on X..." so that even if I don't know much about what the person is working on, I might be able to introduce them to someone who they could share ideas with. I spent a year living in Kenya in a very dry area during a drought, which gave me a deep appreciation for water issues. I try as much as possible to soak up [2] as much knowledge about water collection and storage as well as water treatment and purification. My enthusiasm for agriculture was entirely accidental, as I was working on a class project, and one of my teammates "claimed" education and told me that I needed to find a different sector. I picked agriculture without any particular reason, and found myself hooked. I'm actually terrible when it comes to raising crops, and even worse when it comes to livestock, but that doesn't stop me from trying to work on challenges like reducing post-harvest losses [3] and promoting agro-forestry projects (I'm also big into forestry issues). I also like to work on projects related to energy and the environment. I have a habit of talking endlessly about producing charcoal from agricultural waste [4], but I'm also interested in cookstoves, lighting systems and human-powered devices. And in order to address the practical side of projects, I spend a lot of time thinking about business development and whether a project could actually turn into a viable business (I have the nasty habit of being a bit too frank when people describe their project to me and I see a gaping hole). And of course, most of my work actually overlaps several of these sectors (e.g. a bicycle-powered corn sheller [5] is energy, agriculture and business development). I'm interested in health projects, but most of the time I'm out of my depth there. I don't have nearly as much passion for housing and building technologies or transportation and mobility. It's not to say that I'm not interested in those sectors, only that my passion is stronger for the above sectors. Finally, I have deep respect for people who successfully run a social program or behavior change project, though I hold them to very high standards. I only have minimal experience working in this sector, but I've seen projects where the people leading the program assume that this is a quick and easy task and may end up harming or exploiting their intended "beneficiaries". Social programs are especially difficult to scale because replicating a successful program, even in a nearby community can be an abysmal failure for countless reasons. [1] The exception is when it comes to information and communication technologies. I spent a semester learning Java, but in general, programming goes way over my head, and I'm happy to leave it that way. [2] Yep, pun intended. [3] This is a huge problem in many places. A Tanzanian farmer will lose an average of 20-25% of his or her harvest between the fields and selling it at the market. [4] http://practicalaction.org/fuel-from-the-fields-charcoal-from-agricultural-waste [5] http://gcstz.com
        • skillsLanguages: English, Swahili (conversational), Spanish (conversational), French (rudimentary) Jack of all trades, master of none. Experience in education, business (start-up), grant-writing, research, wood and metal working, and electrical systems. Lived in Kenya and Tanzania with additional experience in India, Ghana, Uganda and Zambia
        • bioI was born and raised in Oak Park, IL (just outside of Chicago). In high school, I split my time between technical theatre and math club. I graduated from MIT in 2008 where I majored in math and physics and had a minor in history. At MIT, I worked at the Public Service Center as an events coordinator (CityDays, Giving Tree and Science Expo) and then as a Service Learning Assistant. I also worked as a math tutor and physics TA and was involved in my dorm as an associate advisor, dorm government and service organization. In summer of 2007, I received a fellowship from MISTI to implement a TB awareness curriculum in a rural primary school in India and in January of 2008, I traveled to Ghana with D-Lab. After graduating, I joined the Peace Corps to teach math and science in a rural secondary school in Kenya. I am working on a project for Global Cycle Solutions (http://gcstz.com) to assess the impact that we've had on customers since 2010. I am also working to develop a non-profit organization where people can learn the design process and have the opportunity to become inventors (http://aisetanzania.tumblr.com). And I work on the International Development Design Summit (http://iddsummit.org), which holds annual technology conferences that bring together people from all over the world to address local challenges (I helped organize the events in 2008 at MIT, 2010 at Colorado State and 2011 in Ghana). And in my spare time, I play ultimate Frisbee with my friends.
