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Singapore using virtual reality in counterrorism

Nurfilzah Rohaidi

June 12, 2018 |

GovInsider |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Singapore

Artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality optimize limited public safety resources and help officers better respond to complex situations under pressure. As Singapore invests in such technologies, the focus is always on improving the capabilities of frontline officers, says Ng Yeow Boon, the Ministry of Home Affairs’ tech chief.

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How a novel wireless technology is helping conserve wildlife, fight pollution, save farmers money and more

Chloe Warren

June 06, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Tanzania

In Tanzania, low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN) are a form of telecommunications technology that have the power to potentially stop poachers in their tracks when coupled with geolocation sensors. The application doesn't stop there, however, as others throughout the world are finding other proactive uses for this wireless technology advancement.

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Sharing with strangers: 'I'm a student, this way I get free food'

Dougal Shaw

June 04, 2018 |

BBC |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: England, London

An app called Olio addresses the issue of food waste in London by recruiting 1,000 "food waste heroes" to gather excess food from restaurants and redistribute them amongst the neighborhood using the Olio platform. Anyone from students to the elderly use the app, and participants say it makes them feel better connected to their community. The app is now used in 32 countries.

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San Francisco's new bot will downgrade marijuana crimes

Anoush Darabi

June 01, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Writing laws to be machine-readable could have huge payoffs. San Francisco is designing a computer program to read through the city’s prosecution records and automatically downgrade applicable marijuana possession convictions from felonies to misdemeanors. Such a change became possible in 2014, but the downgrading process proved too expensive and complicated for most individuals to take on themselves. Software developers face hurdles that include needing to teach computers to read inconsistent language and paperwork formats.

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Fighting Food Waste

Ammar Ebrahim Dougal Shaw

May 28, 2018 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

Technology can help reduce food waste. Olio and Winnow are two examples. Olio is an app that allows people to easily exchange extra or unwanted food for free. Winnow is a smart trash can that calculates the cost of waste in commercial kitchens, inspiring chefs to be more creative to save both food and money.

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Communities now lead fight against outbreak of diseases

Syriacus Buguzi

May 28, 2018 |

The Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Tanzania, Morogoro

The South African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance is piloting a program to use smartphone technology to report and respond to infectious disease outbreaks. The program trains community members to recognize signs of infectious diseases, such as vomiting and diarrhea, and report them through their smartphones. These reports are relayed to a team of specialists who track the location and frequency of these reports to determine if an outbreak of disease is occurring and respond accordingly.

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Can 30,000 Cameras Help Solve Chicago's Crime Problem?

Timothy Williams

May 26, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Using advanced data, cameras, and innovative mapping, Chicago is hoping to finally solve crime in the city. Hidden sensors like ShotSpotter and crime forecasting software HunchLab are being used to turn massive amounts of data into usable information for law enforcement officers, but concerns about privacy and surveillance are prevalent.

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Despite Many Threats, Some Coral Reefs Are Thriving

Paul Tullis

May 23, 2018 |

bioGraphic |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Cook Islands, Rarotonga

The 100 Island Challenge is a project through the University of California, San Diego to use photos and complex mapping programs to assess the health of coral reefs. Despite media attention declaring the demise of reefs, early stages of this research has shown that protective factors, like areas with less pollution, can help preserve reefs. By getting buy-in from local governments and working with local fisheries, the 100 Island Challenge is working to use new knowledge around coral reefs to lessen the effects of climate change on these precious ecosystems.

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Tracing Illegal Guns

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

May 23, 2018 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Albuquerque, Pennsylvania

A publicly available online platform launched by the New York Attorney General fills in big data gaps on guns being used in crimes and trafficked from elsewhere. “We were able to get a snapshot really quickly of where the worst guns are ending up and where they started.” The data can establish groundwork for interstate trafficking cases and also inform policy decisions and New York is happy to share the technology other communities can build their own databases.

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Switzerland's new algorithm could get up to 30% more refugees into work

Jack Graham

May 18, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Switzerland, Bern

Switzerland will soon be piloting a new algorithm to help refugees find jobs. The algorithm uses "machine learning to match geographic employment outcomes with refugees’ personal characteristics, such as gender, age and nationality." Researchers found that using the algorithm would have helped 41% more refugees to be employed between 2011 and 2016, but "real world" impact is yet to be measured. However, there are concerns about transparency and fairness.

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