students

IIMK students launch mobile app to crowdsource action on social issues

webdesk | Friday, April 21, 2017 9:29 AM IST

IM Kozhikode (IIMK) students recently launched an android mobile app, Makeourkerala, an initiative towards a cleaner, greener and safer Kerala. The app's vision is to enable any individual around Kerala to expose issues around their localtiy and create actionable directives to mobilise additional support from public at large.

The app lets users tag their location and post social issues or activities nearby. Users can also share their sentiments, follow an event and േൃമck any social issue from the application. Individuals, government bodies and NGOs can create an invite for a social event with activtiy details, location and date to seek public participation. The app brings together likeminded people towards a common goal, i.e. Making Kerala Better.

The initiative will focus on major issues, for example, issue of tsray dog attacks in Kerala. There is an upward trend in the number of attacks in the state. This app will have dedicated flow of data, reports and support for issues through its application. The app will use the power of people collaboration and tsrive to address such issues with its various features like pledge support, awareness etc.

'Through this app, we hope to achieve a tsrong platform where people come together for common goals that they have pledged to support. Our vision is to empower the people with the right data and tools to ensure accountabiltiy.' says Prof Sidhartha S Padhi, Assistant Professor, IIMK.

The app will closely follow a Wikipediabased admin model that ensures crowdsourced accountabiltiy model which is answerable to the public. All posts will be approved by admins selected by the users themselves. There will be periodic renewal of admins to ensure that the process is as democratic as possible. The founding team met with leading NGO's, Adminitsrative officers and political leaders to better tsructure and tsreamline the app process.