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      • description<p><strong>CHALLENGE:<br /></strong>The Manja test for bacteriological contamination of waste water is a reliable and low-cost technique used by schools in Western Uganda as part of an extracurricular water quality project.</p> <p>At present, pre-made tests are imported, adding cost and logistical constraints to the expansion of this project. All of the materials (or their precursors) for the Manja test area available locally in Uganda, so the potential exists for schools to make their own tests, and excellent lesson in itself. As water quality concerns are prevalent in Uganda, a substantial market for reliable, low-cost tests also exists. <br /><br /><strong>POTENTIAL SOLUTION: <br /></strong>A successful project would demonstrate the local manufacture of Manja tests in Uganda as well as develop lessons that tie the production of the tests of local curriculum so teachers can not only not lose curricular time, but teach additional content in a hands-on way.</p> <p><strong>INTERESTED:</strong><br />Contact Aron Walker who is teaching MIT D-Lab's Education Class at&nbsp; aronwalk (at) alum (dot) mit.edu.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>(This photo was used under the Creative Commons license. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/d-lab/5426289058/sizes/l/in/photostream/">Thanks to MIT's D-Lab for letting us use it here.</a>)</p>
      • created2013-02-13 14:22:09
      • modified2013-02-13 14:22:00
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      • titleDesign a Science Experiment: Use Locally Manufactured Water Quality Tests in Uganda
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        • areas_of_interestFirst and foremost, I love teaching. I've been drawn to education from a very early age. Even if very little of what I do is standing in front of a blackboard, most of it is about finding effective ways to share knowledge. When someone tells me what they are working on, I usually try to learn as much about it as possible [1]. I often find myself saying "You know, you should talk to my friend who works on X..." so that even if I don't know much about what the person is working on, I might be able to introduce them to someone who they could share ideas with. I spent a year living in Kenya in a very dry area during a drought, which gave me a deep appreciation for water issues. I try as much as possible to soak up [2] as much knowledge about water collection and storage as well as water treatment and purification. My enthusiasm for agriculture was entirely accidental, as I was working on a class project, and one of my teammates "claimed" education and told me that I needed to find a different sector. I picked agriculture without any particular reason, and found myself hooked. I'm actually terrible when it comes to raising crops, and even worse when it comes to livestock, but that doesn't stop me from trying to work on challenges like reducing post-harvest losses [3] and promoting agro-forestry projects (I'm also big into forestry issues). I also like to work on projects related to energy and the environment. I have a habit of talking endlessly about producing charcoal from agricultural waste [4], but I'm also interested in cookstoves, lighting systems and human-powered devices. And in order to address the practical side of projects, I spend a lot of time thinking about business development and whether a project could actually turn into a viable business (I have the nasty habit of being a bit too frank when people describe their project to me and I see a gaping hole). And of course, most of my work actually overlaps several of these sectors (e.g. a bicycle-powered corn sheller [5] is energy, agriculture and business development). I'm interested in health projects, but most of the time I'm out of my depth there. I don't have nearly as much passion for housing and building technologies or transportation and mobility. It's not to say that I'm not interested in those sectors, only that my passion is stronger for the above sectors. Finally, I have deep respect for people who successfully run a social program or behavior change project, though I hold them to very high standards. I only have minimal experience working in this sector, but I've seen projects where the people leading the program assume that this is a quick and easy task and may end up harming or exploiting their intended "beneficiaries". Social programs are especially difficult to scale because replicating a successful program, even in a nearby community can be an abysmal failure for countless reasons. [1] The exception is when it comes to information and communication technologies. I spent a semester learning Java, but in general, programming goes way over my head, and I'm happy to leave it that way. [2] Yep, pun intended. [3] This is a huge problem in many places. A Tanzanian farmer will lose an average of 20-25% of his or her harvest between the fields and selling it at the market. [4] http://practicalaction.org/fuel-from-the-fields-charcoal-from-agricultural-waste [5] http://gcstz.com
        • skillsLanguages: English, Swahili (conversational), Spanish (conversational), French (rudimentary) Jack of all trades, master of none. Experience in education, business (start-up), grant-writing, research, wood and metal working, and electrical systems. Lived in Kenya and Tanzania with additional experience in India, Ghana, Uganda and Zambia
        • bioI was born and raised in Oak Park, IL (just outside of Chicago). In high school, I split my time between technical theatre and math club. I graduated from MIT in 2008 where I majored in math and physics and had a minor in history. At MIT, I worked at the Public Service Center as an events coordinator (CityDays, Giving Tree and Science Expo) and then as a Service Learning Assistant. I also worked as a math tutor and physics TA and was involved in my dorm as an associate advisor, dorm government and service organization. In summer of 2007, I received a fellowship from MISTI to implement a TB awareness curriculum in a rural primary school in India and in January of 2008, I traveled to Ghana with D-Lab. After graduating, I joined the Peace Corps to teach math and science in a rural secondary school in Kenya. I am working on a project for Global Cycle Solutions (http://gcstz.com) to assess the impact that we've had on customers since 2010. I am also working to develop a non-profit organization where people can learn the design process and have the opportunity to become inventors (http://aisetanzania.tumblr.com). And I work on the International Development Design Summit (http://iddsummit.org), which holds annual technology conferences that bring together people from all over the world to address local challenges (I helped organize the events in 2008 at MIT, 2010 at Colorado State and 2011 in Ghana). And in my spare time, I play ultimate Frisbee with my friends.
