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Wildfire escape routes? There's (almost) an app for that.

Krista Langlois

May 23, 2019 |

High Country News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Durango, Colorado

Scientists and engineers in Colorado are developing an app that can help firefighters determine the safest routes to safety during wildfires. The app, currently in development, was created with data from another trail and hike tracking app and applied to analyze how long it would take a firefighter – given their unique equipment and uniforms – to escape wildfire.

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During Ramadan, virtual spaces help stave off the loneliness for some Muslims

Aysha Khan

May 23, 2019 |

Religion News Service |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Digital platforms can provide a space for those living apart from their religious communities to affirm their identity. From hash tags to online academies, Muslims who otherwise would not have regular access to a mosque or religious network are creating their own communities online. During Ramadan, the communities offer support and allow people to break their fasts with others.

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New Orleans Uses Tech to Consolidate 911 and 311 Systems

Zack Quaintance

May 17, 2019 |

Government Technology |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

Low-code applications assist in modernizing governmental software systems. A development platform that allows people who have little coding experience to easily digitize processes has allowed New Orleans and the Orleans Parish Communication District to streamline their 911 and 311 services, allowing citizens to track information and engage with government agencies more transparently.

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What if we hired for skills, not degrees?

Lawrence Lanahan

May 04, 2019 |

The Hechinger Report |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

A growing number of companies are eliminating the phrase "bachelor's degree required" from their job postings. The Hechinger Report explores how companies such as Houghton Mifflin have shifted their hiring practices in recent years to emphasize applicants' skills rather than degrees with help from organizations like Resilient Coders, which offer software engineering and web development bootcamps for people of color.

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Can Scientists, Entrepreneurs, And The Private Sector Come Together To Save Sharks?

Melissa Cristina Márquez

April 29, 2019 |

Forbes |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Bahamas

The research group, Beneath the Waves, is cultivating cross-sector collaborations with nonprofits, scientists, and individual philanthropists in order to better study the movements and patterns of sharks in the Bahamas. What has typically been a challenging task has been made possible through the use of acoustic tags, which can provide researchers insight into ocean ecosystems and thus conservation. Such initiatives are part of a larger trend of bringing together private donors, nonprofits, and ocean scientists to bolster marine science and conservation efforts.

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How Technology Could Revolutionize Refugee Resettlement

Krishnadev Calamur

April 26, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

To help place refugees in cities, a new software program called "Annie" is sifting through large amounts of data and using its algorithm to make suggestions for where refugees are "most likely to be welcomed and find success."While the program is still in its preliminary stages, the idea of using data and an algorithm to help place refugees is gaining stream internationally.

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Anyone Who Needs Help Seeing Has 2 Million Pairs of Eyes Available With This App

Monica Humphries

April 17, 2019 |

NationSwell |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Denmark

Using the camera of a smartphone, individuals who are blind or visually impaired can receive quick and easy help from volunteers. The Danish company, Be My Eyes uses a smartphone application to connect those who are blind or visually impaired to an international network of sighted volunteers ready to assist. The on-demand access to assistance provides visually impaired individuals with more independence in their daily lives.

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Tech for Turnout

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

April 17, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Illinois

High tech tools offer low cost ways to reach many voters and mobilize turnout, especially in mid term elections. From applications that allow campaigns to deliver personal text messages to hundreds of people at once, to new digital platforms for online polling and campaign management, many of the successful campaigns launched across the country during and after 2016 have leveraged these tech innovations to engage with voters.

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How Drones and GPS Are Helping Indigenous People in Ecuador Save the Amazon

Kimberley Brown

April 16, 2019 |

Pacific Standard |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Ecuador

The indigenous Cofan community in Ecuador, battling miners and other seeking to use their ancestral land, have a new tool to fight them: mapping. By working with non-profits who trained locals to use data and GPS technology, the Cofan now map the environmental resources worth protecting. They are using this data to make the case for why the land should stay in their hands.

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Six years later: Learning from the deadly West fertilizer plant explosion

Erin Cargile

April 16, 2019 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, West, Texas

Following a deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant, cities in Texas are taking preventative measures. Emergency Management Specialists have updated and are employing software that tracks hazardous material storage in facilities around the state and generates disaster scenarios. The software can be used in real-time by firefighters and other emergency responders on their way to the scene.

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