Addressing Environmental Issues Through DemocracyLab
“The active community and collaborative spirit of DemocracyLab provides us with ongoing opportunities to engage with talented programmers interested in honing their skills developing modeling apps focused on environmental impacts.” - Loren Heyns
Model.earth was created to address environmental challenges through innovation by integrating existing business, industry and census data with environmental impact indicators. Through DemocracyLab’s collaborative space, Model.earth has been able to recruit volunteers skilled in machine learning, data analysis and data visualization using tools like Streamlit Python, Open WebUI, Observable Framework, Google Data Commons and the US EPA’s Input-Output visualizations.
Model.earth’s founder and lead software engineer Loren Heyns considers DemocracyLab to be an essential part of their outreach to volunteers.
“The project setup and recruitment on DemocracyLab is straightforward, allowing us to showcase our initiatives and attract skilled volunteers. The recruitment process involves posting project descriptions that promote our vision to attract like-minded programmers passionate about thinking globally and acting locally.”
“DemocracyLab’s impact on our project goes beyond volunteer recruitment. The platform facilitates meaningful connections, knowledge sharing and problem-solving within the open source code community. Their collaborative ecosystem has enabled us to expand our use of Machine Learning AI to help identify local opportunities where new technology and environmentally-focused economic development can reap the greatest returns.”
If you’d like to volunteer with the coding team at Model.Earth, apply here. The team has a broad range of projects matching every skill level.
About DemocracyLab:
DemocracyLab is an open marketplace that connects Tech-For-Good projects with volunteers.
If you’re looking for an experiential learning opportunity to hone your skills or an avenue to create social impact by sharing your wisdom, explore the 200+ projects listed on our website.
If skilled talent is what you need to further your mission, register your organization on our platform to find volunteers.
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Written by: Cornelius Smith; Thank you for your feedback, Chloe Cooper and Loren Heyns