Ushahidi is a web and mobile platform that allows users to create, visualize and share stories on a map. Individuals can share their stories on their own terms using the tools they already have.
The Ushahidi Platform is free to download and use. It is released under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL).
The platform allows tracking reports on the map and over time. Users can filter data by time and then see when things happened and where, as it’s also tied to the map.
One of the most powerful ways to visualize information is to display it on a map. The Ushahidi platform give you rich information mapping tools.
Ushahidi platform is a tool to easily crowdsource information using multiple channels, including SMS, email, Twitter and the web.
Types of Maps supported:
– Deployments of the Week
– Citizen Media
– City and Community Maps
– Human Rights
– Crisis and Emergency Response
– Election Monitoring
– Anti-Corruption and Transparency
– Environmental maps
– Busan Public Crime Map
“Ushahidi“, which means “testimony” in Swahili, was a website that was initially developed to map reports of violence in Kenya after the post-election fallout at the beginning of 2008.
The original website was used to map incidents of violence and peace efforts throughout the country based on reports submitted via the web and mobile phones. This website had 45,000 users in Kenya, and was the catalyst for realizing there was a need for a platform based on it, which could be used by others around the world.
Since early 2008, Ushahidi has grown from an ad hoc group of volunteers to a focused organization. The team is comprised of individuals with a wide span of experience ranging from human rights work to software development. We have also built a strong team of volunteer developers primarily in Africa, but also Europe, South America and the U.S.
