Simple Tasks Anyone Can Do

From CrisisCommons Wiki

Jump to: navigation, search

Contents


This page provides an overview of tasks that require no programming and can be completed by nontechnical volunteers.

[edit] Active Tasks

[edit] Adding English Sentences for Rescue/Rebuilt Missions

  • Adding English sentences to shared Google doc http://translation4haiti.org so that volunteer translators can add corresponding Haitial Creole translations

[edit] Adding Emergency Resources to CrisisWiki

Volunteers interested in adding resources to CrisisWiki should go to crisiswiki.org and follow instructions on the homepage. We need people with local knowledge of impacted areas (Chile, Hawaii, etc) to research things such as emergency preparedness resources, govt resources, aid information, charities, etc, and post them to the wiki.


[edit] Translating Text Messages for Ushahidi

Help is needed translating SMS messages from Haiti (requesting aid) from French or Creole to English. These messages are then forwarded to InSTEDD and Aid Organizations on the ground. Visit http://wiki.ushahidi.com/doku.php?id=4636instructions for instructions.

[edit] Translating the Crisis Commons Wiki

Translating the Crisis Commons Wiki

[edit] CrisisCamp Project Success Stories

CrisisCamp Project Success Stories

[edit] Haiti RSS Feed Challenge

The UN has asked us to find and collate as many RSS News Feeds on Haiti as we can find. This task is suitable for people who have good research skills online and can track down sources of information that would otherwise be missed by our teams.

The goal is to try to find RSS feeds that are not on the list (we are missing a great deal). For example, to see if NPR has an RSS feed, you could go to NPR.org and if there is an RSS icon on their web page, you could then enter this information in the RSS feed database by following the instructions below.

There is also a need to organize, synthesize, and collate the RSS feeds. People comfortable with data entry and processing would be useful for this task.

Why do this task?

Gathering RSS feeds allows us to have a more comprehensive idea of what is happening in an emergency, because we can monitor the information as it comes from multiple sources.

How to do this task

  • 1. Review the existing list of feeds to get an idea of what types of information we are looking for (check out "spreadsheets" in "RSS Input Forms" under "Online Resources Currently in Use").
  • 2. Use your creativity to think of sources of information that we are missing.
  • 3. Please enter the RSS Feeds using the form available on the main RSS Feed page (see "RSS Input Forms" under "Online Resources Currently in Use").
  • 4. Contact the Project Leads listed in the Haiti RSS Feed Challenge page for more information on organizing the feeds.

For more details please see: Haiti RSS Feed Challenge contact person: ?

[edit] Haiti Aid and Reporting Issues with Ushahidi

Sift through news reports and other information on haiti.com and elsewhere to find pieces of actionable information, and make sure it gets reported via Ushahidi where it can be connected with someone to follow up.

If you have ideas for Tweets that you think should be noticed but are not in the stream on http://haiti.com, you can report them

[edit] Reporting with Sahana

The Sahana Software Foundation is gathering contact information for agency coordinators on the ground to be inserted into their system. Much of this information is available at ReliefWeb.int in the situation reports.

They need people to help gather this information:

  • You will need to read each report, then migrate the information into Sahana.
  • You will need your login authorized by Sahana staff at in the #sahana IRC channel on irc.freenode.net. You can access IRC chat via your web browser at http://webchat.freenode.net/ (select a user name and enter #sahana as the channel).

This section needs more instruction

[edit] OpenStreetMap

This project is moderately technical. Learn new skills and help build a map of Haiti!

If you are unfamiliar with OpenStreetMap, you will need to spend about an hour getting used to it first.

  • To get started visit OpenStreetMap. Set up an account by clicking on ‘sign up’ in the top right hand corner of the screen.
  • Once you are logged in, select an area by typing a place name or postcode into the search box on the left hand side of the screen.
  • Select the ‘Edit’ tab (along the top of the map). You will see an aerial view of the area provided by Yahoo (this is not available for all areas) and any mapping that has previously been entered.
  • Click the ‘Help’ button (bottom left hand side) and follow the instructions. Further help can be found at http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/WikiProject_Haiti (tutorial video).


When you are happy using OpenStreetMap you can help to build up a basemap of Haiti, using satellite imagery, old maps from the CIA and military, and other sources. Many of the imagery and map sources are setup in OpenStreetMap's editor (Potlatch) (accessible from the edit tab). We need to mark on roads (most major cities and towns have been covered, but there are still gaps in the more rural areas). We also need to add street names to the map. It would be very helpful if you can find sources for street names. If you can get in touch with people who have a local knowledge of Haiti, they may be able to help with that.

You may find these links helpful:

[edit] The Extraordinaries Haiti Earthquake Support Center

Go to http://app.beextra.org/mission/browse. You can find ‘missions’ related to Haiti by clicking on ‘Tag Images’, ‘Match Photos’ or ‘Build a Photo Library’. Select your ‘mission’ and follow the instructions provided.

These are very simple tasks, involving:

  • Tagging news images (Click here for further directions if needed [1])
  • Matching faces of missing persons

[edit] Haiti Port Au Prince Water Project

Geologist, irrigator working with GlobalMedic.ca Trying to get a 10-line rapid-deploy 40mm water system, with fire fighting booster pumps, set up for Carrefour and then Port au Prince. Need admin help from anywhere online. And with Creole translations for the water information website. p.s.ravenscroft @ gmail.com 617 3289 4470

[edit] Usability Feedback

  • Help us make tools that are easy to use, so more people can help Haiti! Review a website or CrisisCommons project, and provide us feedback about your user experience by filling out a survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MHJK293

[edit] Help the Simple Tasks Page

  • Create step-by-step instructions Simple Tasks Anyone Can Do to explain to new volunteers exactly how to do each task. If you can generally help with this page, please do -- there are surely some missing items and some that are out of date.

[edit] Completed Haiti Tasks

[edit] Sahana Lat/Long Rapid Response


[edit] People Finder Data Entry with Haitianquake.com

  • This task is now complete: all records have been matched. The instructions are below for reference.

This task is super simple and has a few thousand records that need to be update. From the instructions:

"Text messages (SMS) have been sent from within Haiti to emergency response teams. All of these messages have been acted on already!But some of them also contained information about Missing People. These aren't yet linked to the main record of missing people called 'People Finder', and we need help moving them across. We know that many of them are now found! We need to consolidate the records so that people can know what has happened to their friends and family as soon as possible."

  • Instructions:

http://wiki.ushahidi.com/doku.php?id=people-finder-instructions2

  • Get started:

http://haitianquake.com/converter

[edit] Removed Tasks

Removed the day of the crisis camp because it is dormant today, does not have active leadership in the crisis camp activities, or is poorly documented.

  • Video postcards

[edit] Volunteer in Haiti

Retrieved from "http://wiki.crisiscommons.org/wiki/Simple_Tasks_Anyone_Can_Do"
Personal tools