-- 73, John, W9DDD -------- To recap, we are interested in HAM radio expertise to help us figure out how to enable on-the-ground reports communicated through HAM radio to be compiled into digital maps (e.g., see map created by Ushahidi for Haiti http://haiti.ushahidi.com/, which we fed SMS and Twitter messages) for use by relief organizations. This project is within Crisiscommons.org, ( www.crisiscommons.org) and I am the Silicon Valley city lead. CrisisCommons.org is a volunteer movement of coders for humanitarian relief in natural disasters, and anyone can jump in and contribute any amount of effort that they like. Background information and our current understanding is being recorded at: http://wiki.crisiscommons.org/wiki/HAM_Radio_to_Digital#Self-Register Please encourage any interested parties to jump in and edit the page to help us understand HAM capabilities and technical needs. The goals for defining requirements is to create an open source software stand-alone or add-on software to automate collection of HAM-generated information during natural disasters to a common operating picture. A team is being sent in for a range of CrisisCommons.org projects; if your members could help us communicate with the HAM operators in Pakistan, to get requirements (even by voice), we would love to know more about what they need and how to help. A working group will be running in Silicon Valley this Friday from 5-10pm, and we will have virtual participation. Details at: http://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=538771480 Please feel free to forward this email or advertise this project to your members - the more the merrier. We did send this information out to the contact form for the ARRL. I look forward to any information that you are able to provide! Best, Jeannie -- Jeannie A. Stamberger, Ph.D. Adjunct Faculty Carnegie Mellon Silicon Valley Disaster Management Initiative NASA Ames Research Campus Room 107, Building 23 Moffett Field, California jeannie.stamberger@sv.cmu.edu +1 (650) 380-1158