pls. dessiminate when needed ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Alvin B. Marcelo <<a href="mailto:alvinbmarcelo@yahoo.com">alvinbmarcelo@yahoo.com </a>> Date: Feb 14, 2007 5:55 AM Subject: [Asiasource2-participants] (no subject) To: iosn_general <<a href="mailto:iosn-general@lists.apdip.net">iosn-general@lists.apdip.net</a>> CALL FOR AUTHORS (from the International Open Source Network) <a href="http://www.iosn.net/asean-3/call_for_applications/call_authors_disasters">http://www.iosn.net/asean-3/call_for_applications/call_authors_disasters</a> Author for Primer: FOSS Disaster Management Duration: 6 months Background On December 26, 2005, the countries of Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand were severely hit by a tsunami that killed almost 500,000 people. In the Philippines, landslides during the rainy season have become regular fare because of the denuding of the forests. Indeed, the Asia–Pacific region rests on a disaster-prone part of the Earth. The region contains many of the volcanoes in what is called the Ring-of-Fire and is often in the path of the storms that emanate from the Pacific Ocean. All these natural and man-made calamities contribute to the slowing of economic growth which delay national and regional progress. As developing countries in the region grapple with their economic problems, they also have to contend with the natural disasters that regularly affect the region. This paper examines how FOSS – namely, open standards, open source software, and open content can help address the many issues disasters bring into the Asia Pacific region. In times of disaster (and even in the period preceding), open standards, open software, and open content are life-saving concepts. For this paper, the term disaster management encompasses the spectrum from disaster prevention, mitigation, up to rehabilitation. Open Standards Often, the problems during disaster are resource management and allocation. As foreign aid arrives, it becomes a logistical challenge to manage all the resources that start pouring into the devastated area. Sometimes, the problem is not lack of resources but the lack of a system to distribute them or to match supply with demand. There is also a dearth of knowledge-bases in times of disaster. Without relevant and timely knowledge, rescue workers have no idea how the resources should be distributed in an equitable and efficient way. An open standard for disaster data systems may open up the possibilities of quick access to knowledge in times of disaster. Open Source/FOSS The Internet has become one of the most successful projects because of the standards that have guided developers. Software developed for the Internet inter-operate with each other because of their underlying compliance with the specified standards. In times of disaster, culturally-specific software will need to be inter-operable with other non-native applications. Knowledge-bases from source outside of the devastated area may need to be used and integrated into local databases. If software for disaster management are kept open, the benefits of data sharing among other open systems are compounded. Open Content It is known that in times of calamities, the local ICT infrastructure is often destroyed or severely debilitated. In these instances, access to locally relevant data may not be possible at all. Open content development for disaster prevention allow victims and rescuers to have access to data in times of crisis. In non-disaster situations, availability of geographic data as open content (eg, real-time geocoded satellite maps) can contribute to the development of better disaster prevention techniques. Objectives The primer will: ➢ Introduce Free/Open Source Software, Open Standards, and Open Content. It will refer to previous primers already published by the IOSN and explain the spectrum in which these co-exist. ➢ Provide a rationale for the use of Open Standards, Open Source, Open Content for Disaster Management ➢ Profile FOSS based disaster management (including GIS applications) placing focus on those emanating or are being used within the Asia-Pacific region ➢ Compare the aforementioned FOSS-based applications with proprietary equivalents and explain benefits and disadvantages. ➢ Give an overview of standards setting bodies for Disaster Management, and how Open Standards, Open Source, Open Content can enhance the work that these bodies are doing; ➢ Profile FOSS software and tools that can be used to create new content or migrate existing content ➢ Provide case studies where the use of standards have increased interoperability, scaling up of projects and process efficiency. ➢ Provide sample tenders for ICT projects; review existing policies endorsing open standards, open source, open content from this region. Sample Outline * What is FOSS? * What is disaster management? * What are the issues related to disaster management? * How can ICT resolve these issues? * How can FOSS – open standards, open source, open content resolve these issues? * What is the state of the art in ICT-enhanced disaster management? * What are FOSS applications used in disaster management? * How can FOSS further improve disaster management? * Sample Outline Part II * What are geographic information systems? * What are important concepts in geographic information systems? * What are popular GIS applications? Why? * What are popular FOSS-based GIS? * Why are open standards important in GIS? * Why are open software important in GIS? * Why is open content important to GIS? * How are GIS applications used in disaster management? * How can FOSS GIS applications further improve disaster management? * Etc Duties and Responsibilities of the Author The Author will be required to carry out the following: ➢ Conduct background research on Open Standards, Open Source, Open Content for Disaster Management and for Geographic Information Systems particularly in the Asia-Pacific context. ➢ Review and analyze existing FOSS-based applications (as above) ➢ Produce a first draft according to objectives as described above. ➢ Provide drafts of the primer taking into account the feedback provided by UNDP-IOSN according to the timeline below. ➢ Consolidate and compile feedback based on a select list of peer reviewers approved by UNDP-IOSN, and make the necessary revisions. ➢ Ensures that the publication material conforms to the UNDP Style Manual, December 2002 version. The complete call is at: <a href="http://www.iosn.net/asean-3/call_for_applications/call_authors_disasters"> http://www.iosn.net/asean-3/call_for_applications/call_authors_disasters</a> About IOSN The International Open Source Network (IOSN) is a Center of Excellence for FOSS in the Asia-Pacific Region. It shapes its activities around Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) technologies and applications. Via a small secretariat based at the UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok and three centres of excellence – IOSN ASEAN+3, IOSN PIC (Pacific Island Countries), and IOSN South Asia, based in Manila, Suva and Chennai respectively, the IOSN is tasked specifically to facilitate and network FOSS advocates and human resources in the region. The vision is that developing countries in the Asia-Pacific Region can achieve rapid and sustained economic and social development by using affordable yet effective FOSS ICT solutions to bridge the digital divide. _______________________________________________ Asiasource2-participants mailing list <a href="mailto:Asiasource2-participants@lists.apdip.net">Asiasource2-participants@lists.apdip.net</a> <a href="http://lists.apdip.net/mailman/listinfo/asiasource2-participants"> http://lists.apdip.net/mailman/listinfo/asiasource2-participants</a> -- " Understanding leads to respect; respect leads to compassion; compassion leads to love for one another" - Tita Sicat, PhD "I am the Gatekeeper of My Destiny" - Nacho Libre "If you're going to be thinking, you may as well think big" - Donald Trump "Poverty is the Road to Ingenuity" "The Best Things in LIFE are FREE" Contact Details: yahoo messenger : yolynne.rm google talk: yolynne skype: ynmedina chikka: +639062199524 meebo: yolynne gizmo: ynmedina ekiga: ynmedina irc (server: <a href="http://irc.freenode.net"> irc.freenode.net</a> #iosn) nick: ulinskie YM's OpenGPG key: 0x3C45D3D4