PlanetRussell.net | Michael J. Russell

Open Government & Innovations Conference (OGI)

I will be liveblogging/livetweeting the Open Government and Innovations Conference (OGI) today.

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Crisis Camp DC: What to Expect

Preparedness. Crisis communications. Resilient communities. International development. Humanitarian aid. If you thought the barcamp/unconference movement was all about kibbitzing with geeky peers over the latest WordPress widgets and open-source software applications, well… you’d be right, actually, but  there’s so much more to talk about when these technologies get put to use in new and novel ways for the greater good, especially when the going gets tough in times of political instability,  natural disasters and more.

I’m looking  forward to participating in both the upcoming CrisisCamp DC event Friday and Saturday, as well as the Ignite presentations event at the World Bank on Friday evening.

When:
Friday, June 12th; Saturday, June 13; and Sunday, June 14th

Where:
The Institute for Politics Democracy & the Internet at George Washington University

So, what exactly is Crisis Camp?

First, it’s a barcamp or unconference event, similar to the recent, successful Government 2.0, Health and Transparency Camp events, so it’s self-organized by the participants – that’s us.

So, who gets to  present… and about what?

You’ll find out when you get there. As will the presenters and co-presenters themselves. Seriously. We’ve/they’ve got ideas for presentations, but ultimately our fellow conference participants themselves decide what topics are of the greatest interest and benefit. It sounds chaotic but quite the opposite is true, actually. It’s real democracy in action and works surprisingly well.

What’s it about …and who’s it for?:

From the organizers:

CrisisCamp will bring together domain experts, developers, and first responders around improving technology and practice for humanitarian crisis management and disaster relief. Each and every day, people across the world can find themselves in crisis. Whether it be for a day, a month or an area of social distress, we all have a common need to connect with loved ones, access information and offer assistance to others.

CrisisCamp DC is part of a global movement who is bringing together volunteers, academia, non-profits, companies and government officials to share best practices and lessons learned to advocate for further use of technology and telecommunications to assist citizens and communities during crisis.

Founded in March 2009 through an impromptu Tweetup at the Government 2.0 Camp, a small band of idealists and innovators gathered together to discuss the idea of a creating a common community through a mash-up of citizen volunteers, crisis response organizations, international humanitarian relief, non-profits and the private sector (especially the technology and telecommunications sectors). Within minutes, CrisisCamp DC was born to unite communities, seek common ground and innovation in the use of technology and mobility during crisis.
CrisisCamp DC inspired volunteers in the United Kingdom to create CrisisCamp UK. Both CrisisCamps will be held Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14, 2009 and will hold live joint sessions to encourage international cooperation and coordination. In addition, there are volunteers from countries such as Canada and Australia will be participating at CrisisCamp through live video chat.

Potential CrisisCamp DC & CrisisCamp UK sessions include breaking down the bifurcation between international humanitarian relief and domestic crisis response, harnessing mobile platforms for social change, the use of social media to connect with citizens/customers during crisis, open source software development and volunteer technical expertise for crisis response and citizen mobilization, alternative telecommunications access and harnessing the crowd to help citizens in crisis with information and throughout the recovery process.

CrisisCamp DC expects over 250 people from across the country to participate in a 2-day “barcamp” style information sharing event being held at George Washington University. In addition, the World Bank will host CrisisCampers for an Ignite session to kick off CrisisCamp DC on Friday, June 12, 2009. To sign up to present at the Ignite Session (20 presentations in 100 minutes) email crisiscommons@gmail.com.

If you’re coming to Washington DC to participate (attend isn’t really the right word for a barcamp), you can expect a mixture of U.S. Government employees – federal, primarily, as well as state and local – especially ones with interest in using social tools and technologies, as well as some welcome guests from outside the continental U.S. (OCONUS, as they say in the military.)

You can also expect public health professionals with an interest in humanitarian relief, epidemiology and biosecurity, as well as emergency preparedness. Expect folks from NGO’s (Non Governmental Organizations) and academia, as well as consultants and vendors the private sector.

More to come…

To learn more:

• Follow @CrisisCamp on Twitter
• CrisisCamp Facebook page
• Crisis Camp on Govloop.com
• Crisis Camp general registration (sold out, but sponsorships still available)
• Crisis Camp Ignite (presentation sessions) registration
• Post by Jesse Robbins about Crisis Camp on O’Reilly Radar

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