AM11: Ushahidi’s Juliana Rotich
[Cross Posted on the Forum's Main Blog]
Juliana Rotich is a 2011 Technology Pioneer. She is Co-Founder, Ushahidi, South Africa and a Technology Pioneer. You can follow her on twitter @afromusing
In Klaus Schwab's opening remarks at Davos annual meeting, the idea of constructive optimism stood out for me. In the face of immense challenges around the world, the idea that we can get away from rehashing the same old challenges and focus on tangible ways forward is something that I found inspirational.
There are very many sessions, some interactive, some working lunches and dinners where important questions that are global are discussed, noted and included into the pipeline for the agenda of the regional meetings. As someone who is involved with Technology, [Ushahidi is part of the Technology Pioneers program at World Economic Forum] the session on Governing in a New Media Age was a major highlight for me. Questions about the shift in information flow, transparency or the lack of it, wikileaks, the role of civil servants, Gov 2.0 and IT Security were discussed in depth over breakfast. The variety of thoughts and suggestions that will shape the agenda was something I think felt like true constructive optimism. The key people to read regarding these matters were Jeff Jarvis, Clay Shirky, Jonathan Zittrain and JP Rangaswami.
Many of the technology pioneers here at Davos are showing how this can be done. Carol Realini of Obopayis on the forefront of mobile payments, Dr. Andrew Shiermier of Medicine In Need is changing how vaccines are made available using thin films. You can find out more about the incredible tech pioneers of 2011 on the Forum Website.
As one of this year's tech pioneers, Ushahidi is spreading the adoption of its data collection and interactive mapping technology around the world, as it provides a channel for people to create their own narrative; to not only say this is what I see, but this is what can be done. It is how we use transformative and disruptive technologies that has impact on society, and can lead us to be optimistic about changing the state of the world.
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