Inveneo is a
501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...
non-profit organization based in San Francisco with focus on
Information and Communication Technologies
Information and communications technology (ICT) is an extensional term for information technology (IT) that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals) and compute ...
for organizations supporting underserved communities in the developing world, mostly in Africa.
The organization has developed an ultra low-powered computer, called the Inveneo Computing Station, as well as a VoIP-enabled unit called the Inveneo Communication Station, and a hub server, all of which are designed to run on a 12-volt power supply. The Inveneo Computing and Communication Stations were originally based on a reference design ION A603 mini PC by
First International Computer and run
AMD Geode CPU
A central processing unit (CPU), also called a central processor, main processor, or just processor, is the primary processor in a given computer. Its electronic circuitry executes instructions of a computer program, such as arithmetic, log ...
.
In addition to ultra low-power computers and servers, Inveneo has also created long-distance wireless (
WiFi
Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...
) Local-Area Networking (
LAN) gear and its own open-source operating systems for its desktop and server products (based on
Ubuntu
Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed primarily of free and open-source software. Developed by the British company Canonical (company), Canonical and a community of contributors under a Meritocracy, meritocratic gover ...
).
The organization focuses on finding, training, and certifying local partners who can install, service, and support the rural installations quickly and at a much lower cost than flying in Inveneo engineers.
Inveneo also helped to set up a communication system for relief workers after
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
. Jamais Cascio, a co-founder of
WorldChanging
Worldchanging was a nonprofit online publisher that operated from 2003 to 2010. Its strapline was ''A bright green future''. It published newsletters and books about sustainability, bright green environmentalism, futurism and social innovatio ...
, featured Inveneo in July 2005.
See also
*
eCorps
*
Geekcorps
*
Geeks Without Bounds
Geeks Without Bounds (informally known as GWOB) is a humanitarian organization of technologists, first responders, policymakers, and volunteers that work towards improving access to communication and technology. With a focus on working with commun ...
*
NetDay NetDay (1995–2004) was an event established in 1995 that "called on high-tech companies to commit resources to schools, libraries, and clinics worldwide so that they could connect to the Internet". It was developed by John Gage (then-chief scienc ...
*
One Laptop per Child
*
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...
*
Random Hacks of Kindness
*
United Nations Information Technology Service (UNITeS)
References
External links
Inveneo.orgInveneo wikiInveneo photostream
Media
Solar-powered Wi-Fi a gift to SenegalToward Freedom – Internet Access Fuels Development in War-Torn Uganda
Appropriate technology organizations
Information and communication technologies for development
Non-profit organizations based in San Francisco
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