Hacking for Southern Africa: Collaborative development of hyperlocal services for marginalised communities

Abstract

This paper describes a collaborative experience in the initial development of hyperlocal services for marginalised communities in Southern Africa. Problems specific to urban, peri-urban and rural contexts were identified in collaboration with local community members and NGOs in South Africa and Angola. Selected topics were presented to a group of volunteer developers for initial proof-of-concept application development at an event hosted in Italy. The volunteers produced 6 prototype applications that were demonstrated at the end of the event to a panel of experts and members of one of the interested rural communities.