NMTF/MEss Brown bag: GIS in field (Megan will talk about how she uses GIS in her work with the Earth Institute)

Wednesday, 4/17, 1-2pm, IAB Room 405A

Speaker: Megan Cassidy (Program Associate, Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development, Earth Institute)

 *Lunch provided

NMTF/MEss Workshop 1: GIS Basic Skills

Friday, 4/26, 11am-1pm, DSSC Data Services (Digital Social Science Center), Lehman level 2, below the computer lab

Speaker: Jeremiah Trinidad-Christensen (DSSC)

NMTF/MEss Workshop 2: GIS  Intermediate-basic skills

Friday, 5/3, 11am-1pm, DSSC Data Services, Lehman level 2, below the computer lab

Speaker: Dara Mendeloff (CIESIN)          

Other events:  

The World-Wide Human Geography Data Working Group: Sustainable Development for Human Security

Thursday, 4/18, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Columbia University, Lamont Campus, Monell Building Auditorium

Speaker: Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, The The Earth Institute, Columbia University; Lee Schwartz , Director, Office of the Geographer and Global Issues, U.S. Department of State; Cynthia Rosenzweig, Senior Research Scientist, NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), The The Earth Institute, Columbia University; Ayako Kagawa,Chief Geographic Information Officer, United Nations Disengagement and Observer Force and Geographic Information Officer, United Nations Cartographic Section; Deborah Balk, Associate Director, CUNY Institute for Demographic Research; Marc Levy, Deputy Director, CIESIN, The Earth Institute, Columbia University.

Register and details:

Crai Bower “From Pitch to Paycheck”

Monday, April 15, 5pm – 6pm, Stabile Student Center (map)

Speaker: Crai Bower

SPJ presents Crai Bower “From Pitch to Paycheck – The Reality of Living the Dream as a Travel Writer. Crai Bower contributes scores of articles and photographs annually to more than 30 publications and online outlets including Alaska Airlines, Journey, and Inspirato magazines, The Toronto Star, Travel + Leisure Digital, and MSN Travel, where he is also the lead travel blogger. He frequently speaks throughout North America at travel-related conferences. His book of humor, “Farts: A Spotter´s Guide,” has sold over 250,000 copies and been translated into five languages. He contributed four chapters to Fodor´s “Vancouver-Victoria” (2010) and is profiled in the bestselling photography book, “Seattle 100: Portrait of a City – Voices that Matter.” He is the television travel commentator for KCPQ-13 and is widely syndicated on Tribune Broadcasting.

www.FlowingStreamWriting.net  @craisbower

Delacorte Lecture: Keisha Minor, Editor-in-Chief, Brides Magazine

Thursday, April 18, 7:00pm – 8:30pm, World Room (map)

The Delacorte Lectures, presented each week in the spring semester, examine aspects of magazine journalism by a leader in the field of magazine publishing. The series is headed by Victor Navasky, the George T. Delacorte Professor in Magazine Journalism and director of the Delacorte Center.

We hope to see everyone tomorrow! NMTF is going to have a kickoff meeting, WordPress training and HAPPY HOUR – all in one day! Free food and drinks will be served. Come to the Kickoff Meeting to discuss new trends in media for development and public policy, then join us in the evening to learn the ins-and-outs of WordPress, a blogging and website management platform. And don’t miss a happy hour after the WordPress training! Scroll down for more info.

-New Media Task Force Kickoff Meeting

Thursday, Feb. 21st, 1:00PM-2:00PM

Room 402B, School of International and Public Affairs

This semester’s event/training schedule will be discussed. We want your input! This will also be a good chance to network with SIPA students who have similar tech/new media interests.

