The phenomenon of open data is sweeping across the globe and across Africa. Throughout the continent there are many initiatives to scale up the availability of data to hold leaders to account, make more informed decisions and demand better services. This sounds very promising, but can and do these open data initiatives really help civil society, private sector and academics in Africa to launch new ventures, analyse trends and solve complex problems? Last week I attended The Africa Open Data Conference in Accra, Ghana to discover the opportunities and challenges of open data in Africa. The theme for this second edition was open data for sustainable development. Here are my main highs and lows of the conference. Continue reading
Author Archives → Lars Heemskerk
Ten misconceptions about mobile data collection
Above: This is not a pipe. The difference between reality and conception is sometimes hard to tell. Painting above: The Treachery of Images by René Magritte (Belgium, 1898-1967)
The number of smartphone users worldwide surpassed 2 billion this year. This rapid growth has given endless opportunities in the development of smartphone applications. It also brings many new possibilities to the field of data collection. Although mobile data collection is increasingly being used, I’ve noticed that some people still feel skeptical about it. Whether it has to do with the confidence that people have in the old means of collecting data (pen and paper) or the unfamiliarity of new techniques, most of the judgements I hear around me are based on false assumptions. In this blog I will refute the ten most commonly heard misconceptions about mobile data collection. Continue reading
Visualising Data Collection of water points in Mali
For the data collection of water points in Mali by the DNH (Direction Nationale de l’Hydraulique) I created this torque heatmap showing collected data from November 2015 with Akvo FLOW. 25899 points are mapped in two months time.
10 SEO tips for website translations
In a previous blog, I discussed domain name selection when creating a multi-lingual website. This time I will take a closer look at the SEO structure that is required for a successful international website. The ten most important SEO translation tips that should be taken into consideration when translating websites are given below Continue reading
Domain choices for International websites
How do you set up a well-structured multilingual website? This is question pops up frequently, but it’s difficult to answer. The truth is that there really is no right or wrong. That said, I have nevertheless seen a lot of businesses make the wrong choices. An important decision is which URL structure and domain name to choose. I will investigate this subject further in this blog. Continue reading