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TechReach International is a new non-profit organization being formed to deploy no-cost telecommunications services into humanitarian relief efforts, using trained/certified volunteer communications specialists and state of the art technology.
On Tuesday 19 September 2006, TechReach International will be co-hosting with HumaniNet, a leader in Humanitarian ICT, a "Simulation Day" on the Intuit campus in Mountain View, to demonstrate proven technologies in a simulated field environment. This event was made possible by the financial sponsorship of Telenor, a world-wide telecommunications company committed to socially responsible corporate citizenship.
We're actively seeking technical and support volunteers to join our efforts, as well as sponsors, donors, and partners. If you're interested in learning more and perhaps contributing to this effort, please visit us at Sim Day!
Sim Day will encompass a variety of activities, including:
- A crisis communications center that utilizes satellite communications, low-power computers, and wireless networks to provide Internet access and voice communications.
- Speakers on topics such as experiences working as a volunteer in a disaster relief effort, emergency response capacity building, map-based "situational awareness" tools for managing critical information in relief conditions, and technologies designed for austere environments and underserved communities.
- Demonstrations of successful applications that have potential for nonprofit users, including project management tools, VoIP, blogging, podcasts, distributing photography from the field, and new ways to mobilize support and get the message out.
- Networking opportunities for technical and operations managers, program officers, and other nonprofit leaders. Share your success stories and challenges with others in your field of humanitarian and nonprofit work.
Schedule LocationMountain View
Intuit campus
Building 5 parking lot
2550 Garcia Ave.
Mountain View, CA 94043
For More InformationPlease subscribe to the SV-SimDay-Announce mailing list for weekly announcements and updates as the event approaches, such as notes about who'll be exhibiting and who'll be speaking when, as exhibitors and speakers are confirmed. You may find out more about Humaninet at http://www.humaninet.org If you have any other questions or comments, please contact Dr. Donald Bruce <
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>. About TechReach InternationalHurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and other recent crises have demonstrated a critical need for telecommunications services in disaster relief efforts.
Our services enable other relief agencies, such as medical care providers and feeding centers, to carry out their core missions much more efficiently by enabling far better communications with their supporting organizations beyond the disaster area, as well as better communications within the disaster area.
Most relief organizations include a rudimentary telecommunications component in their deployment plans, but the folks who they deploy generally aren't telecommunications specialists, and trying to make telecommunications work in the challengine disaster relief environment takes valuable time away from their primary mission. TechReach International can essentially serve as the on-scene no-cost telecommunications provider for the various other agencies operating in the disaster zone; this frees their folks to focus on their core mission, whatever that might be, and yields economies of scale and scope that enable us to offer better services (more reliable, faster, more features, etc.) to all client agencies than they could each set up individually.
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