Hi there I thought, some people here on the list might be interested in the talk by Craig (google.org) outlined below. Here's the link to the official announcement: http://unipr.waikato.ac.nz/nerdsincrisis.htm Cheers, Peter ==== Craig Nevill-Manning Engineering Director, Google.org Nerds in Crisis: using technology to respond to disasters Public Lecture Earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis, fires and military action regularly take a terrible toll on people around the world. Technology has always been used to respond in times of crisis, but in the last decade internet access has enabled new approaches to saving lives and reducing misery. Several organizations, including Google, are developing systems to help disaster responders and people affected by a disaster. Detailed aerial and satellite imagery is accelerating disaster response, and SMS and internet-based systems improve communication allowing victims of a disaster to request help. This talk will describe specific responses to disasters this year such as the earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and China, and man-made disasters like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Craig received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Waikato in 1996. He moved to the US and founded Google’s first remote engineering centre in New York. He led the development of 'Froogle', played a key role in developing Google Maps, and Google in Māori. He will be honoured this year by the University of Waikato with its Distinguished Alumni Award. Date: Thursday 26 August 2010 Time: 6.30-7.30pm Venue: University of Waikato WEL Energy Trust Academy of Performing Arts Gallagher Concert Chamber Parking: Gate 2b, Knighton Rd, Hamilton -- Peter Reutemann, Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waikato, NZ http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~fracpete/           Ph. +64 (7) 858-5174