FlashCast Awarded Grant to Bring Real-Time News to Commuters
Kenya does not have a neighborhood media industry and the Kenyan public therefore gets very little hyperlocal information about issues or developments in their immediate vicinity.
FlashCast’s information screens in public transit vehicles changes this by giving commuters localised news about the areas they’re transiting through.
Even when Kenyan audiences do find relevant content, they have limited opportunities to provide feedback or otherwise make their voices heard. We give commuters the opportunity to answer mobi-surveys / vox pop or by submitting SMS / ChatApp comment on news reports from their seats in buses.
Expanding on our work
We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded a $10,000 grant from the International Center For Journalists and Code for Africa.
This is pretty exciting because it enables us to expand, develop and build this kind of hyper-local news update and feedback features in our mobile apps, and on our smart screens.
Specifically, we will be using this grant to:
- Develop and deploy new screens, a new generation of multimedia screens, in FlashCast vehicles that will offer richer content display for an even wider range of multimedia options.
- Update the Sonar Mobile App, available on the Android Play Store, adding a news feedback feature that will be displayed alongside traffic and news updates on the smart screens.
- Push real-time content, to these smart screens and mobile app. We will be directly tapping into local news sources and traffic updates to panels, in order to push content from partner sources in real-time.
FlashCast: FlashCast operates a network of location-aware, dynamically refreshing text displays installed in public transit vehicles. We leverage this novel technology to offer businesses of all sizes an affordable, powerful, geotargeted channel to capture new business. We enable NGOs, government agencies, and social enterprises to broadcast vital information to a notoriously difficult to reach demographic.
International Center for Journalists: ICFJ is at the forefront of the news revolution. Its programs empower journalists and engage citizens with new technologies and best practices. ICFJ’s networks of reporters and media entrepreneurs are transforming the field. It believes that better journalism leads to better lives.
Code for Africa: CfAfrica is the continent’s largest federation of civic technology and open data laboratories, with affiliate members in 10 African countries and funded projects in a further 12 countries. CfAfrica manages the $1m/year innovateAFRICA.fund and $500,000/year impactAFRICA.fund, as well as key digital democracy resources such as openAFRICA.net and GotToVote.cc. CfAfrica helped fund the OpenGazettes initiative.
