Perché un nuovo laboratorio?TangoLabTecnology Assistance to NGO Laboratory

Roberto PolilloDISCO, 16 June 2009

Lab site: www.labtango.wordpress.com

TangoLab: Mission

Identify, design & prototype innovative, effective, low-cost and sustainable ICT solutions, for no-profit orgs and their “customers” – and promote their use

Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day

http://www.globalissues.org

?

“Now”, change we can!

In very recent years, entrance barriers to ICT have dramatically lowered Low-cost internet connectivity Low-cost mobile devices VOIP Open source software Free high-quality content management systems “Free” cloud computing “Free” social computing Integration and mashup technologies Usability research

The Third Sector galaxy

IMPRESE

THIRD SECTOR

FOUNDATIONS

ASSOCIATIONS

VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS

ONLUS

In Italy, in 2001:- 220.000 orgs- 4 ml people (3.2 ml volunteers)NO-PROFIT

SOCIAL GOALS

NGO

No-profit & ICT No-profit orgs (and volunteers orgs above all) often small and

unstructured ICT often rudimentary:

No money No know-how Focus on main organization activities

But ICT might produce a powerful “leverage effect”: Web site: promotion, fund rising, volunteers recruitment,

communications and internal organization support Domain specific applications Communications, communications, communications

Problems: Technology: low-tech, low-bandwith, costs, technical support Context: logistics, education, sustainability

Sustainable?

TangoLab: Philosophy

No software development, but identification of free sw components, integration and mashup

No local ICT infrastructures, but use of cloud computing

The net as the primary enabler Simple, usable, low cost and sustainable solutions Requirements and field testing through

partnerships All output freely reusable

TangoLab: Activities

“Container” for student thesis (different levels and degrees)

Cohoperation with no-profit orgs for user requirements and field testing

Partnership with Informatici senza frontierehttp://www.informaticisenzafrontiere.org/(also for shared systems)

Promotion and circulation of experiences, know-how and software

Current projects

Site & social network for Cooperativa Sociale Lambro di Monza http://www.cooperativalambro.it/ (1 thesi s TTC, finished)

Observatory on quality and best-practices of Italian NGO web sites (2 thesis TTC)

“Global Health” project for Children Hospital in Managua (with Medicine and Sociology Faculties, and UNAN Managua University)

Experiences with“viral marketing” of no-profit events(1 thesis TTC: Homeless World Cup 2009 http://www.homelessworldcup.org/groups

; 1 thesis TTC: Promotion Chia.Ve project, with Municipalities of Chiasso, Vergiate and Sesto Calende)

TangoNet Project: ICT for no-profit Social Portal (started with1 thesis LM Inf, cohoperation with ISF)http://tangonet.ning.com/

“Social portal” for ICT for no-profit in Italy

Social portal = social network + repository + aggregator + portal

Open and free Developed through partnerships Piattaform: ning

TangoNet

Cohoperation proposals will be “estremely” welcome!

“Meta-lab” concept (?)

Thank you