More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/420889821332117/

-Wordpress Training: Create A Website for Your Sweetheart

Thursday, Feb. 21st, 6:00PM-8:00PM

Room 405A, School of International and Public Affairs

Missed Valentines Day? Make up for it by making your valentine a website! WordPress is a free and open-source blogging tool and a content management system (CMS). WordPress is used by over 16.7% of Alexa Internet’s “top 1 million” websites and as of August 2011 manages 22% of all new websites. WordPress is currently the most popular blogging system in use on the Web. Come with your laptop charged up and we’ll walk you how to create your own website!!!

-HAPPY HOUR for NMTF will be held after the training! 

-Brownbag with Susan Crawford

Tuesday, 1-2pm, February 26th, 2013

IAB Room 1302

Pizza and refreshments will be served!

Susan Crawford will present her fascinating book Captive Audience;  the story of how consumers, let down by deregulatory government policies, are losing the fight for affordable, high-speed Internet access in America.

-Non-Digital Copyright in the Digital Millennium

Russell Jacobs, Corporate Counsel, Starbucks Coffee Company

Thursday, February 21 at 12:10PM, William and June Warren Hall 103

Lunch will be provided

Columbia’s Science and Technology Law Review

Attendees are encouraged to RSVP to John Atallah at john.atallah@law.columbia.edu

-Online Social Media and Political Awareness in Authoritarian Regimes

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013


12:15 pm to 1:30 pm
International Affairs Building Marshall D. Shulman Seminar Room (1219)
 


Harriman Working Papers Seminar with David Szakonyi, PhD candidate, Political Science Department, Columbia University. 
 


Sponsor: Harriman Institute

-Social Media Week in New York

FEBRUARY 18-22, 2013

20+speakers will attend the Social Media Week. Topics will cover Google, Ford, Social Customer Service, Hurricane Sandy, etc.

More info: http://socialmediaweek.org/newyork/blog/

-Open Data Day Happy Hour

Saturday, February 23rd, 5-7pm


@ The Exchange 
1719 G Street NW
 Washington, DC 20006

International Open Data Day is February 23rd, and the World Bank will be hosting a massive Open Data Day 2013 Hackathon.

ICT4Drinks and the OpenGov Hub are celebrating with a combined happy hour afterwards at The Exchange that will be another blow-out event with 100+ of your friends and peers having a drink (or two) after a job well done.

We will be drawing big Open Data ideas on flimsy napkins as we meet other great people working and interested in ICT4D. 

We really want to get together with you. Finally, the chance has arrived! We are going to have a kickoff meeting to chat with our new and old friends next Thursday. Free food and drinks will be served. We we want to hear YOUR input and feedback for the Spring semester. Meanwhile, our first training (a training on WordPress) will also be organized for later on the same day. Scroll down for more info.

Thanks to those of you who participated in the Facebookpoll about NMTF trainings. Here are the final results:

NMTF Training Poll Result:

• GIS & Remote Sensing: 21 votes
• Crowdmapping Training: 13 votes
• WordPress Training: 12 votes, which is also our first training next Thursday.
• Social Media Training: 3 votes

Upcoming events

TEDxColumbiaSIPA

Friday, February 15th, School of International and Public Affairs,

Topics include health, global safety, happiness, and equality.

24+ famous speakers will attend.

LIVE FEED of the event all day, from 9am to 5pm, this Friday, February 15th. That means you can watch all the talks, as they happen, via Livestream: http://new.livestream.com/tedx/tedxcolumbiasipa  

TEDxSIPA will also be live-streammed at the 6th floor cafe. Go there for great TED talks, snacks, drinks, and more. It’s all FREE!

More info: http://www.tedxcolumbiasipa.com/speakers/ 

New Media Task Force Kickoff Meeting

Thursday, Feb. 21st, 1:00PM-2:00PM

Room 402B, School of International and Public Affairs

This semester’s event/training schedule will be discussed. We want your input! This will also be a good chance to network with SIPA students who have similar tech/new media interests.

