Water Hackathon : Lessons Learned
The global revolution in low cost information and communication technologies can help address some of the developing world's oldest challenges in water and sanitation. More people today have access to a mobile phone than to a toilet. Convergen...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Strategic Environmental Assessment/Analysis |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
Washington, DC
2014
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2012/05/16494228/water-hackathon-lessons-learned http://hdl.handle.net/10986/17221 |
| Summary: | The global revolution in low cost
information and communication technologies can help address
some of the developing world's oldest challenges in
water and sanitation. More people today have access to a
mobile phone than to a toilet. Convergence of widespread
mobile phone ownership with new mobile commerce and location
aware services offer new platforms for reach, transparency
and participation in achieving water security. Water
Hackathon had four interim objectives: (i) creation of a
network of atypical partners engaged in finding solutions to
water-related challenges, (ii) preparation of a list of
challenges facing the water sector, (iii) development of new
applications designed to address these challenges, and (iv)
adoption of new applications and codes in World Bank
projects. The openness of the approach attracted
considerable attention from within the water community and
also from print and online media, including blogs and social
networks, which traditionally do not feature water content.
'This was the new Egypt at work,' said one
participant in Cairo. Water Hackathon offered a low-cost,
high-reward opportunity to open up water sector challenges
to the talent and creativity of the ICT design and
development community. This approach also required a change
in mindset for the World Bank, calling for greater openness,
experimentation and tolerance of failure. |
|---|