        • organizationGlobal Cycle Solutions / AISE Tanzania / International Development Design Summit
        • countryTanzania
        • province
        • cityArusha
        • glocation
        • lat0
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        • linkedinhttp://http://tz.linkedin.com/in/danielmokmad
        • twitter
        • facebook
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        • nameWater and Sanitation
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    • Problem
      • id74
      • description<p><strong>CHALLENGE:<br /></strong>One significant barrier to the increase in hands-on learning activities in science classrooms in Tanzania is the lack of skill students have when handling laboratory apparatus, the challenging of effectively teaching these skills in classrooms with 80+ students, and the subsequent reticence of teachers to entrust valuable equipment to unskilled hands. <br /><br /><strong>POTENTIAL SOLUTION:</strong><br />Students and teachers both would benefit from a highly structured model for teaching laboratory skills in very large classrooms. A successful approach must not require substantially more time from teachers; students, however, are generally available, so peer education models can be explored. Such a program would ideally also provide a mechanism for students to undertake practical exercises with adequate supervision for safety but not requiring substantially more time from the teacher. Even better would be a highly structured program that guides students to develop laboratory equipment from low cost materials and then learn how to use it, allowing the development of practical skills and providing instructional materials in schools lacking traditional laboratories.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>INTERESTED:</strong><br />Contact Aron Walker who is teaching MIT D-Lab's Education Class at&nbsp; aronwalk (at) alum (dot) mit.edu.</p>
      • created2013-02-13 14:21:03
      • modified2013-02-13 14:21:00
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      • user_id19050
      • titleDevelop Laboratory Instruction for Use in Large Classrooms in Tanzania
      • published2013-02-14
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    • User
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      • usernamemokrauer@alum.mit.edu
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      • created2012-03-26 05:48:32
      • modified2013-04-25 12:35:37
      • first_nameDaniel
      • last_nameMokrauer-Madden
      • birthday2012-04-03 00:00:00
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        • name
        • created2012-03-26 05:48:32
        • modified2012-03-26 06:12:19
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        • areas_of_interestFirst and foremost, I love teaching. I've been drawn to education from a very early age. Even if very little of what I do is standing in front of a blackboard, most of it is about finding effective ways to share knowledge. When someone tells me what they are working on, I usually try to learn as much about it as possible [1]. I often find myself saying "You know, you should talk to my friend who works on X..." so that even if I don't know much about what the person is working on, I might be able to introduce them to someone who they could share ideas with. I spent a year living in Kenya in a very dry area during a drought, which gave me a deep appreciation for water issues. I try as much as possible to soak up [2] as much knowledge about water collection and storage as well as water treatment and purification. My enthusiasm for agriculture was entirely accidental, as I was working on a class project, and one of my teammates "claimed" education and told me that I needed to find a different sector. I picked agriculture without any particular reason, and found myself hooked. I'm actually terrible when it comes to raising crops, and even worse when it comes to livestock, but that doesn't stop me from trying to work on challenges like reducing post-harvest losses [3] and promoting agro-forestry projects (I'm also big into forestry issues). I also like to work on projects related to energy and the environment. I have a habit of talking endlessly about producing charcoal from agricultural waste [4], but I'm also interested in cookstoves, lighting systems and human-powered devices. And in order to address the practical side of projects, I spend a lot of time thinking about business development and whether a project could actually turn into a viable business (I have the nasty habit of being a bit too frank when people describe their project to me and I see a gaping hole). And of course, most of my work actually overlaps several of these sectors (e.g. a bicycle-powered corn sheller [5] is energy, agriculture and business development). I'm interested in health projects, but most of the time I'm out of my depth there. I don't have nearly as much passion for housing and building technologies or transportation and mobility. It's not to say that I'm not interested in those sectors, only that my passion is stronger for the above sectors. Finally, I have deep respect for people who successfully run a social program or behavior change project, though I hold them to very high standards. I only have minimal experience working in this sector, but I've seen projects where the people leading the program assume that this is a quick and easy task and may end up harming or exploiting their intended "beneficiaries". Social programs are especially difficult to scale because replicating a successful program, even in a nearby community can be an abysmal failure for countless reasons. [1] The exception is when it comes to information and communication technologies. I spent a semester learning Java, but in general, programming goes way over my head, and I'm happy to leave it that way. [2] Yep, pun intended. [3] This is a huge problem in many places. A Tanzanian farmer will lose an average of 20-25% of his or her harvest between the fields and selling it at the market. [4] http://practicalaction.org/fuel-from-the-fields-charcoal-from-agricultural-waste [5] http://gcstz.com
        • skillsLanguages: English, Swahili (conversational), Spanish (conversational), French (rudimentary) Jack of all trades, master of none. Experience in education, business (start-up), grant-writing, research, wood and metal working, and electrical systems. Lived in Kenya and Tanzania with additional experience in India, Ghana, Uganda and Zambia
        • bioI was born and raised in Oak Park, IL (just outside of Chicago). In high school, I split my time between technical theatre and math club. I graduated from MIT in 2008 where I majored in math and physics and had a minor in history. At MIT, I worked at the Public Service Center as an events coordinator (CityDays, Giving Tree and Science Expo) and then as a Service Learning Assistant. I also worked as a math tutor and physics TA and was involved in my dorm as an associate advisor, dorm government and service organization. In summer of 2007, I received a fellowship from MISTI to implement a TB awareness curriculum in a rural primary school in India and in January of 2008, I traveled to Ghana with D-Lab. After graduating, I joined the Peace Corps to teach math and science in a rural secondary school in Kenya. I am working on a project for Global Cycle Solutions (http://gcstz.com) to assess the impact that we've had on customers since 2010. I am also working to develop a non-profit organization where people can learn the design process and have the opportunity to become inventors (http://aisetanzania.tumblr.com). And I work on the International Development Design Summit (http://iddsummit.org), which holds annual technology conferences that bring together people from all over the world to address local challenges (I helped organize the events in 2008 at MIT, 2010 at Colorado State and 2011 in Ghana). And in my spare time, I play ultimate Frisbee with my friends.
