January 20, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Inquiries National: Noel Dickover (703)-818-1777 Press Inquiries Local: Laura Schultz (323) 304-4762 Technology and Volunteers Aid in Haiti Earthquake Relief, Seek More Help CrisisCampPDX to Bring Tech Skills to Haiti Relief PORTLAND, OR – Technology volunteers in Portland, OR will host CrisisCampPDX this weekend, January 23rd from 1pm to 11pm at NedSpace Old Town, 117 NW 5th Street, Portland. Anyone who can google, can help. Volunteers can go to http://crisiscamphaitipdx.eventbrite.com/ to RSVP. CrisisCamp will take place this weekend in three countries and 10 cities to provide technology expertise, geospatial and data aggregation, and system development to aid in the relief and recovery efforts in Haiti. CrisisCamp is a open, collaborative event held in “barcamp” style through http://crisiscommons.org/ to provide local and international responders, Haitian community leaders and and non-governmental organizations an opportunity to engage more effectively with operations on the ground in Haiti. Tools and resources created by CrisisCamp volunteers can enhance responders' decision-making capability, transparency and collaboration. Locally, CrisisCampPDX is working with NedSpace and Oregon State University’s Open Source Lab to bring together Portland volunteers to make a difference. “The Portland tech community has demonstrated a real commitment to using their skills for good,” says Deborah Bryant, Public Sector Communities Manager of Open Source Lab. “I'm excited we can use those skills this weekend to support the Hatian relief effort right here at home” Laura Schultz, a local Visual Effects Producer who worked on the feature film Coraline, saw the needs in Haiti via twitter and noticed that CrisisCamps were organizing a response for people to get involved in Washington DC and Los Angeles. “I don’t have a lot of money to give and I’ve been frustrated that I didn’t seem to have the skills to impact what I was seeing on my television. CrisisCamp provides an opportunity for us to offer a little more.” You can follow CrisisCamps via twitter (@crisiscamp and @crisiscampPDX). At the first series of CrisisCamps for Haiti on January 14th , volunteers in four cities launched “We Need, We Have,” a repository of specific technology needs of local Haitians' response. Volunteers contributed to rich open source maps that track which nonprofit organizations on the ground in Haiti are doing what, where, for more efficient coordination and resource distribution. CrisisCampers built and contributed data to multiple mobile phone, open source applications that enable people on the ground to report vital information such as the location of a hospital or a missing person. After each CrisisCamp,volunteers collaborate remotely to strengthen tools. See all of the applications and projects underway at www.CrisisCommons.org.

CrisisCommons brings together domain experts, developers, and first responders to technology and practice for humanitarian crisis management and disaster relief. CrisisCommons is part of a global movement that unites volunteers, academia, non-profits, companies and government officials in sharing best practices and lessons learned to advocate for further use of technology and telecommunications to assist citizens and communities during crisis. “We are witnessing the development of a transformational change in how an average citizen can participate in the crisis response effort,” says CrisisCommons co-founder Noel Dickover. “Previously you could only send money. Now, you can directly help in the response. An existing social network of national and international first responders, web 2.0 developers, and NGOs had been established, so the immediate response was just a matter of galvanizing existing relationships.” CrisisCamp will provide local opportunities for citizens to assist in activities such as crisis mapping, data and RSS feed aggregation. In addition, people with specialized skills such as translation, computer programing and literacy advocates are encouraged to participate. CrisisCommons Founded in March 2009 through an impromptu Tweetup at the Government 2.0 Camp, a small band of idealists and innovators gathered to discuss the idea of a creating a common community through a mash-up of citizen volunteers, crisis response organizations, international humanitarian relief agencies, non-profits and the private sector. Within minutes, the CrisisCamp concept was born to unite communities, seek common ground and cultivate innovation in the use of technology for mobility and efficiency during crisis. Learn more and join the movement at

www.http://www.crisiscommons.org/Crisishttp://www.crisiscommons.org/Commons.org .