Ghana SMTC ready for operation ahead of elections
IT News Africa news alert / Fundisiwe Maseko /11 hours ago
Technology, particularly mobile and social media, is poised to make a signficant impact on up and coming elections in Africa. (Image source: eruditiononline.co.uk/)
Penplusbytes Flagship “Social Media Tracking Centre (SMTC) is up and running ahead of the 2016 elections in Ghana on November 7. According toMyJoyOnline the SMTC is a system that monitors and responds in real time to reports emanating from social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook etc.
The centre uses the Aggie social media tracking software developed in Georgia Tech. MyJoyOnline reports that the Aggie is able to present trends grouped around voting logistics, violence, political parties, etc. Penplusbytes will pass the information on to the National Elections Security Taskforce. Through rapid citizen feedback, gathered through social media, problems that may trigger security incidents will be quickly resolved, contributing to a peaceful election.
The report sates that Penplusbytes will share real-time incident reports with the Electoral Commission, National Elections Security Task Force (NESTF), and other election stakeholders for prompt action. A new addition to the software tracking platforms is the SMS short code. All these will be done with embedded representatives in the electoral management and observer control centers.
A team of of students from Meltwater Enterpreneurial School of Technology and University of Ghana, Legon as well as staff from Penplusbytes will montor social media for 72 hours on a rotational basis during, before and after the elections.
The project is funded by the Deutsche Welle (DW) Akademie and the National Endowment for Democracy, it seeks to to promote peaceful, transparent and credible elections in Ghana and support effective and efficient information and knowledge exchange through a strategic and structural engagement of citizens and the electoral management bodies (Electoral Commission and National Elections Security Task Force – NESTF).
Staff Writer
IT News Africa news alert / Fundisiwe Maseko /11 hours ago
Technology, particularly mobile and social media, is poised to make a signficant impact on up and coming elections in Africa. (Image source: eruditiononline.co.uk/)
Penplusbytes Flagship “Social Media Tracking Centre (SMTC) is up and running ahead of the 2016 elections in Ghana on November 7. According toMyJoyOnline the SMTC is a system that monitors and responds in real time to reports emanating from social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook etc.
The centre uses the Aggie social media tracking software developed in Georgia Tech. MyJoyOnline reports that the Aggie is able to present trends grouped around voting logistics, violence, political parties, etc. Penplusbytes will pass the information on to the National Elections Security Taskforce. Through rapid citizen feedback, gathered through social media, problems that may trigger security incidents will be quickly resolved, contributing to a peaceful election.
The report sates that Penplusbytes will share real-time incident reports with the Electoral Commission, National Elections Security Task Force (NESTF), and other election stakeholders for prompt action. A new addition to the software tracking platforms is the SMS short code. All these will be done with embedded representatives in the electoral management and observer control centers.
A team of of students from Meltwater Enterpreneurial School of Technology and University of Ghana, Legon as well as staff from Penplusbytes will montor social media for 72 hours on a rotational basis during, before and after the elections.
The project is funded by the Deutsche Welle (DW) Akademie and the National Endowment for Democracy, it seeks to to promote peaceful, transparent and credible elections in Ghana and support effective and efficient information and knowledge exchange through a strategic and structural engagement of citizens and the electoral management bodies (Electoral Commission and National Elections Security Task Force – NESTF).
Staff Writer
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