Ushahidi, Swahili for witness, got its start mapping the violence following the 2008 Kenyan elections. Shortly thereafter the technology underpinnings of the site became an open source project aimed at spreading the capability to other groups. The open source platform is designed for this ability to collect and distribute reports and to monitor and visualize events. Capabilities of this software include the ability to map and visualize via an interactive map, to view details on a dynamic timeline and to visualize and track incoming data in real-time.
The objective of Kiirti is to promote participation and transparency by providing easy and accessible technology tools, close alliances with government, measurable performance tools to track change, and shared performance metrics. The site is aligned with causes that are working toward more effective governance.
Among the causes that Kiirti supports are:
Kiirti is an initiative of eMoksha, a non-profit organization focused on enabling citizen awareness and engagement using internet and mobile technologies. One of the benefits, and unique components of this deployment of the Ushahidi mapping platform is the move toward action. The various partnerships with the causes and organizations above help moderate the reports, aggregate the issues and initiate action.
