Water Scarcity Update

Our first set of illustrations are now in. The next stage is to compile information from NGOs and derive guidance for a game.

The first goals are to try and explain:

• Why is water important? (UNICEF guides)
• What problems are caused by a lack of water? (UNICEF guides)
• Where in the world are there scarcity problems? (UNESCO guides)
• The importance of clean water.(UNESCO guides)
• Collect guidance for the treatment of water.(UNESCO guides)

This project will soon move to World Class Project, and will merge with their blog

http://worldclassproject.org.uk

OLPC Proposal

1. Project Title & Shipment Detail

Name of Project: Water Scarcity Awareness Project (WEB-PUBLISHED)

Number of Laptops (or other hardware) You Request to Borrow: 1

Loan Length—How Many Months: 6 months

2. Team Participants

Name(s) & Contact Info: (include all email addresses & phone numbers)

olpc.warwick@gmail.com

Employer and/or School:

Past Experience/Qualifications:

3. Objectives

Project Objectives: (WEB-PUBLISHED)

Concrete proposals with defined, measurable outcomes are much more likely to result in a laptop than "it would be cool to play with these and demo them".

To teach children about the challenges faced by water scarcity in the world.

To educate children of the need for water conservation and to raise awareness of products that require high water usage for their production.

The outcomes would involve children learning about regions in the world where water scarcity is a problem as well as to inspire them on the scientific progress in water conservation and drought resistant farming.

This will also include basic advice on water treatment and sanitation methods.

4. Plan of Action

Plan and Procedure for Achieving the Stated Objectives:

Conduct research on water scarcity and identify where ecological challenges lie.

Produce a series of games, comics and quizzes that help educate children about the need for water conservation.

Produce an map to help children navigate around a virtual globe and identify regions of water scarcity in their locality.

Produce an interactive tutorial manual to help teach children about the basics of water treatment. Using guidelines from unesco, unicef and other water charities

http://portal.unesco.org/science/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5052&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Produce animations and illustrations to help explain the devastating impacts caused by some commercial products.

http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/think-outside-bottle/

Summarize key research -in a manner suitable for children- about latest developments in drought resistant farming methods using a interactive land simulation game.

Create and xo connected community chat and forum to help children discuss their ideas and successes for water conservation.

Create a photo/video portal to share ideas about water conservation.

5. Needs

Why is this project needed?

To raise awareness of the need for water conservation and sanitation in countries where climate change will have the most devastating effects. To inspire children to search for technical solutions to minimize water use and implement efficient farming methods in the future.

Locally?

To help children identify local regions within the country or state where water scarcity is an issue. To connect children with local working groups and NGOs that deal with water related issues and to learn more about local methods for water conservation.

In the greater OLPC/Sugar community?

To help generate content that can communicate advice from NGOs through the use of multimedia and games.

Outside the community?

To help establish a pro-active global community that connects people (through Sugar ) in water rich countries to those facing scarcity problems.

Why can't this project be done in emulation using non-XO machines?

To help evaluate performance issues related to animations, memory usage and user interface interaction with games.

Use of an XO laptop will help evaluate how maps, illustrations and games will perform on the real hardware so that content is rendered at the correct rate.

The use of a laptop will allow us to take the content to local schools and evaluate its effectiveness in communicating the key messages.

The use of an XO will help highlight potential uses for add on components related to water testing.

The use of an XO will help raise awareness of OLPC at university seminars and conferences

Why are you requesting the number of machines you are asking for?

To have a test bench for the final multimedia content and to take one laptop to the local school to evaluate the game.

Will you consider (1) salvaged/rebuilt or (2) damaged XO Laptops? YES

6. Sharing Deliverables

Project URL—where you'll Blog specific ongoing progress:

Please web-publish this entire completed proposal, removing any sections affecting your personal privacy. Ask if you want help -- communicating with our OLPC/Sugar global community is core!

http://olpcwarwick.blogspot.com/

http://olpcwarwick.blogspot.com/2010/05/olpc-proposal.html

How will you convey tentative ideas & results back to the OLPC/Sugar community, prior to completion?

Using regular twitter feeds and posts on the blog.

How will the final fruits of your labor be distributed to children or community members worldwide?

Through a series of activities launched on sugar, a number of posters and talks at local schools. We also hope to have you tube videos where children demonstrate procedures manuals for conservation and treatment.

Will your work have any possible application or use outside our community?

Yes, as part of a global effort to confront excessive water usage.

Have you investigated working with nearby XO Lending Libraries or Project Groups?

Yes ,non of them have any laptops available.

7. Quality/Mentoring

Would your Project benefit from Support, Documentation and/or Testing people?

Not really .We have a local team of contributors that will help with this

Teachers' input into Usability?

We will contact local schools in the UK for their input but teachers from further a field would be useful.

How will you promote your work?

Through talks at local university conferences, at schools, using You tube, twitter and creating posters.

Can we help you with an experienced mentor from the OLPC/Sugar community? (WEB-PUBLISHED)

Yes – some assistance on deployment of activities may be required.

8. Timeline (Start to Finish)

Please include a Proposed timeline for your Project life-cycle: (this can be in the form of Month 1, Month 2, etc rather than specific dates)

Month 1 research water scarcity and scientific and geography issues

Month 2 outline draft storyboards for multimedia content

Month 3 collect all reference maps and manuals related to treatment and scarcity

Month 4 implement games

Month 5 get feedback from schools

Month 6 final test and deploy

Month 7 review usage and implement advanced features like video and photo applications

Specify how you prefer to communicate your ongoing progress and obstacles!

[ x] I agree to pass on the laptop(s) to a local OLPC group or other interested contributors in case I do not have need for the laptop(s) anymore or in case my project progress stalls.