WordPress Training: Create A Website for Your Sweetheart

Thursday, Feb. 21st, 6:00PM-8:00PM

Room 405A, School of International and Public Affairs

Missed Valentines Day? Make up for it by making your valentine a website. WordPress is a free and open source blogging tool and a content management system (CMS). WordPress is used by over 16.7% of Alexa Internet’s “top 1 million” websites and as of August 2011 manages 22% of all new websites. WordPress is currently the most popular blogging system in use on the Web. Come with your laptop charged up and we’ll walk you how to create your own website!!!

OTHER INTERESTING EVENTS

Mandiant Security Talk

Wednesday, 02/13, 08:00 PM – 09:00 PM at Hamilton 517

Secure your web apps and learn about forensic security with Willi Balenthin of security firm Mandiant.

Email and VOIP Hacking Workshop

Monday, 02/18, 09:00 PM – 10:00 PM at 304 Hamilton

Gundeep Bindra presents a workshop on email hacking and VOIP hacking techniques so that you can be better prepared to protect yourself from these vulnerabilities. 

INAF U6209y – E-Government & Digital Diplomacy (3 pts)
This course will examine changes across various computer-mediated communication platforms, including social media, web applications, and mobile devices. Students will develop a theoretical understanding of government and citizen communication dynamics with readings in political communication and public administration, as well as a basic understanding of the technical capabilities of various digital media platforms. SIPA: IMAC.

INAF U6229y – Controlling the Internet (1.5 pts)
How did the Internet come to be? What is its future? To what extent does government policy affect its future? This class focuses on live-fire debates in Internet policy to engender a broader understanding of this area. SIPA: IMAC.

INAF U8912y – Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Goals (1.5 pts)
It has become vital (because of mass poverty,climate change,biodiversity rapid erosion,water and food crisis,…), to shift to a more sustainable form of development. This will require effectively mobilizing all resources of human societies:scientific and technical resources,as well as behavioral and institutional moving forces. None may be neglected,and the way they are articulated will be decisive. SIPA: Applied Science. SIPA: EPD. SIPA: E&E- Environment Policy. SIPA: Short Courses.

INAF U6120x or y Tools and Craft of Multi-Platform Storytelling (3 pts)
The web opens up exciting possibilities for interaction and new ways to tell stories. We’ll introduce students to the world of multimedia storytelling and how it can be applied to organizations working in International Affairs and Development. SIPA: IMAC.

Updated on 1/22/13 to reflect a change in leadership.

Happy New Year everyone! In case you have not seen it elsewhere, there is a new board in place for 2013, made up of talented and passionate students. They are:

Jesper Frant: President

Rachana Kumar: Vice President

Le Chen : Communications

Dhwani Bafna: Treasurer

Camille Francois: Policy Director

Janice Dean: Trainings / Events head

They can properly introduce themselves and their plans once the spring semester begins; for now, I just wanted to say it has been a lot of fun writing up these posts the last few months! And on behalf of the “retiring” board, we’d like to say it has been a great experience planning events, organizing trainings, and sharing ideas with you all. Thanks for the opportunity! We know the group is in great hands for 2013, and we look forward to seeing the new board’s plans!

With that, I turn over the blog, twitter, and other duties to Le Chen! Thanks again,

-Chris Planicka

NMTF Digital Brownbag: mWater

The mWater App running on an inexpensive Android mobile phone.
http://mwater.co/android-app/

Developing countries often find it difficult to regularly monitor and collect reliable data on water quality because of barriers such as lack of basic infrastructure, poor access to both analytical facilities and sampling locations, limited availability of technical staff, and a shortage of time and finances. Traditional laboratory methods for water quality monitoring usually require expensive equipment like incubators and reliable electricity for refrigeration of reagents, and some tests can run hundreds of dollars per sample. Countries need simple, reliable, low-cost approaches to water-quality monitoring that are widely applicable and globally scalable. The mWater approach, which enables local communities and municipalities to test their own water quality using test kits that cost $3.00 per sample and a mobile phone application that tracks, records, and shares test results, is one potential solution and a prime example of how technology is shaping international development work.

