punchline: norway in january

Posted by christolles | Filed under Norway

Yay! We are now in Oslo, Norway, and our adventure continues. Just a quick post to let you all know we’re here safe and sound, and yes, we know we haven’t posted about our Christmas travels yet. I (Chris) will be undertaking a short-term project here in Oslo in collaboration with the Norwegian Refugee Council (Flyktninghjelpen for all you Norwegian speakers out there).

The project is just getting under way, so there’s not much to report for the time being, but basically I’m working on NRC’s Core Activity Database (CAD), a sexy application that automatically collects data from field staff and helps give an overview of what’s going on at NRC programs around the world. NRC has five Core Activities: Education, ICLA (Information, Counseling and Legal Assistance), Emergency Food Security and Distribution, Camp Management, and Shelter.

Currently, CAD captures quantitative (numbers) data only - my ambitious undertaking is to begin to figure out how qualitative (good vs. bad) data can be standardized and incorporated into CAD v2.0, scheduled for roll-out sometime in 2010. For the pilot project, I’ll only be working with data on the Core Activity of Shelter. Yes, for all you designers out there, I agree CAD is a bad acronym.

I promise to actually keep you all updated as to the work I’m doing in Norway, but for the time being check out the very well-produced ad below. Before your media-oversaturation-fueled cynicism kicks in, try and remember the real people living day-to-day in fear for their lives in Gaza, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and far too many other places. NB, bli fadder means “become a sponsor.”

Permalink | February 1st, 2009

2 Responses to “punchline: norway in january”

Teegs Says:
February 3rd, 2009 at 11:54 am
The family farm on my mom’s side is in Forsand, Norway, near Stavanger. It’s on the edge of a fjord. Why would you come to America if your house is on the edge of a fjord? And why, pray tell, would you decide that Iowa is a suitable replacement for sweeping vistas and breathtaking scenery? Questions to which I don’t believe I’ll ever know the answers.
Reply - Quote