17 January 2008

Google's InStedd project involving Facebook 'set to launch'

Today (January 17th), a Google-funded global humanitarian technology project involving Facebook is set to launch, CNET News.com reports.

Called Innovative Support to Emergencies, Diseases and Disaster (InStedd), the initiative aims to assist communities across the world affected by natural disasters and public health threats.

The not-for-profit organisation was set up with initial funding from search engine provider Google's philanthropic arm Google.org.

Both Facebook and fellow social networking site Twitter will be used as a means of coordinating rescue responses, according to Eric Rasmussen, president and chief executive officer of InStedd.

Commenting on the use of such sites in the project, he added: "We're not talking about pulling the red phone out of the bottom drawer here.

"We're talking about using ubiquitous, free software that is repurposed when necessary to fit into a humanitarian need."

As well as receiving $5 million from Google, InStedd has been given a further $1 million from the Rockerfeller Foundation and a six-figure sum from a foundation associated with venture capitalist and Google investor John Doerr.

Set up over the course of 2006-07, InStedd describes itself as an "innovative lab" for technologies focused on the improvement of early disease detection and rapid disaster response.

It works with universities, companies, health organisations, humanitarian non-governmental organisations and communities to develop new technologies and share information, stating that "through collaboration, better answers can be found".

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