I’ve written in the past about the internet things and, more specifically, how objects, connected to the cloud can do some really cool things beyond the early adopter examples. I was spurred on by a post over on TechCrunch that talked about an intelligent grid for water systems – the context being that as everyone (other than those who have been living under a rock) knows, water is a scarce, precious and over utilized resource. The post told of i20, a centralized water control system that automated the distribution and pressure of a municipal water system.

Apparently, i20 systems have been installed in dozens of cities in the UK and have gone on to save, on average, 50000 liters of water a day each. Bear in mind that the World Bank estimates that 32 billion cubic meters of water is lost from cities each year. hat is precisely the sort of story that gets me excited – it’s an application of technology for a greater good. Something far beyond the latest heck-in app or iFart variant. By way of a little plug, I wanted to let people know that I’ll be running a Barcamp the day before the defrag conference in Colorado next month looking at just this – Technology4Good is an event that will focus on using technology to bring about change for good. We’d really love you to come along – feel free to register here.

We’re stoked to announce that we’ve confirmed our first two speakers for the camp. Sophia Liu is a PhD candidate focusing on the use of social media in a crisis context (think Haiti). Jay Simons from Atlassian will be talking about how they raised $600,000 for the non-profit group Room to Read.

Also a big shout out to our sponsors – Rackspace has come on board as platinum sponsor and, I have to say, guaranteed that this event could happen. Atlassian showed their true colors by supporting us as well – thanks guys!

Most importantly though, we need YOU! If you’ve got a penchant for talking about how technology can make the world a better place, Technology4Good is the event for you, we’ll be running open sessions suggested and facilitated by attendees themselves and we’re looking forward to some inspiring and mind-broadening conversations at the vent. See you there!

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Ben Kepes

Ben Kepes is a technology evangelist, an investor, a commentator and a business adviser. Ben covers the convergence of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users.

2 Comments
  • Hi Ben. Thanks for the post, I really love to hear all the ways technology improves society. I had never heard before of i20 but am intrigued and will research more about it. My best wishes towards your Barcamp and getting the most positive ideas for good! Can’t wait to read about it and hopefully, maybe you will post a vlog??
    Thanks again!

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