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Field Notes

Inspiring content from across OpenIDEO & IDEO's other work.

Oct 18th 2011
Amnesty Challenge Tech Showcase

Our Amnesty Challenge is all about using technology to support human rights in the face of unlawful detention. But what do we mean by technology? The incredibly diverse collection of inspirations from our first phase have shown us that technology can take many forms, from social media and RFID to low-tech morse code and even pigeons!

So, in addition to the Themes we've created to help guide your ideas (which you can find in our Concepting phase), we also want to give you a jumping off point in terms of the technologies to consider when thinking about concepts. Here are just a few types of technologies to start things off:

Crowdmapping

Tapping into the power of the crowd to map incidents and locations means information collected on anything from radiation levels to local resources, plus individuals can report from the field via their mobile. Jason's inspiration Crowdmap is a great example.

Information Visualisation

Making information visual is also about making it more understandable. Insights can be gleaned by arranging data in new ways, representing important elements with colours and shapes. Haiyan's Visualising Social Media Influence speaks to this.

Mobile Apps

Having the power of the web at your fingertips can sometimes mean the right assistance or knowledge at just the right moment. For individuals affected by unlawful detention, it can also mean utilising location-based technologies like GPS. Check out Julie's early ideas on the topic.

Crowdsourcing

We’ve seen with many inspirations that the crowd is a powerful force in pooling knowledge and resources. How could we tap into the power of the collective, like in Frances' inspiration, to help us further the cause of the unlawfully detained?

Games

Sometimes the best way to engage and educate is through play, as Tomoe suggests in this post. In a game we become empathetic to the characters and situation, while becoming immersed in new worlds.

Social Media

Social media has proven its ability to broadcast and rebroadcast message in a rapid manner, as Sarah explained in her inspiration. How can we take these learnings and create new tools for human rights?

Peer-2-Peer

In places where the Internet may not be available or censored, the power of peer-2-peer networks can mimic its functions. Peer-2-peer networking can create a giant mesh of nodes that extends across a large landscape, as Laci describes here.

Augmented Reality

New mobile technologies can give us augmented reality views of our space, annotating buildings and locations with added information. Could augmented reality tell an alternate story about where you are, as Sina's inspiration suggests?

Text Messaging

When working in locations where advanced technology may not be that readily available, texting presents one opportunity to reach a wide audience in a not-so-technical way, as Anne-Laure describes in her post.

Low-Tech

When we think of technology, images of apps, websites or simulations may come to mind. But as we saw in the Inspiration phase, technology can mean morse code, pigeons, or even rats! David's inspiration hints at some low-tech solutions that can help support human rights.

These represent just a small selection of technologies we have seen emerge in the Inspiration phase of the Amnesty Challenge. What did we miss? Feel free to add any ideas in the comments section. And don't forget to head over to Concepting to share your ideas to use these technologies and others to support human rights around the world.

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Alejandro Marin

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November 17, 2011, 02:58PM

Awesome repository of technologies. There's one that we all kind of left out of picture, and may actually be a key integrator of all other technologies: Artificial Intelligence.

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Field Notes

Inspiring content from across OpenIDEO & IDEO's other work.

Recent blog entries

Oct 18th 2011
Amnesty Challenge Tech Showcase

Crowdmapping

Information Visualisation

Mobile Apps

Crowdsourcing

Games

Social Media

Peer-2-Peer

Augmented Reality

Text Messaging

Low-Tech

Comments

Alejandro Marin

Manage this entry

Where people design better, together

Field Notes

Inspiring content from across OpenIDEO & IDEO's other work.

Recent blog entries

Oct 18th 2011 Amnesty Challenge Tech Showcase

Crowdmapping

Information Visualisation

Mobile Apps

Crowdsourcing

Games

Social Media

Peer-2-Peer

Augmented Reality

Text Messaging

Low-Tech

Comments

Alejandro Marin

Manage this entry

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Oct 18th 2011
Amnesty Challenge Tech Showcase