From it’s start in social networking apps such as Foursquare, location check-ins on GPS-enabled smartphones are becoming an indispensable mode of work for certain sectors.
Ushahidi is a non-profit specializing in tools for information collection, visualization, and mapping. Ushahidi’s tools were used to assess and document the damage from Japan’s recent earthquake, and have been used by aid workers in numerous other disasters and hot zones. The company recently added a GPS-enabled smartphone app that allows aid workers and response teams to “check-in” on a collaborative map, sharing data and location with other members of a team. In volatile environments, where the situation on the ground changes rapidly in often life-threatening ways, this is primed to be an integral part of a response team’s toolset –not just making work easier, but also potentially saving lives.
Yet another way in which social game mechanics are evolving from ‘toys’ to ‘tools’…