Via BBC News
A web-based reporting tool is allowing Africans caught up in political unrest to report incidents of killing, violence and displacement. The website is called Ushahidi, which means ”testimony” in Swahili and was
The incident data is colour coded on the website into categories for things such as riots, looting, illness and sexual assault.
With web access being limited in much of rural Africa, people can also post incidents to the website using text messages sent from their mobile phones.
Reports that are posted on the website are verified by local NGOs and are also given a credibility rating.
“If we can regularly bring in information from the conflict zones, information about human rights abuses and community action to rebuild peace, then we will keep this problem on the front burner,” she said.