Nominet Trust reveals 2016’s top 100 tech for good projects
Melanie May | 23 December 2016 | News
Nominet Trust has unveiled the 2016 NT100: its ranking of the top 100 social innovations using digital technology to drive social change around the world.
Now in its fourth year, this year’s NT100 also recognises Everyday Tech Heroes: people with first-hand experience of the challenges they are tackling with technology. One third of this year’s top 100 fall into this category, while overall the 100 projects tackle 10 social challenges across 65 countries.
Inclusion (social, digital and financial) is the most dominant challenge addressed, featuring in 29 of the 100 projects, with a particular focus on people living with disability. 13 of the projects focus on improving access to services for disabled people, while 12 focus on digital inclusion: a record number for the NT100.
Health, with 20 projects compared to 31 in 2015, is the second most represented challenge tackled by the 2016 NT100, followed by better humanitarian response, tackled in 11 projects.
Projects include ShareTheMeal, an app that lets people donate via mobile to specific United Nations World Food Programmes, online sharing network WeCount that allows Seattle residents to respond to homeless people’s needs and donate basic items like clothing and personal hygiene items, and The Level Market (pictured), which aims to provide a Amazon-like service adapted to aid workers’ needs to enable them to help crisis survivors faster, and which has plans for a donation feature that will let people select products on an NGO’s wish list and purchase them directly.
Vicki Hearn, director of Nominet Trust said:
“In our fourth year of the NT100, we have discovered 700 more social tech innovations from across the globe. It is truly inspiring to know that so many entrepreneurs from all walks of life are embracing digital technology as a force for social good.
“Our recognition of Everyday Tech Heroes this year shows that you don’t have to have influence and a big budget to play an inspirational role. With the right tech tools and a powerful desire to change the status quo, these heroes are tackling some of the world’s most pressing social challenges – starting with the ones on their own doorsteps.”
Nominet Trust selected the NT100 following a three-month period of research and public nominations. 700 were nominated, and shortlisted projects were then reviewed by a panel of organisations including: Big Lottery Fund, Cancer Research UK, Comic Relief, Nominet, Oxfam, Telefonica O2 and Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.