Learn H2o Organizations Using Tech To Brand An Impact
By 2025, one-half of the world’s population volition endure living inwards water-stressed areas. Already, to a greater extent than than 663 meg people inwards the the world alive without attain clean water. And drought is a major challenge inwards geographies ranging from Northern California, which is facing its worst drought inwards 1,200 years; to due east Africa, where a devastating drought has led to crop failures affecting an estimated 23 meg people.
To address challenges at this scale, nosotros demand creative solutions—both to heighten awareness for these issues, together with attain novel interventions to run into local needs. So this World Water Day, nosotros desire to highlight a handful of organizations who are using technologies—like virtual reality, information analysis, together with mapping—to brand a difference.
Documenting impact alongside 360 video
The nonprofit arrangement charity:water uses the mightiness of crowd-fundraising to attain wells inwards communities alongside express access to attain clean water. Since 2006, they’ve funded to a greater extent than than 19,000 H2O projects inwards 24 countries that volition serve to a greater extent than than half dozen meg people. Three years ago, Google.org gave charity:water a US$5 meg grant to attain good sensors that notify local mechanics of the demand for repair—helping ensure ongoing access to attain clean H2O together with creating novel local jobs.
Today, charity:water is releasing The Source on YouTube 360, a virtual reality cinema that documents the before-and-after impact of i of these good projects inwards Ethiopia.
With California inwards its worst drought inwards recorded history, the demand to empathise together with cope the state’s rivers, lakes, together with watersheds is acute. Environmental organizations similar the Nature Conservancy, California together with the Freshwater Trust cause got borrowed the Street View Trekker—used every bit a backpack together with mounted on a kayak—to capture 360-degree imagery. These images are useful inwards many ways; for The Nature Conservancy, the information volition provide baseline imagery to compare wood increase together with regrowth over time. The Freshwater Trust is using the imagery to validate their scientific models of the river, together with prioritize areas for restoration, such every bit planting of native found species along the banks.
The Freshwater Trust scientist guides the Trekker-mounted kayak downwardly the Russian River, capturing 360-degree imagery every bit he floats. Photo Credit: Brian Kelley of The Freshwater Trust.
For non-scientists, it’s slow to click through on Street View to accept inwards these natural watershed wonders, firsthand. Check out Independence Lake Preserve together with the Russian River for yourself!
Monitoring attain clean H2O alongside sensors
When it comes to H2O contamination inwards rural areas, collecting reliable information is ofttimes i of the biggest challenges. In 2014, a nonprofit called Associacao O Eco won the Google Impact Challenge: Brazil alongside a proposal for a data-collection projection called InfoAmazonia. The projection volition deploy a network of sensors that shipping a text message to local citizens together with officials if contamination is detected. In the adjacent stage of the project, the arrangement plans to attain an open-source toolkit together with citizen-led maiden that enables local people to install these sensors, empathise their ain data, together with advocate for a cleaner H2O supply.
Two members of the InfoAmazonia squad install the Mãe d´água sensor inwards i of the communities inwards Santarém, Pará, Brazil.
Water tracking alongside satellites
Between 2011-2012, Africa endured its worst drought inwards l years. Without water, crop failures cause got atomic number 82 to malnourishment together with displacement across the region. To assist alongside the relief efforts, nosotros gave a grant to the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) for satellite imaging technologies to assess crop availability, monitor H2O lineament inwards Lakes Victoria together with Malawi, together with provide information for an early on alarm scheme for floods together with fires.
The close real-time information capture has helped local officials brand informed decisions virtually managing H2O resources, together with addressing nutrient safety inwards the region.
Examples of information together with imagery collected through the satellite system.
Help heighten awareness on H2O issues
This year, H2O nonprofit Drop4Drop is quest people to consummate the judgement “W is for…” inwards guild to heighten awareness for the global attain clean H2O crisis. To us, “W is for... Water organizations using tech to brand an impact.” The solutions to the world’s H2O challenges are complex, together with some volition accept years to achieve. These organizations are applying technology scientific discipline to these challenges inwards novel together with unique ways, together with we’re glad to play a modest part.
