humanitarian.info

• Tactical Technology have just released their new publication, Maps for Advocacy: an introduction to Geographical Mapping Techniques (available to order or as a PDF). As always from TT, this is a slick product that focuses on case studies to show what’s possible, touches on all the issues without being overwhelming and should help people to be more effective in using maps.
• Tactical Tech have obviously been very busy, because that’s not all. They’ve just introduced a new pack called Mobile-in-a-box – interesting post by Patrick on the role this package can play for NGOs. Have I mentioned that Patrick’s a great blogger and you should be reading him regularly?
• CartONG held their first Forum on Geomatics for Humanitarian Services to encourage the development of a more effective network of GIS practitioners in the community. A complete report is available (French and English pdfs) and CartONG seem to be committed to following up through UNGIWG, looking at building spatial data infrastructure for camp management.
• MobileActive held their annual textfest in New York – MobileActive08 fully covered at the official blog,  MobileActive’s blog and YouTube channel. As always, the wide-ranging discussion ranged widely, with a panel on Mobiles in Disaster Relief, including this video presentation:

From Katrin Verclas at MobileActive.org:

SANGONeT and MobileActive.org invite you to contribute your expertise to MobileActive08 to take place from 13-15 October 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

• Do you have expertise in the field of mobile technologies for social development?
• Are you a researcher working on mobile technology for social impact?
• Are you a mobile service provider with specific products to exhibit that benefit the social market?

If so, we invite you to submit your ideas to be part of MobileActive08, the largest event to date focused on mobile technology for social development. This global gathering brings together practitioners, researchers, technologists, and donors interested in the use and application of mobile technology for social impact. At MobileActive08 participants will explore how mobile phones are effectively used to advance civil society work, assess the current state of knowledge in the use of mobile technology to advance social development, and investigate trends, needs and investment opportunities.

We invite you to submit proposals for:

• Workshops and Skill-share Sessions (for 90 minutes) for in-depth exploration of a topic about unlocking the potential of mobile technology for social impact.
• Short (15-min) Rotating Mini-Talks for research and project overviews.
• A space in the SIMplace to showcase your product.
• A space in the SIMlab where participants can test-drive your mobile application and explore it in depth.

If you have an idea, please review the detailed Call for Expertise and then submit. We look forward to your expertise, enthusiasm, and creativity! The deadline for submissions is 30 June 2008. More information is at MobileActive08.