"Announcing a new Meetup for GrassrootsCamp! ... MoreWhat: Map Hacking: Using Location Data for a Cause When: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 6:30 PM Where: Merc Bar 151 Mercer St New York, NY 10012 (212) 966-2727 Using location data is the latest way to engage your community and share essential information with them. Data and maps are being used for a broad range of issues, including targeting disaster relief, tracking local community issues, highlighting hospital closures and identifying disease clusters. Placing data on a map captures attention, motivates members, reveals patterns, generates press and even helps us bring solutions forward. Tools for election canvassing are already widely used. What's next for nonprofits, advocacy groups and political campaigners? Michael Freedman-Schnapp, Directory of Policy for NYC Councilmember Brad Lander will talk about his map-hacking project which uses real estate development information to show areas in Brooklyn where developments have been abandoned and the various safety and other related issues. He’ll talk about the inspiration for the project, the process of development and the results that he’s seen. We’ll start the event at 6:00pm-6:30 for networking, with the presentation starting at 6:30pm sharp. This is a joint project of GrassrootsCamp and Organizing 2.0. Learn more here: http://www.grassroots... "

"More details coming..."

"Next week we're having a screening of the movie 10 Tactics for Turning Information in to Action, which profiles case studies of non-profits using new media to promote their cause - it's a great introduction to some fundamentals of online organizi ... Moreng and activism with tips on using video, crowdsourcing and other cutting edge concepts. We're really excited to be hosting the New York premier of this movie and we want to make sure there's a good turnout, so please spread the word via email, twitter, facebook, buzz or whatever other tools you may use. ONE IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT PAYMENT: because of some concern by some members about paying with PayPal, we have set up an alternative payment system through BrownPaperTickets, which is the ticketing system used by the Tank theater where the event will take place. Please RSVP either through meetup or through BrownPaperTickets in advance though - tickets are just $5 now, but $10 at the door. 10 Tactics for Turning Information Into Action: a film by Tactical Technology Collective Wed, 02/17/2010 - 7:00pm Stories from 25 rights advocates around the world who have successfully used information and digital technologies to create positive change. Hosted by GrassrootsCamp and Organizing20.org Presale tickets are available here: http://www.brownpaper... An administrative note: I know that a few messages have recently been sent to you through this meetup that are not related to this group's activities. Because of this abuse of the messaging system, I have adjusted the settings so that only messages approved by me will be able to go through. I apologize for not doing this earlier. If you have an event or important bit of information that you would like to share with the group, please send it to me in advance to make sure that it is appropriate to send to the group. "

"Announcing a new Meetup for GrassrootsCamp! ... MoreWhat: 10 Tactics for Turning Information Into Action Screening When: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 7:00 PM Price: $5.00 per person Where: The Tank Space for Performing and Visual Arts 354 West 45th Street New York, NY 10036 [masked] 10 Tactics for Turning Information Into Action is a film by Tactical Technology Collective that includes stories from 25 rights advocates around the world who have successfully used information and digital technologies to create positive change. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion, and of course by the usual post-event networking. This event, which is part of a global launch of the film, is being hosted in New York by Organizing20.org and Grassrootscamp.org. For more information about the film, go to informationactivism.org. Because this is a movie screening, we're holding this event in a (small) theater rather than our usual location. This theater does charge for the space, so we're asking folks to pay $5 in advance for the event, or $10 at the door. If you are unable to pay that amount for any reason, please contact me by email. Seating is limited to 85, but if there is sufficient interest, we will host another showing. Learn more here: http://www.grassroots... "

"As the story unfolds, the scale of the crisis in Haiti has grown to truly catastrophic levels - 100,000 or more dead, 100,000 or more seriously injured, and countless numbers who have lost their homes and their relatives. ... MoreObviously there is just so much that the tech community in New York can do, but we should all try and do something. Here are two things you should consider: 1) Donate $10 by texting "HAITI" to 90999 from your cell phone. $10 will be added to your phone bill, and be sent to the Red Cross. Or you can go to Red Cross or Mercy Corps websites to make a larger donation. 2) Tomorrow there will be a "Crisis Camp" on using technology to assist in any way in aiding the people of Haiti during this crisis by providing data, information, maps and technical assistance to NGOs, relief agencies and the public. This event is free and open to the public. You don't have to be technical to volunteer time. http://crisiscampbroo... Project Proposals for CrisisCamp Haiti 1. Base layer map for Port Au Prince: This project would create a new collection of imagery and a new base map for NGOs and relief agencies. Post available imagery to share with the public for open source applications. 2. Family locator systems: Uniting efforts of interested technologists, developers and communications experts to provide technical assistance. 3. Tech Volunteer Skill Matrix/Volunteers: Create a role of volunteer as well as 4. Managing News Aggregator: Provide content channel management to coordinate data feeds 5. Defining the Collective: Create what we are and why we are doing this. Coordinate and post historical timeline/archive for the CrisisCamp efforts. http://crisiscampbroo... About CrisisCamp CrisisCamp will bring together domain experts, developers, and first responders around improving technology and practice for humanitarian crisis management and disaster relief. Each and every day, people across the world can find themselves in crisis. Whether it be for a day, a month or an area of social distress, we all have a common need to connect with loved ones, access information and offer assistance to others. During Transparency Camp 09 and Government 2.0 Camp, several campers exchanged a host of ideas on the need to better connect people with their social networks and information through the use of technology, especially during times and places of crisis. For example, campers shared how mobile innovation on mobile health and alternative power supplies was happening in Africa. Others shared how how citizens of the cloud used their technical skills to aggregate data to help people (often in another part of the world) synthesize desperate pieces of information into something they could understand. We uncovered a dividing line between international humanitarian relief and domestic crisis response. We saw common themes across all efforts including: the use of mobility, the Internet as a common coordination platform, the need for volunteers and the ability to provide alternative community communications access areas. By the end of the tweet-up, we had 40 volunteers sitting around in a circle with an agreement that there should be a forum to exchange these ideas. And it was there, where a common goal brought government, NGOs, private sector, hackers and activists together to create CrisisCamp. http://crisiscampbroo... CrisisCamps are hosted in a barcamp style where great minds come together to share their knowledge and expertise for social good. CrisisCommons Wiki: http://crisiscommons.... CrisisCamp on Twitter: @CrisisCamp Be our friend on Facebook: http://www.facebook.c... CrisisCamp Ning: http://crisiscampdc.n... "