Open source mapping as liberation technology: an interview with David Kobia.

• Author: Vericat, Jose
• Position: Interview

David Kobia is a Kenyan software developer and founder of the crisis mapping platform and open source software Ushahidi. Ushahidi has been used since 2008 to crowdsource information that can help save lives on the ground. In this interview with Jose Vericat of the Journal of International Affairs, Kobia critically reflects on the use of Internet software to assist humanitarian relief operations after a crisis.

Journal of International Affairs: What is Ushahidi?

David Kobia: Ushahidi gets pigeonholed into the sphere of activism, but I like to say that we are just a non-profit software company. Most of the applications have been in election monitoring and disaster relief, so of course it is easy to make the assumption that we are digital activists. I think what we are really doing is bringing mapping to the masses; not just mapping, but interactive mapping. It is just amazing how much impact this visual element has.

Journal: Why is it important that you distinguish between Internet activism and being a non-profit software company?

Kobia: What we are, what we provide, is software. Sometimes people think that this can solve all manner of things. Some of those things are completely absurd, I think. It is easy to make this bigger than it is. The value of Ushahidi is in its simplicity, in its function. Almost anyone can use it and deploy it.

Journal: What can it do and what can it not do?

Kobia: Ushahidi is an interactive mapping tool that enables you to record on a map events happening over time. It takes those elements of location and time and puts them into a functional and usable platform. Disaster is just one of the things you could wrap around that. The applications can be very varied, but clearly, you can see why this is especially useful for digital activism: the barriers to entry are now very low and it is easy for anyone to take Ushahidi software and build a community around it. The aim is really to push the power down to the masses.

Journal: However, isn't the genesis of Ushahidi related to activism and wanting to make a contribution?

Kobia: The roots of Ushahidi come from the violence that erupted during the Kenyon elections in 2007. We created Ushahidi as a response to being helpless in other ways. We figured you can be helpful using other tools, like web-enabled tools and mobile tools, which were already available for relatively little effort. I do not think we are trying to distance ourselves from digital activism. It is an extremely useful tool for digital activism, but it is a tool that has uses beyond digital activism. People have also used it for mapping deforestation in Madagascar and crime in Atlanta.

Journal: Where is the platform at its the strongest?

Kobia: The reason non-crisis situations are not more prevalent for Ushahidi's use is that it is easier to galvanize a community around a disaster. The percentage of people that participate increases exponentially during a limited period of time. It is easier...