[IAEP] Web4dev conference in Feb - taking suggestions

[Mel Chua]

I'll be headed to NYC to hang out at UNICEF for this - let me know if 
there's anything I should be bringing up / anyone I should be meeting / 
talking-to / etc. - it's the 2nd week of Feb. As usual, copious notes 
will be taken and posted. (Ed McNierney has declared the "Mel-a-gram" a 
new form of communication, wherein to get ridiculously detailed notes 
from something all you have to do is send me there. ;)

http://www.web4dev.org/index.php/Main_Page

I'm also looking for good questions to ask, problems to bring up on 
behalf of the SL (and OLPC) communities, and that sort of thing - I told 
the folks who invited me that I would be going for the "Innovation 
Track," which talks about... *copypaste*

"Web4Dev Innovation Track is divided into 3 workshops, each addressing 
one of three key event themes: Access to Innovation, Monitoring and 
Evaluation and the Supply Chain. Leaders representing each of these 
areas of innovation will guide participants in thought-provoking 
discussion and real-world problem-solving exercises.

Improving Access to Information & Communities of Practice – How can new 
developments in technology support access to information in the most 
extreme circumstances? For example, what are the most efficient 
strategies for providing education or rapid assessments in emergencies 
and remote locations? How can communities of practice and social 
reporting contribute to and strengthen development?

Monitoring and Evaluation – What are the best practices for using mobile 
technologies for monitoring and evaluation? Which case studies and 
initiatives can be reproduced on a global scale? What amount and kind of 
data can we get from mobile phones? How valuable is it? How can it 
improve our programming? What is the incentive to report and the 
significance of social reporting?

Supporting the Supply Chain – From procurement to delivery and use - How 
do we support the delivery of supply-chain items using technologies like 
mobile phones, SMS, and PDAs for communication, stocktaking and 
results-driven process change? How do we address challenges such as 
low-budgets, and delivery to remote locations and in emergency 
situations? What are the challenges and potential innovative solutions 
for: forecasting, shipping, documentations, customs processing, 
handling, storage conditions, type of transport, distribution 
methodology and end-user use?"

--Mel