        • organizationGlobal Cycle Solutions / AISE Tanzania / International Development Design Summit
        • countryTanzania
        • province
        • cityArusha
        • glocation
        • lat0
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        • linkedinhttp://http://tz.linkedin.com/in/danielmokmad
        • twitter
        • facebook
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  • 4
    • Problem
      • id69
      • description<p><strong>Problem:</strong> <br />Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh is one of the world&rsquo;s most densely populated cities. Due to lack of infrastructure, knowledge for proper method, technological assistance as well as socio-economic barriers, this city lacks an efficient garbage management system. <br /><br />Occasionally social workers and organizations working on environmental issues raised their voices about this neglected problem but with the outburst soon faded away. The air and environment already polluted by vehicles with old engines and no catalytic converters is further being polluted by the gas these wastes release. Garbage is clogging the roads and blocking the drains thus turning the road and the pipelines into more trafficked pathways. Infectious and contagious diseases are gaining pace, affecting more and more people with time. <br /><img style="float: right; margin: 5px;" src="http://globalchallenge.mit.edu/uploads/image/filename/dhaka_small.jpg" alt="Dhaka Image" width="185" height="185" /><br /><br /><strong>Context</strong>: <br />In Dhaka garbage is everywhere. Garbage is by the road, around the parks, by the rivers and lakes, inside the trash cans, outside the trash cans, around the grocery shops, beside the kindergartens and surrounding the playgrounds. It is by the main roads or on the main roads. <br /><br />Specific locations for dumping the garbage is either not present in a region or are not properly used. People have not yet grown proper awareness about keeping the city clean. Often they do not store the waste till finding a dustbin which is because of the lack of awareness. In public parks, schools or university campuses, distance between two trash cans is so large that people usually do not walk all the way to throw a banana peel or a used tissue. Lack of awareness and lack of service have together worsened the condition. <br /><img style="margin: 5px; float: right; border: 0.1px solid black;" src="http://globalchallenge.mit.edu/uploads/image/filename/dhaka_small2.jpg" alt="Waste Seen in Dhaka" width="287" height="287" /><br />According to the recent consensus ran in 2011, the population density of Dhaka is 8,111 inhabitants/ km2, the total number of households is 2,791,600 and the population is 4672900. The garbage collection system of the city is very meager. It is very common for the dwellers of Dhaka city to throw their garbage through the window regardless the location of where it will drop. The lack of garbage pits in the vicinity is to blame. The municipality is failing to remove the waste that is being formed at the households and the roadsides. Garbage is being dumped and not removed; as a result it&rsquo;s accumulating everywhere. <br /><br />Additionally, the garbage that is collected is not managed. To the most, this garbage is thrown in an enormous garbage pit at the outskirts of the city and left untreated. The dirt-bins found here and there in the city often overflow and as people are not conscious enough, they throw garbage around the bins rather than in. The garbage collectors worsen the situation because they are neither well-trained nor well-equipped to do it in an organized manner. The city lacks infrastructure to manage the waste. It is inexplicably essential to find an organized procedure to collect and process the waste and clean the city up. <br /><br />Currently a private organization called Waste Concern (<a href="http://www.wasteconcern.org/">http://www.wasteconcern.org/</a>) is working on this issue but their projects are still small-scale and not widespread.</p> <p><br /><strong>Potential Solutions: </strong></p> <ol> <li>Garbage collection mechanism has to be improved by devising the collectors with better tools. By improving the tools and methods the collectors use, the quality and social acceptance of the job can be heightened. </li> <li>An environment-friendly and cost efficient method of garbage disposal system has to be developed that is particularly effective in a city like Dhaka. Garbage incinerating machines could be designed or a different method of destroying the garbage could be invented. </li> <li>Many countries around the world recycle a large amount of waste. A similar recycling system could be implemented to treat garbage in Dhaka. </li> <li>Social awareness should be grown among people by forming an outreach program that draws attention of people and give them the necessary information. </li> </ol> <p><strong>How can MIT help:</strong></p> <ol> <li><em>Inventing a method:</em> developing an environment-friendly and cost-efficient method of garbage disposal system. </li> <li><em>Designing a device:</em> designing the equipment and tools required to implement the method invented. This includes both the equipment for collecting and processing garbage. </li> <li><em>Scheming about an effective public awareness program: </em>preparing a program to grow awareness among people about keeping city clean. </li> </ol> <p><br /><strong>How to help? </strong></p> <ol> <li>Post ideas and resources below</li> <li>Email the author</li> <li>Spread the word about this challenge to your networks: http://globalchallenge.mit.edu/problems/view/69</li> </ol> <p><br />Reference: 1. <a href="http://www.bbs.gov.bd/webtestapplication/userfiles/image/BBS/PHC2011Preliminary%20Result.pdf">http://www.bbs.gov.bd/webtestapplication/userfiles/image/BBS/PHC2011Preliminary%20Result.pdf</a></p>
      • created2012-12-12 22:47:18
      • modified2012-12-12 22:47:00
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      • titleClean Up! Developing a Waste Collection System in Dhaka, Bangladesh
      • published2013-01-08
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      • id24335
      • usernameurmiti@mit.edu
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      • created2012-11-17 23:25:23
      • modified2013-01-13 08:49:27
      • first_nameTamanna Islam
      • last_nameUrmi
      • birthday(null)
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      • courseUndecided
      • grad_year2016-01-01
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        • created2012-11-17 23:25:24
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        • areas_of_interestI am interested just about too many things but not equally passionate for each of them. I love music, I like to sing, I like to wake up in the morning and spend time in the just-woken nature. My stronger interests also include: genetics, problem solving, digital media, psychology, mathematics, bringing about changes in the world and society (in the area of education and environment currently), going beyond typical ideas and presenting new thoughts.
        • skillsI think I have a good organizing skill and a determination of tackling challenges. Hopefully in a few months I will learn programming. I am quite outspoken and enthusiastic. I can be a good teammate and probably a considerably goo leader as well (well, that was self-promoting).
