Hollaback! An intriguing innovation in Knight News Challenge

The Knight News Challenge is awarding as much as $5 million this year for innovative ideas that develop platforms, tools and services to inform and transform community news, conversations and information distribution and visualization.

I found this idea intriguing. You can read and comment (you must register to comment) on her project here:
http://tinyurl.com/ykhlnp5

Don't just walk on, Hollaback! Comments like \"hey baby, nice tits,\" and unwanted attention like groping, public lewdness or even assault are an everyday part of life for women around the world. They are also illegal, demeaning, and demoralizing. Unfortunately 97% (2007 study) of these crimes go unreported. Those that attempt reporting to police are frequently told there is \"nothing\" they can do. Authorities in most countries (including our own), regularly fail to take street harassment seriously and follow through on reporting these crimes, making them invisible to the media and policymakers. We envision a different option to report, document, and track street harassment. Women worldwide will stop harassment and assault with digital, open-source technology. We propose to create an online map where women can \"Hollaback!\" directly from their cell phones. Quick, 140 character stories can be submitted through three easy portals: a) text it, b) tweet it, and c) submit it through a \"Hollaback\" mobile phone app. Once submitted, harassment and assault data will be mapped and later analyzed in an annual \"State of Our Streets\" report which will be sent to the police, public officials, and the media. Automatic email alerts noting real-time harassment will also be available. Local citizens and policy makers can sign up for alerts on incidences in their own communities, or review our HARASSmap to see harassment hot-spots. After piloting in New York City, we want to make this open-source technology available to countries with pre-existing anti–street harassment communities including: India, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa. A HollabackWORLD site will be launched to document and build awareness around street harassment worldwide.