Charlie Beckett:

PAX is only a draft concept but it hopes to tap into the crowd-sourcing and networking potential of the Internet bringing together the vast amounts of data and expertise out there. This would be combined with grass-roots – perhaps mobile-based – instant reporting on developing situations. A team would aggregate this content in an informed way and use it to persuade/encourage people in power to act and act quickly before the potential crisis becomes a real, happening disaster.

Of course there are people who already do some of these things. The news organisations such as Reuters, AP and BBC all have extensive networks that report continuously on these issues. Specialist NGOs such as the excellent International Alert seek to predict crises. Others such as Global Voices, Ushahid and Demotix seek to harness citizen reporting power.

But none of them quite do what PAX wants to do. That is, to focus on pre-reactive, real-time intelligence gathering and then advocacy action.

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