We reflect on the questions and challenges that social justice organisations approached us with in 2023.
Tech & Data Tools
Understanding the Impact of Geospatial Data in Social and Climate Justice
Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to gather, manage, analyse and visualise spatial and geographic data
Ensuring Communication for Social Justice Organisations with Unstable Internet
Tips for better calls in low-connectivity situations
Report: chatbots in humanitarian contexts
This research looks at the types of chatbots that have been used by humanitarian and civil society organisations, why they were introduced, and what challenges were faced in implementing them.
Five considerations for humanitarians before designing & adopting chatbots
Last year we kicked off a project examining chatbot use in humanitarian work, with support from the IFRC and UNHCR. In this post, we share some of the key learnings for humanitarian organisations that emerged from our research.
In the humanitarian sector’s search for efficiency, are we falling short?
Over the decade that The Engine Room has been providing support and conducting research, we’ve explored this question of how, in practice, different digital technologies can augment the work of humanitarian organisations.
Working on our digital resilience: video conferencing tools
Earlier this year we started a new project to examine and strengthen our digital resilience. In this blog post, we’re sharing some reflections about the new tools our team is testing out!
Report + Workbook: Ethical considerations for open source investigations
Ethical considerations for conducting open source investigations for human rights advocacy or legal accountability.
Website Launch: Tech Tools for human rights documentation
Rsearch findings and practical advice for human rights documenters.
What we’ve learned through our support for organisations working on building digital communities
Our team has supported hundreds of social justice organisations to use tech and data. One clear trend we’ve seen over the years is a consistent interest in building online communities.
Adopting new tech: How to give your team the best chances of success
Introducing new platforms and tools is a challenging process for many organisations, but there are steps you can take to make it smoother.
Building digital tools in social justice organisations: What to consider before getting started
What to consider before building a tool from scratch.
Tech Tools for Human Rights Documenters
A resource for human rights documenters, tool developers and funders.
Technology in the service of justice
How The Engine Room aspires to approach our own technical choices with an explicit focus on justice and anti-oppression.
Responsible data and sustainable platform adoption with Legal Advisory Information Center
Working with the Legal Advisory Information Center (LAIC) to explore ways in which data and technology could give access to justice to underserved communities in South Africa.
Using Uwazi to build a database documenting institutional violence
Learnings from our work with CELS reconceptualising and publishing an exiting database of cases.
Tech tips for working from home when everyone else is too
Tips and tools for weathering the work-from-home part of this storm.
What digital tool re-use looks like among UK charities
This year, we researched how digital tools are re-used in the UK charity sector.
Technology and legal empowerment around the world
We partnered with the Open Society Justice Initiative to research how legal empowerment actors worldwide are using technology to give people information about the law, connect them with legal advice, and provide them with legal services.
Stop assuming, start questioning
One way to hit the needed balance of ambition and practicality is by starting with the basics: understanding and defining the problem you want to address.
Don’t reinvent the wheel, refine it
At The Engine Room, we believe in collaboration and sharing resources to build technology. Reusing existing tools is a great way to develop solutions that are tailored and affordable, immediately useful and sustainable.
Share more, build less
We see a lot of organisations looking for support with a technology project. The majority we see fall short of addressing project needs and don’t tap into the power of sharing and collaborating.
Using what we know: How to ensure tech projects meet the brief
This post was originally published on the Making All Voices Count blog.
How to use satellite imagery for Human Rights Monitoring: our new library entry
We worked with Robin Pierro to create an introduction on using satellite imagery for human rights monitoring.
Alidade: an interactive tool to help you bring technology strategically into your project
We created Alidade – an interactive guide that helps social change organisations ask the questions that can help them decide what kind of technology tool would fit with their project.
Announcing our new research on humanitarian futures for messaging apps
Messaging apps are the fastest growing form of digital communication ever, with smartphone ownership rising rapidly around the world and messaging becoming many people’s favourite way to communicate. But what does this mean for humanitarian organisations? Our new research report, produced in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the messaging […]
Our new report on technology tools in human rights is here
Launching our new scoping study on the use of technology tools for human rights documentation