e-Science & Environment, 2009
SAVE THE HILLS
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
SaveTheHills (STH) is a registered Kalimpong based NGO working towards raising awareness about landslides in the Darjeeling / Sikkim Himalayas. After its inception in September 2007, STH took up the challenge of sensitizing the affected communities, government and media to this hazard utilizing the tremendous power and reach of the Internet. Their blog has a worldwide audience and is viewed by scientists, students and ordinary people the world over. STH also functions as a pressure group, taking up issues such as compensation for land loss due to landslides (especially to farmers), prompt compensation and enhancement thereof for homes which have been lost or damaged by landslides. Thus since its inception, digital technology has been the life blood for SaveTheHills as their entire effort has been wholly based on extensive use of the internet, cell phones/SMS, computers and various associated software.
JUROR’S EVALUATION
Landslides in hilly areas have long been seen as an unavoidable natural occurrence. With the recent spread of the Internet, the new age media of blog was chosen as the vehicle to change the scenario for better. Save the Hills, initiative from Kalimpong, India, has become a virtual authority on landslides prone Himalayan regions of India. It has been enlisted as a world level information house by various global services working on the same issue. Save the Hills meticulously work on collecting all relevant information, linking with local government, and raising the policy issues at the national and international level through web 2.0 social networks especially blog.
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IDEAWICKET OPEN INNOVATION PORTAL
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Ideawicket is India’s first Open Innovation Portal in the private sector. It seeks to connect innovators with innovation seekers. The Ideawicket innovator community is 10,000 strong and hails from top engineering and science programs in India. It includes scientists, designers, academia, entrepreneur innovators and small companies. Ideawicket helps in finding solutions for innovation challenges such as – Design challenge; R&D challenge; Ideation challenge; Methods to improve existing products and processes; Call for lower cost substitutes or techniques and Call for Joint development and collaboration interests.
JUROR’S EVALUATION
Idea Wicket, initiated in New Delhi, India, is essentially a WEB solution to many marketing needs of an increasingly consumerist society. It’s an open platform for anybody who can come up with creative ideas. The power of user generated content is perhaps best exemplified here on IdeaWicket.com. It provides a wicket to bat on, a cricketing phrase, for persons who are full of ideas on innovation, marketing or otherwise. The number of batsmen can be simply unlimited and the results are showing. Have an Idea? Click ideawicket.com.
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PEER WATER EXCHANGE
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The Peer Water Exchange (PWX) encourages increased water project funding and commits funders to encourage others to support this cause. PWX is the first truly participatory decision-making system in the development sector. It allows for large funds to be divided into small projects through peer review and without bureaucracy, while enforcing collaboration and cooperation. Funders can search for high quality water projects that have been pre-approved by experts. Everyone can receive updates on progress and long-term impact. PWX uses mapping and other social internet technologies to showcase the work of all partners, even historical projects. By allowing independent visitors to monitor projects, it allows global participation and increases the resources available for monitoring and evaluation at very low costs to show impact years after project completion.
JUROR’S EVALUATION
Water scenario, particularly drinkable water, is worsening worldwide. There are many experiments being undertaken to make the best use of the water resources from what is left. Peer Water Exchange, based in Bangalore, India, has created web based multimedia exchange platform to share all possible information regarding water – organization doing projects, funding water related initiatives, and even monitoring. Interestingly, all the data on the exchange is generated by the users. If you want to work on water, use the platform to apply for fund and after you get it, put all the info for others to review. Do try!
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BIOTIK
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
The user friendly electronic BIOTIK identikit was developed to identify 528 tree species of Western Ghats, one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. This application was constructed by adopting a graphical interface system called “IDentification Assistée par Ordinateur” (IDAO), which integrates the most recent progress of graphical capabilities of the computers. It was designed as a capacity building and research tool in taxonomy, biodiversity and species conservation. The software also allows easy backtracking of data if any suspicion arises at any stage. So it is a complete tree tracking and conservation package.
JUROR’S EVALUATION
Due to explosion in human population and other related issues, greenery is in grave danger of being completely wiped out. Even in the Western Ghats, which are safely one of the world’s true bio-diversity hotspots. BIOTIK, based in Pondicherry, India, comes as a boon to all biodiversity lovers. It tracks not less than 528 tree species in the endangered regions. It uses a comprehensive software, developed in house, which allows easy back tracking of the trees. Such excellent work in tree conservation is what makes this project unique.
To watch other Manthan Award South Asia 2009 Winners’ Films, Kindly log on to – http://youtube.com/manthanawardtv