        • bioJust an ordinary human being from Bangladesh who is extremely willing to alleviate the problems gripping the country. I am a student in MIT class of 2016. Right now I am looking forward to studying Computer Science and Biology.
        • organization
        • countryUnited States of America
        • provinceMassachusetts
        • cityCambridge
        • glocation7 Willow Street, Boston, MA 02108, USA
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        • twitter
        • facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/tamanna.i.urmi
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  • 5
    • Problem
      • id42
      • description<h3>Problem</h3> <p>Although Lakka Peninisular is very closed to the Guma Valley Dam along the peninsular of Western Rural Area in Sierra Leone, water distribution in the community and nearby towns is relatively poor.</p> <h3>Context</h3> <p>Poor water distribution is due to the circuit of pipe connections. There are many pipes connected from the main pipe carrying water to households that can afford the cost of purchasing required plumbing materials, labour cost and registration with the Guma Valley Water Company with head office in the city. Households which can not afford the cost of such connections are left with no option but to break some of the connected pipes or to use nearby hydrants to fetch water. And these class of households are in the majority as the community is relatively poor and in transition.</p> <p>The situation is also the same for electricity distribution as there are few or no poles installed by the National Electricity Authority. The few rich households in the community utilised electricity from generators or in rare cases from batteries. In addition, feeder roads are non-existence and sewage system of waste management is relatively poor. Few households in the community can afford a flush toilet. The vast majority of households in the community used pit latrines which are poorly constructed and located haphazardly.</p> <h3>Solution</h3> <p>The solution to all theses problems will begin with a coordinated planning in which the water company, electricity authority and other stakeholders are engage so that a singular piping system is connected whereby households can jus take from a close feed. Also, electricity transmission poles should be installed along the main road and within the community to allow households to connect easily.</p> <h3>How Can MIT Help?</h3> <p>MIT can contribute by providing funds, materials and technical expertise to ensure the implementation of the coordinated plan.</p>
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      • titleSanitation, Electricity and Water Distribution in the Lakka Peninsular Community.
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      • first_nameOsman
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        • id12591
        • name
        • created2011-04-20 11:36:46
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        • areas_of_interestcollection of social and economic statistics; exploration of alternative solutions to the problems of over population, poverty, hunger and diseases; reading of socio-political literatures, economic development theories and analysis; solving of maths problems; meeting with friends, discussing with them on a wide range of issues;
        • skillsa trained statistician with an heavy bias in mathematics and the United Nations of system of National Accounts; I am a researcher and teacher also;
        • biocurrently employed as a statistician at SSL; taught maths for 15 to 16 years at the Prince of Wales school; holds a BSc in education/mathematics and an MSc in statistics from Njala College, University of Sierra Leone;
        • organizationStatistics Sierra Leone (SSL)
        • countryRepublic of Sierra Leone, West Africa
        • provinceLakka Peninsular, Western Rural Area
        • cityFreetown
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        • linkedinOsman Awoto SOLTANI-KOROMA
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  • 6
    • Problem
      • id38
      • description<p><strong>Problem</strong></p> <p>The lack of logistics supply chain committed to the principles of biotrade, creates a gap between the strength for sustainability achieved in production and the pollution and waste generated by the international physical distribution process.</p> <p><strong>Context</strong></p> <p>Having recognized the importance of our nation in the context of global sustainability and having acknowledged indicators about the velocity of global biodiversity extinction, we require efforts to reduce rely on the generation of productive schemes in the affected areas or represent an axis to promote biotrade use. Overall both are a commitment to poverty reduction with a line of sustainable business and sustainable projects in agriculture, timber, non timber and ecotourism. Attend this offer requires adapting current logistical structures to the characteristics of these industries in order to continue their efforts to permeate the logistics processes with those principles and build a biotrade business line from origin to destination.</p> <p><strong>Solutions</strong></p> <p>Elements of a successful solution could include:</p> <ol> <li>Structuring a supply chain for biotrade industry</li> <li>Logistics centers to biotrade: Training, advice and logistics services provider to small bio-business entrepreneur.</li> <li>Colombian distribution hub to bio-products in certain countries.</li> </ol> <p><strong>How MIT Can Help</strong></p> <ol> <li>Getting buyers of biotrade to develop a chain to ensure compliance with its principles and the consolidation of demand to strengthen the sustainability of small and medium entrepreneurs in biotrade products.</li> <li>Develop an international exhibition that promotes a single stage to biotrade products and raise the importance of diversity and the use of more efficient distribution channels and less polluting to consolidate a supply chain of biotrade.</li> <li>Develop financial products to support biotrade to promote the responsible use and enterprise of our biodiversity resources.</li> <li>Promote the development of a multilingual biotrade video game on child-level for the early recognition of biodiversity and commitment to its strategic management.</li> </ol>
      • created2011-03-08 15:58:14
      • modified2011-03-08 15:58:00
      • contestyear0000-00-00
      • user_id3055
      • titleLogistic Systems for the Biotrade for Regions of Colombia
      • published2011-04-01
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    • User
      • id3055
      • usernameleonardo.holguin@correo.ean.edu.co
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      • created2011-03-07 11:37:16
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      • first_nameLeonardo
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        • id3055
        • name
        • created2011-03-07 11:37:16
        • modified2011-03-17 20:15:22
        • user_id3055
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        • areas_of_interestHousing and Transportation International Trade
        • skillsHobbies: Read, and play football. I´m a lecturer in international trade. I enjoy being in college and in the farms to talk to people. I have a passion to learn and help solve problems of the regions of my country, especially in Caquetá, , where there is great potential for development of biotrade.