We encourage you lot to write your ain “W is for…” shipping service together with purpose the hashtag #W4Water to bring together the conversation on social media.
To address challenges at this scale, nosotros demand creative solutions—both to heighten awareness for these issues, together with attain novel interventions to run into local needs. So this World Water Day, nosotros desire to highlight a handful of organizations who are using technologies—like virtual reality, information analysis, together with mapping—to brand a difference.
Documenting impact alongside 360 video
The nonprofit arrangement charity:water uses the mightiness of crowd-fundraising to attain wells inwards communities alongside express access to attain clean water. Since 2006, they’ve funded to a greater extent than than 19,000 H2O projects inwards 24 countries that volition serve to a greater extent than than half dozen meg people. Three years ago, Google.org gave charity:water a US$5 meg grant to attain good sensors that notify local mechanics of the demand for repair—helping ensure ongoing access to attain clean H2O together with creating novel local jobs.
Today, charity:water is releasing The Source on YouTube 360, a virtual reality cinema that documents the before-and-after impact of i of these good projects inwards Ethiopia.
To stance the video inwards 360, press play together with purpose the arrows on the cursor inwards the upper left-hand corner to await up, down, correct together with left.
Mapping our waterways alongside Street View inwards Google MapsWith California inwards its worst drought inwards recorded history, the demand to empathise together with cope the state’s rivers, lakes, together with watersheds is acute. Environmental organizations similar the Nature Conservancy, California together with the Freshwater Trust cause got borrowed the Street View Trekker—used every bit a backpack together with mounted on a kayak—to capture 360-degree imagery. These images are useful inwards many ways; for The Nature Conservancy, the information volition provide baseline imagery to compare wood increase together with regrowth over time. The Freshwater Trust is using the imagery to validate their scientific models of the river, together with prioritize areas for restoration, such every bit planting of native found species along the banks.
For non-scientists, it’s slow to click through on Street View to accept inwards these natural watershed wonders, firsthand. Check out Independence Lake Preserve together with the Russian River for yourself!
Monitoring attain clean H2O alongside sensors
When it comes to H2O contamination inwards rural areas, collecting reliable information is ofttimes i of the biggest challenges. In 2014, a nonprofit called Associacao O Eco won the Google Impact Challenge: Brazil alongside a proposal for a data-collection projection called InfoAmazonia. The projection volition deploy a network of sensors that shipping a text message to local citizens together with officials if contamination is detected. In the adjacent stage of the project, the arrangement plans to attain an open-source toolkit together with citizen-led maiden that enables local people to install these sensors, empathise their ain data, together with advocate for a cleaner H2O supply.
Water tracking alongside satellites
Between 2011-2012, Africa endured its worst drought inwards l years. Without water, crop failures cause got atomic number 82 to malnourishment together with displacement across the region. To assist alongside the relief efforts, nosotros gave a grant to the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) for satellite imaging technologies to assess crop availability, monitor H2O lineament inwards Lakes Victoria together with Malawi, together with provide information for an early on alarm scheme for floods together with fires.
The close real-time information capture has helped local officials brand informed decisions virtually managing H2O resources, together with addressing nutrient safety inwards the region.
Help heighten awareness on H2O issues
This year, H2O nonprofit Drop4Drop is quest people to consummate the judgement “W is for…” inwards guild to heighten awareness for the global attain clean H2O crisis. To us, “W is for... Water organizations using tech to brand an impact.” The solutions to the world’s H2O challenges are complex, together with some volition accept years to achieve. These organizations are applying technology scientific discipline to these challenges inwards novel together with unique ways, together with we’re glad to play a modest part.
We encourage you lot to write your ain “W is for…” shipping service together with purpose the hashtag #W4Water to bring together the conversation on social media.