CGIAR centers join with Google Books to extend reach

In Montpellier today, CGIAR centers attending the IAALD Congress announced a new colaboration with Google Books.

CGBooks (http://books.cgiar.org), a collaborative effort involving CGIAR Information Managers, Web Managers and Google staff, has effectively expanded the reach of CGIAR research, simply by making publications instantly searchable over the Internet.

Grameen Foundation and Google create mobile apps for rural Africa

On 29 June, the Grameen Foundation announced the launch of a suite of mobile phone applications developed with Google and MTN Uganda (MTN) that deliver services and information that were previously unavailable to Uganda’s poor and disadvantaged communities.

This launch makes available the first suite of applications resulting from an endeavor called the Application Laboratory (AppLab).

"AppLab will give millions of Africans access to health advice, farming tips and trading services using only a mobile handset" - The Guardian

"Real time information about farming, health and trading will be available to mobile phone users in Uganda with new technology services developed by the Grameen Foundation, Google and telecom operator MTN Uganda" - Seattle Times

"Working with Grameen Foundation and MTN, the big African mobile carrier, Google has begun offering a handful of services that combine text messaging, search technologies, and databases full of locally relevant information" - Business Week

" The five mobile phone applications provide real-time health and agricultural information and a virtual marketplace for buying and selling goods and services" - Grameen Foundation



More AppLab videos on YouTube

Google Apps for agricultural research?

The CGIAR has been looking into alternative ways for its staff to collaborate and share information online.

Read this short report on an experiment they tried out in 2008.

Take a look at CGXchange 2.0 - one nice feature is that we can all learn from CGIAR experiences.