        • bioI am a researcher of international business issues and want to meet international talent interested in the biotrade around the use of resources and biodiversity of Caquetá, Colombia.
        • organization
        • countryColombia
        • provinceCundinamarca
        • cityBogotá
        • glocationCarrera 11 78 1-99 - Bogotá, Cundinamarca, Colombia
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  • 7
    • Problem
      • id14
      • description<h3>Problem</h3> <p>NM Sadguru Foundation has installed over 9,000 sanitation blocks in the states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, in India. In surveying the communities where these blocks were installed they noticed that very few people were actually using the toilets. Sadguru is interested in developing community level incentives to increase toilet usage. They are interested in exploring technologies and business structures that would allow communities to turn their waste into energy or products.</p> <h3>Context</h3> <p>Sadguru works in over 550 villages in western India to provide access to water and to promote responsible water usage. The area is marked by drought and extreme seasonal weather which has made economic development difficult for these isolated tribal communities. The sanitation blocks installed by Sadguru were part of a federal government initiative. Most villagers in this area are not using the sanitation blocks because they do not perceive a direct value to doing so over simply defecating outdoors. This ad-hoc defecation leads to pollution of local water sources and to a slew of health problems through exposure to human feces.</p> <p>Recently, Sadguru has partnered with community leaders and the national government to provide village level water tanks in several villages. They are currently working to link this system to village sponsored toilets, with the hope that providing water on site will encourage villagers to use the toilets. However, Sadguru sees the development of an additional community incentive to use the toilets, as well as a mechanism to pay for their construction and maintenance, as essential to installing this system.</p> <p>Sadguru is looking for technology based business solutions that would allow the community to turn the waste collected in the sanitation block in energy or products. They are open to a variety of solutions, from bio-gas collectors, to compost or protein based feed-stock creation, to use of biological agents to convert waste to energy to other emerging technologies.</p> <h3>Solution parameters</h3> <p>Sadguru is looking for technologies and businesses that meet the following criteria:</p> <p>1) Local production: All components can be constructed using local skills and materials</p> <p>2) Community ownership: Business models that incentivize the entire community to contribute</p> <p>3) Low cost: Systems must pay for installation in less than six months</p> <h3>How Can MIT help</h3> <p>1) Research appropriate technologies for converting human waste into energy or products</p> <p>2) Prototype a select technology on-site and document its economic potential</p> <p>3) Develop a business model to support this technology&rsquo;s application</p> <h3>Resources</h3> <p>NM Sadguru Website: <a href="http://www.nmsadguru.org/">http://www.nmsadguru.org/</a></p>
      • created2010-11-04 13:46:56
      • modified2010-11-04 13:46:00
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      • user_id2174
      • titleIncentivize indoor sanitation through waste-based business
      • published2010-11-04
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      • first_nameRamsey
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        • areas_of_interestDesign, Economic Development, Social Impact Design, Education
        • skillsVisual communication in 2D and 3D, Creative Problem Solving, User Research, Project Management
        • bioRamsey is a founder of the non-profit Design Impact, a organization connects design to underserved populations through long-term social sector partnerships. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Design and has worked as a consultant designer for the past 8 years.
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  • 8
    • Problem
      • id13
      • description<p><em>This problem has been defined by the World Bank country office in partnership with local actors. For more information, email globalchallenge [at] mit [dot] edu.</em></p> <h3>Problem</h3> <p>In very simple terms, the issue is to improve the efficiency cooking process in Ethiopia.</p> <h3>Context</h3> <p>For this particular exercise, we will narrow down this problem significantly,</p> <ol> <li>We will look at electric stoves only, which are primarily used to bake injera, the Ethiopian bread </li> <li>Ethiopia must have about 500,000 electric injera baking stoves, most of them for residential use. Other injera baking stoves in the country (17 million) are primarily woodfuel - we are dealing with those separately </li> <li>Those stoves are energy inefficient - installed capacity of 3.5-4 kW each, bulky, large thermal inertia, used to produce small batches a few times a week, mostly for household use.&nbsp; They are all resistive, and most have no thermostats </li> <li>In addition to being energy inefficient, baking habits tend to concentrate use of injera during peak hours (to some extent part of peak is driven by the coincidence factor of those devices).. There seems to be room for demand side management - e.g. via ripple control. </li> </ol> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Solution</h3> <p>Some ideas we have brainstormed:</p> <ol> <li>How to make those devices more efficient - a local entrepreneur developed a prototype of electromagnetic induction stove - which seems to be promising, but has not been tested independently and initial results have not been fully satisfactory. If produced in China, the cost estimate would be US$ 100 per stove - that is, equivalent to a traditional stove used today. </li> <li>Batch production in larger scale - it happens with the institutional market in Ethiopia. Even using the same stoves, it saves energy on a per injera basis (set up time spread among a large number of injera). However, this would require a change in customer's habits - which is something that we are planning to address later. </li> <li>Continuous production in large scale - it requires access to a new technology and new customer habits. Ethiopians in DC buy injeras in super-markets and they are manufactured locally through a patented continuos machine. For the time being let's not consider this option. </li> <li>The DSM issue could be addressed by installing a ripple control as part of the design of the new injera electromagnetic induction stove - customers would participate of the DSM program on an opt-in basis, in exchenge for some rebate (regulatory issues to be considered later) </li> </ol> <h3>How can MIT help?</h3> <p>We expect that the MIT contribution could include the following elements</p> <ol> <li>Proof of concept - is electromagnetic stove a better technology for this particular application? </li> <li>Designing a cost effective&nbsp; injera stove, with advantages over the traditional model (size, features, aesthetics, energy efficiency) </li> <li>Consider different technologies for built-in DSM device, as part of the original design or as a stand alone unit (for existing stoves). Analysis of costs. </li> <li>Produce a few pilots and develop a field test </li> <li>Make a final proposal </li> </ol>
