Survivors Connect launches its Connection GeoMap Project

** From November 17th Press Release: Sacramento, CA, USA - Survivors Connect is happy to announce the launch of a new project called Connection GeoMap! Connection GeoMap seeks to create a space to share critical information about trafficking and anti-trafficking activities, promote transparency, engage communities and learn best practices, current challenges and needs in the global effort to fight modern-day slavery. Connection GeoMap is powered by a path-breaking open-source project called Ushahidi, which is an API that crowd-sources information. Founder of Survivors Connect, Aashika Damodar, is excited about the initiative; “Our major goal at Survivors Connect is to empower activists and survivors with innovative instruments such as social media/technologies and other interactive media to enhance protection, prosecution and prevention efforts. Often times, in the anti-trafficking field, we find several groups that are working with vulnerable populations – either providing social/legal services or shelter, but don’t know of other resources and organizations that exist around them. We wanted to create some platform that allowed geospatial visualization of where major groups/resources exist on trafficking, as well as overlay information about latest cases, news on trafficking and risk areas. Ushahidi allows us to do just that.” The GeoMap works very simply. Users can contribute direct email, twitter and web reports on issues related to trafficking and slavery. The platform aggregates information along with news, photos and videos that are related to existing sources, all in one place on an interactive Google Map. The GeoMap plots information on the location of various anti-trafficking organizations and what they do, ongoing research, risk-areas, news reports and much more. Several groups around the world are using Ushahidi to monitor elections, map medical resources, and other development issues. Unlike other users that have opened their implementation to the public, Survivors Connect has limited the access to the platform. Only service providers, victim advocates, and verified organizations will have access to the site. One can access the map by applying for permission. Approved users can view the map as well as plot information about risk areas, their outreach efforts, their organization, and other information that will demonstrate the scale and scope of their work. “We have kept the map password-protected to ensure confidentiality for many of our collaborating partners using the map. A lot of what we are plotting is sensitive information, such as shelters for victims. We would not want this type of information available publicly on the web, as it may put people at risk.” For more information about the GeoMap or about Survivors Connect, please visit www.survivorsconnect.org