Summary: Information and communications technology is quickly changing the ways in which nongovernmental organizations such as The Carter Center do their work. What are the inherent risks, challenges, and opportunities of using these tools? How is the Center harnessing technology to promote peace? Watch a panel discussion by Carter Center technology experts. Connie Moon Sehat manages the Center's ELMO initiative, a software system designed to streamline and advance the field of election observation. It allows observers to submit data via tablet, cell phones, or online, and enables The Carter Center to make quicker and more accurate assessments of an election. Dr. Sehat previously developed software for a Lockheed Martin/NASA International Space Station project, and she has addressed the intersection of technology and social scientific research at George Mason and Emory universities. As a Carter Center intern, Christopher McNaboe developed what is now the Syria Conflict Mapping project, and he joined the program to formalize and expand the project in 2012. McNaboe documents and analyzes information found through social media to understand the players and structure of rebel groups in Syria. He extracts the data to draw a sophisticated conceptual map showing the connections among and evolution of armed groups. The Carter Center provides the information to neutral parties working toward a peaceful end to the crisis. The Center is among the first to use social media mining for the Syrian conflict in such a comprehensive way. Sean Ding designs and manages Carter Center China Program projects in online awareness raising, access to information, Chinese corporate social responsibility in Africa, and U.S.-China relations. This also includes overseeing programmatic websites www.sinoafrica.org, www.uscnpm.org, and www.chinatransparency.org, which aim to spur conversation and debate. This Conversation is moderated by Carter Center Vice President for Peace Programs Dr. John Stremlau.
