The
Dougherty mashup shows the location of EPA identified facilities that release toxic chemicals in Dougherty Georgia.
Most awesome things about this mashup are:
*it's replicable, so people can use the source to build similar mashups for their communities
*it was created instantly and for free in an afternoon session at the NetSquared Conference
Ning came out last year and allows anyone to make mashups really easily. I ain't kidding, I tried it out when it first started, and i experimented with making
a map mashup of restaurants around the office*. It was so easy!
Of course, I mean easy as in "easy compared to trying to make a mashup or even making a website by myself" vs. "easy like making a sandwich". My take is that it's probably intimidating to people who are not comfortable with technology, but a huge relief to people who are comfortable but not super techy (like myself).
Other nonprofits and projects have used Ning as a testing ground for their ideas - check out the
Helpalot test site or DotOrganize's
Organizers Tool Crib.
So, Ning's not the only kid on the block - mashups abound. But for the tech-curious and time-challenged NPO that just wishes they could have, say, a way for people in their community to add and rate local HIV resources, Ning is pretty damn great.
My only wish is that they were even easier, and that they'd let you import apps to other sites.
*A note about my restaurant mashup - you may notice that besides me, only one other person ever visited it. In an era where cool things are getting easier and easier to build, the FoD motto should probably change to "If you build it, then you get a lot of people interested and joining in to help build it and make it even better and more useful, they will come."