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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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....
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,...
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....