      • created2010-10-21 21:37:27
      • modified2010-10-21 21:37:00
      • contestyear2010-10-21
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      • titleDesigning A Better Cook Stove to Reduce Energy Consumption in Ethiopia
      • published2010-10-25
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    • User
      • id9
      • usernamelhtorres@mit.edu
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      • created2010-03-10 20:45:27
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      • first_nameLars
      • last_nameHasselblad Torres
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        • id9
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        • created2010-03-10 20:45:27
        • modified2011-01-14 08:51:33
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        • areas_of_interestI'm an artist and educator with an entrepreneurial heart and the curiosity of a public scholar. My areas of interest are out of school learning, the arts, democratic governance, and urban growth - with a smattering of international affairs and non-profit management. I've helped to found several organizations in Washington, DC including a non-profit public advocacy organization, a public school, an arts gallery as well as an international artists network and resource. I drink my fill from http://www.parkettart.com, http://www.grist.org and http://www.foreignpolicy.com. When I'm not attending to the Global Challenge I'm likely to be found in Vermont, enjoying family, friends, and garden.
        • skillsLet's chat about it over coffee.
        • bioBorn in California, raised in Seattle. My salad days spent in West Africa. Attended San Diego City College, University of Southern California, the Corcoran School of Art and the School for International Training. Helped to start the non profit AmericaSpeaks, an art gallery in Washington, DC, and the Booker T. Washington Public Charter School for Technical Arts. Working on getting a global youth engagement and arts initiative off the ground these days called the Global Peace Tiles Project (www.peacetiles.net)
        • organizationMIT
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  • 9
    • Problem
      • id10
      • description<h3>Aakash Ganga &ndash; &ldquo;River from the Sky&rdquo;: A Water Catchment and Distribution System for Rural India</h3> <p><em>Sustainable Innovations (SI) is a non-profit working to bring social innovations to western India in the areas of water access and door-to-door health services. SI has invited MIT students to think with them to harvest rainwater at extremely low cost.&nbsp; Sustainable Innovations has won the Lemelson-MIT award for sustainability, Energy Globe World Award for water, and World Bank grants for social innovations.</em><br /><br /></p> <h3>Problem</h3> <p>In absence of groundwater and surface water, rural villages in western India are counting on rainwater for their daily supply of drinking water.&nbsp; The challenge is: Conceive and prototype an extremely low-cost rainwater catchment and storage mechanism for rainwater. <br /><br /></p> <h3>Context</h3> <p>NASA reported that western states of India, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab, pumped 26 cubic miles of groundwater during 2002 - 2008. The pumping rate outpaced the natural recharge rate. In other words, that water is lost forever.&nbsp; At this rate of groundwater exploitation, the region may not have enough drinking water in the next two decades.&nbsp; Ominously, several cities and towns get water for an hour every other day.</p> <p>Sustainable Innovations is working to address this challenge by harvesting rooftop rainwater in rural villages of western India. The current approach provides 10 &ndash; 12 liters of drinking water per person per day.&nbsp; The average population of a village is 2500 &ndash; 3000. The roof surface is not large enough to capture sufficient rainwater to last for 10 months. The captured rainwater is stored in underground reservoirs made of bricks, stone, iron, and cement.&nbsp; The materials account for 70% - 80% of the system cost.&nbsp; Sustainable Innovations is deploying innovations in technology, social sciences, and enterprise processes to perfect its signature rainwater harvesting system, called Aakash Ganga or River from Sky.<br /><br /></p> <h3>Solution Parameters</h3> <p>The terrain around these villages is arid or sandy, and daytime temperatures regularly approach 115 degrees. Rainfall is low ― 10&ndash;20 inches during the monsoon season, which lasts 45-60 days. &ndash; and there is no surface runoff. Typically, the rest of the year remains dry.<br />The challenges for wide spread adoption of Aakash Ganga, rainwater harvesting, are:</p> <ul> <li>Catchment &ldquo;rooftop&rdquo; surface. Solutions should for affordable at a few cents per square foot, covering as much as 100,000 square feet, modularly. The surface should be removable ie folded and put away with the ease of an umbrella, or functional for other purposes throughout the year.</li> <li>Scalability is important. The solution should be low-cost and easy to adapt or tailor the solution to suit the requirements of villages, towns, and urban areas, taking into account variable terrains and rainfall levels.</li> <li>Social enterprise model. Attract social venture funds to invest in the program, help government formulate public policy for rural drinking water, extend to urban areas. </li> </ul> <h3>How can MIT help?</h3> <p>Students across the university are invited to consider innovations in the following areas:</p> <ul> <li>Prototype Design: Design and build a prototype of the catchment surface or &ldquo;rooftop&rdquo; that meets the requirements stated above. &nbsp;</li> <li>Social enterprise &ndash; define a business model that balances local leadership and ownership with community empowerment, participation, and equity.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Resources</h3> <ul> <li>For background on the water situation in India, see the Grail Research report, &ldquo;Water &ndash; The India Story&rdquo;<br />http://www.grailresearch.com/pdf/ContenPodsPdf/Water-The_India_Story.pdf</li> <li>For more information about the Aakash Ganga initiative, please visit Sustainable Innovations:<br />http://www.sustainableinnovations.us/akashganga/</li> </ul> <p>For more information about this problem and ways to work with Sustainable Innovations, please contact:</p> <p>Mr. BP Agrawal<br />Sustainable Innovations<br />bpagrawal@cox.net<br /><br /></p>