The New Media Task Force launched their fall Digital Brownbag Series with a lecture given by mWater co-founders John and Annie Feighery. John, a former NASA engineer who specializes in water and sanitation, and his wife Annie, a behavioral scientist and technologist, combined their expertise to create mWater with the goal to improve water and sanitation in low resource communities.  The Feighery’s took an hour over lunch to explain the mWater approach to interested students.

3M Petrifilm http://mwater.co/3m-petrifilms/

The test mWater uses for E. Coli and fecal coliforms has been used in the food industry for decades, but no one considered it applicable for water until recently.  To take a sample, a drop of water is put on a piece of petrifilm paper.  The sample is sealed in a clear bag for 18-24 hours, and incubated in a pouch worn under clothes.  If dots and/or bubbles appear on the petrifilm it means E. Coli or coloriforms exists.  After the incubation period is when the technology comes into play.  The application takes a picture of the petrifilm is taken with the phone’s camera and then conducts a bacterial count to determine whether a threat exists.  Users receive instant feedback and results are automatically uploaded to the cloud for remote monitoring and management.  Each monitored water point with a unique identifier and a geo-point that can be viewed on a map online.  Water points within a certain geographical radius can be by seen by users on their phone.  If 3G or Wifi are not available, data is saved until services are available.

mWater recently completed a pilot in Mwanza, Tanzania funded by UN Habitat, and will soon begin a country-wide pilot in Rwanda in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.  If mWater can demonstrate that its approach is a scientifically valid and cost-effective way to water quality, the Feighery’s believe that there will be no shortage of potential consumers.  These include local utility companies, water organizations, development agencies, and both national and local governments.  The United States is an untested market, but homes with private wells and travelers are also potential consumers.

mWater is still in the “bootstrapping phase,” the start-up term for the period when a firm has little money, but lots of ideas, and they use whatever resources they have to get their idea out.  The Feigherys, however, are optimistic.  Feighery said the free beta version of the app, released in August, already has 500 downloads even though test kits have yet to be made available.

1. Customize and share your map via Google. The easiest way to share your custom maps is via Google itself. First, on the main screen, click on My Places. Then “Create Map.” Add your title and description, and Click “Done.” Now click the “Edit” button, where you can draw lines, polygons, and mark places.

Now you can share with your friends, who can add their own markers / lines / polygons. Just click Collaborate after you’re done editing, and enter the emails of your collaborators (remember to turn on “Allow anyone to edit this map”). So now when you are planning your birthday pub crawl, you can ask for input from your friends! Or you can take suggestions for good restaurants along a certain route. All sorts of possibilities for this easy-to-use platform.

Finally, while we are discussing the features of Google Maps, if you are not already familiar with the cool Maps Labs, check them out (see map below to find the link on the main page):

2. Embed your map in a website. This one is a bit more complex, but it can also be a lot more useful to have an embedded map in your personal website. For our purposes, we will use the Columbia webspace we created for free. First, you should open this link in a separate tab/window to follow along. You will need a Google Map API; this can be done by following the first instructions in the above link. Got your API yet? Great! Now you need to do some HTML / javascript editing. For this you can use any text editor, but I would recommend either Sublime Text or Notepad Plus Plus. You can basically copy the text from the Google Developers site, making sure to include your API key and “True” or “False” in this statement: src=”https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?key=YOUR_API_KEY&sensor=SET_TO_TRUE_OR_FALSE“>

Now, how far do you want to take your map? You can use custom layers, have users mark locations or create polygons, whatever you like! Here are some samples [check their code using your browser's Developer Tools or Firebug for Firefox]. Before you know it, you will have a fancy bit of code you can display on your website! Here is one example with the ability to draw polygons, and this one is made from a Formhub output and a Google Fusion Table!

And remember, CodeAcademy and other resources are great for learning Java and HTML languages!

