Getting ready for our NOMAD workshop, 15 – 17 May, Paris

Last month was filled with action for us at NOMAD. We were working on the logistics for the organization of the NOMAD workshop. This workshop is one of the main tools in our dissemination campaign. We decided on the dates and French Space Agency (CNES) has been very kind in offering us the location for the workshop. The primary communication to stakeholders and possible participants has already been done and you can read more about the workshop athttp://humanitarian-nomad.org/.  Participants will learn about NOMAD and its services and experience hands-on sessions conducted by mobile data collection solution providers during the workshop. Always wanted to hear more about a specific solution and test it out before deciding which one might be best for your organisation and situation? Make sure you mark your calendar for this event. At the end of the workshop, after trying and testing various data collection tools, participants will be able to select and decide on the best tool for your survey.

NOMAD is also planning to participate in the WGET -ICT Humanitarian Forum – 11-12 April 2013. The Sub-Working Group on Emergency Telecommunications (WGET) is an open forum to facilitate the operational use of telecommunications in the service of humanitarian assistance, and to increase the effectiveness of its participants related to regulatory, operational and technical aspects of telecommunications for disaster relief. After its first meeting on 16 November 1994, two plenary meetings are held every year and ad hoc meetings are organized as required. NOMAD will be presented for the second time in this forum in April.

During the last month, we have also been able to recruit a web and database developer in order to improve the Online Selection Assistant Nomad tool database and the structure of the NOMAD website. The developer has already commenced working on improvements to the online selection tool, modifying the database containing the specifications of the different solutions, creating a private page where the solution providers can modify technical characteristics of their respective tools, archive various changes into a newsletter to inform the subscribers of the changes that have been made in the last quarter.

The developer will also work on a programme in order to have statistical data on who used the online assistance tool and what solutions had been suggested to the users.  In the meantime, he is also working on remodelling the NOMAD website for it to be more user friendly and to be responsive to operate on tablets and smartphones.

During the month of January, we have continued our social media campaign via Facebook and twitter. We now have 85 twitter followers and 441 users of Facebook have seen our Facebook posts during the month of January and early February.

Stay tuned to read more developments from our side soon especially regarding the NOMAD workshop, its agenda and a lot more.