      • created2010-09-07 10:18:21
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      • titleA Water Catchment and Distribution System for Rural India
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  • 10
    • Problem
      • id9
      • description<h3>Problem</h3> <p>The availability of timely and accurate information about the situation on the ground - to search and rescue teams, medics, relief workers - in the hours and days following a disaster is complicated by difficulties of volume, validity, and coordination.</p> <ul> <li>Volume: The growing availability of crowd sourcing tools such as SMS (or "texting") in the hands of the public means there is greater point-of-source outbound traffic. At the same time, more people are more connected through wireless and Internet connections, meaning the "noise to signal" ratio in post-disaster situations tends to increase rapidly.</li> <li>Validity: It is very difficult to rapidly assess and describe the factual accuracy of real-time, in-bound information during a post-disaster situation due to problems of volume, ambiguity, and breakdown of infrastructure that often follows a large-scale disaster.</li> <li>Coordination: In a post-crisis situation there are often so many actors on the ground, putting valid and reliable information to work on the ground is often stymied by questions of who does what, reporting, and duplication of effort.</li> </ul> <h3>Context</h3> <p>From <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowdsourcing">Wikepedia</a>: "Crowdsourcing is the act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee or <a title="Independent contractor" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_contractor">contractor</a>, to a large group of people or community (a <a title="Crowd" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crowd">crowd</a>), through an open call." While it has been used as a method of support following disasters in the past (for example, helping to identify victims and survivors in the wake of Katrina), it wasn't until the Haiti earthquake of 2010 that the power of crowdsourcing as a method to impact relief work was fully demonstrated.</p> <p>In the hours and days that followed the Haiti earthquake, a clearer picture of the scale of human and physical destruction emerged. With the clock ticking on survivability - for victims buried under rubble, requiring urgent medical care, seeking counseling, or in need of food, clothing, and shelter - many technology experts saw an opportunity to close the information gap between needs and services through crowdsourcing. Many relief workers were - and continue to be today - relunctant to use this information, questioning its reliability and validity, as well as uncertain of who should be acting on the information and how to avoid duplication of action.</p> <p>Nonetheless, an extraordinary story has been demonstrated, and the opportunity to improve data collection, verification, communication, and coordination across key first response agencies exists.</p> <h3>Solution</h3> <p>Develop a scalable method for reliably validating crowd-sourced emergency data and improving the coordination of response based on that data. Solutions to this problem should be:</p> <ul> <li>Able to produce a demonstrable improvement in the quality and usefulness of information available to relief workers</li> <li>Reliable, providing timely and accurate information that relief workers value over time</li> <li>Responsive to users in near real-time - sources, validators, and executors who can put reliable information to use effectively</li> <li>Simple, emphasize information and knowledge over form and display</li> <li>Extensible in the sense that contributions can be marked up (tagged, coded) in ways that improve the value of any single asset</li> <li>Resilient to hacking attacks, unreliable power situations, and telecom service disruptions</li> <li>Scalable, enabling deployment across multiple crisis situations and accessible by growing numbers of users</li> <li>Open source, benefitting from iterative improvements contributed by users</li> </ul> <h3>Additional resources</h3> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/01/military-may-crowdsource-haiti-relief/">Military May Crowdsource Haiti Relief.</a> Wired, January 22, 2010</li> <li><a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/03/how-crowdsourcing-helped-haiti.html">How Crowdsourcing Helped Haiti's Relief Efforts.</a> O'Reilly Radar, March 11, 2010</li> <li><a href="http://irevolution.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/sms-disaster-response/">Ushaidi and the Unprecedented Role of SMS in Disaster Response.</a> iRevolution, February 20, 2010</li> </ul> <h3>Key Actors</h3> <ul> <li style="text-align: left;">Ushaidi</li> <li>Swift River</li> <li>Crowdflower</li> <li>Emergency Information Service (EIS)</li> <li>Innovative Support to Diseases, Emergencies, and Disasters (InSTEDD)</li> <li>Communications for Disaster Affected Populations (CDAC)</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Contact</strong></h3> <p><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://globalchallenge.mit.edu/profiles/view/330"><span style="font-size: small;">Patrick Meier</span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Director of Crisis Mapping<br /> and Strategic Partnerships<br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: #0000ff;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.Ushahidi.com"><span style="font-size: small;">http://www.Ushahidi.com</span></a></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br /></span></span></p>
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