Join us Tuesday, November 20th, in the 6th floor cafe IAB (SIPA) from 6-8pm to learn about Episurveyor (Please RSVP here, space is limited). This easy-to-learn technology allows users to create surveys for use on any type of mobile phone. Using Episurveyor, you can:

• Quickly and easily create customized surveys online
• Collect data in remote locations
• Upload data via wireless Internet connection
• Send data via standard SMS text message
• Manage and analyze data online

But wait, there’s more! Before you get down with a hands-on training of Episurveyor, enjoy a dinner (at 6pm sharp) and a talk by Datadyne’s CEO and co-founder, Joel Selanikio about the company’s groundbreaking work to make affordable, viable improvements to healthcare provision across the globe through the mobile data collection tool. Here’s some more on our guest speaker:

Joel Selanikio, MD Director, DataDyne.org, named FastCompany’s 2009 Social Enterprise of the Year; Recipient of the $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize for Sustainability

Joel Selanikio is a practicing pediatrician, former Wall Street computer consultant, and CDC epidemiologist who has worked to address issues in health service provision in developing countries through technology. He co-founded DataDyne with technologist Rose Donna and developed Episurveyor, a free, open-source mobile data collection platform in collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Health. He is a pioneer in the promotion of open-source development for public health. His work has been reported on by The Economist, BBC, and the Washington Post, among others.

In his former role as an officer of the Public Health Service, Dr. Selanikio served as the Chief of Operations for the HHS Secretary’s Emergency Command Center in the aftermath of 9/11.Selanikio is the recipient of several awards for his work for field epidemiology and outbreak response, including the Tech Museum Award for Health, three Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary’s Awards for Outstanding Service, and the U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal. He received the Haverford Award for Service to Humanity for his work with the International Rescue Committee in Indonesia treating victims of the 2005 tsunami.

Dr. Selanikio holds a bachelor’s degree from Haverford College, and an MD from Brown University, and is a graduate of the Epidemic Intelligence Service fellowship of the CDC. He continues to practice clinical pediatrics both as an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University and on the Emergency Response Team of the International Rescue Committee, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Convinced? Of course you are! So RSVP here already! [space is limited]

Where: 6th Floor Cafe, IAB When: Tuesday, November 20th from 6 to 8pm. Dinner will be provided. Please bring your laptop (fully charged!) and cell phone.

Step 1: Read this page, which is rather well-hidden, to see that I am not lying – you really do have your own web space assigned to your UNI!

Step 2: Check to make sure you have an FTP program installed on your computer; if not you can download one from CUIT [WinSCP for Windows users, Fugu for Mac users]. Open your program.

[Note: I will proceed with explaining the process on WinSCP (which is available on SIPA CITRIX and I think the Columbia computers), though it should be similar on Macs!]

Step 3: At the login screen, input “cunix.cc.columbia.edu” under Host Name, your UNI for user name, and your CU Password is your password. (see below for WinSCP screenshot). Hit Login.

Step 4: 1. In the Main Menu of WINSCP go to Commands>Open Terminal. Click OK to the popup message.  In the Enter command box, type the following commands:

chmod a+x ~

Click the Execute Button

chmod a+rx ~/public_html

Click the Execute Button. (Note these are UNIX commands that allow you to make a directory and allows the world to read your files, but not write files to your website directly.) This is the only time you will need to do this. Once you have made your directories readable to the world, they will always be world-readable. Your screen should look like the following:

Step 5: Close the command box, and open your file “public_html”. Drag a file into the folder. Now open a web browser and go to “www.columbia.edu/~youruni/filename”, where youruni is Your UNI and filename is the name of the file you dragged into the public_html folder. For instance, here is a photo I uploaded to my public folder: http://www.columbia.edu/~cmp2174/SantaChris.JPG

Step 6: Experiment! You now have a public web space where you can add content. Come back soon to learn how to put your own customizable google map up there!

(If any of this was unclear, you can also follow more detailed WinSCP instructions here)