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How Drones Can Help in Humanitarian Emergencies

How Drones Can Help in Humanitarian Emergencies

Published on: Dec 07 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on How Drones Can Help in Humanitarian Emergencies
Few technologies have undergone as radical a change as drones. Where five years ago, unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs, or drones, were mainly seen as an instrument...
How to Apply Agile Principles to International Development M&E

How to Apply Agile Principles to International Development M&E

Published on: Dec 05 2016 by Guest Writer - 2 Comments
We all want to be good at our jobs. We want to accomplish the things we set out to do. If we aren’t accomplishing them, we want to figure out why or try new solutions. The...
Do You Eat Your Own ICT4D Dog Food?

Do You Eat Your Own ICT4D Dog Food?

Published on: Nov 30 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on Do You Eat Your Own ICT4D Dog Food?
In software development, there is a term called “eating your own dog food” – meaning using your own software to better understand and address your...
Using Indirect Data for Direct MERL Impact

Using Indirect Data for Direct MERL Impact

Published on: Nov 28 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on Using Indirect Data for Direct MERL Impact
The above example shows how secondary data across 100 hypothetical villages can be integrated so that signals appear within the noise of data, highlighting the...
How to Navigate Open Source Decisions Like a Techie

How to Navigate Open Source Decisions Like a Techie

Published on: Nov 23 2016 by Guest Writer - 1 Comment
Much has been said about the power of open source software for ICT4D, but there’s seemingly little on how to navigate the decisions around how to use, build,...
3 Reasons Why Big Data Should Not Be Open Data

3 Reasons Why Big Data Should Not Be Open Data

Published on: Nov 16 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on 3 Reasons Why Big Data Should Not Be Open Data
Recently, Bill Kedrock wrote that Big Data Needs to be Open Data, based on a presentation by Dr. Debisi Araba at MERLTech 2016. Bill concluded by calling for donors...
How Can We Better Manage Informal Feedback?

How Can We Better Manage Informal Feedback?

Published on: Nov 14 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on How Can We Better Manage Informal Feedback?
Institutional deficits persistently obstruct our ability to ‘close the feedback loop.’ The most valuable community feedback is often given informally or face...
Open Deliver: A Process for Managing Educational Digital Content

Open Deliver: A Process for Managing Educational Digital Content

Published on: Nov 02 2016 by Guest Writer - 12 Comments
  At its most fundamental level, the role of mobile technology within health systems should be to improve access to and sharing of valid health information....
Lessons From a MERL Tech Confessional: It’s All About Assumptions

Lessons From a MERL Tech Confessional: It’s All About Assumptions

Published on: Oct 31 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on Lessons From a MERL Tech Confessional: It’s All About Assumptions
It’s been said that good science is the art of getting less wrong over time. Maybe the same principle applies to the use of technology for monitoring, evaluation,...
How Do We Make Open Data Useful in East Africa?

How Do We Make Open Data Useful in East Africa?

Published on: Oct 26 2016 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on How Do We Make Open Data Useful in East Africa?
“What is the use of open data that makes it relevant for everyone?” This candid question was raised at the East Africa Open Data Fest held in Nairobi in August....