Mapping since 1994

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This story appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times in 1994 when I was first launching the Tutor/Mentor Connection. It's one of many stories that have been written since then. See an archive on the Tutor/Mentor Institute web site.

Here's a couple of places where the mapping strategies have been described.

Story of Tutor/Mentor Connection – MapTogether

Social Edge Maps and What's Possible, June-July 2009

Many of the media stories were the result of the conferences I've hosted every six months since 1994. The next is November 4 and will be held at the Metcalfe Federal Building. I hope you can attend and I hope you or others will write about this so we can create new stories and new interest and investment in this strategy.

Maps and What's Possible

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A couple of years ago the Social Edge forum hosted a discussion titled "Maps and What's Possible" featuring the Tutor/Mentor Connection's uses of maps. That's not the first time our use of maps have received attention.
This is the front page of a 1999 story in the URISA Newsletter (see pdf).

In 2004 our use of maps was nominated for a Global Innovation Award, as described in this pdf.

In 1995 our strategy was described as a "Master plan for saving youth" in this Chicago Tribune article.

Our mapping strategy is outlined in this wiki and I'm looking for partners, volunteers, investors and benefactors to help us develop this strategy so it can be applied in big cities all over the world, as well as in other social benefit sectors.

Can you help us find these resources?

On-Line Social Mapping Ideas

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I first met Jim Cory of Horizon Mapping in Madison, Wisconsin around 2000 via an on-line discussion hosted by the Global Bank. He mentioned that he was doing some work with mapping so I sent him an introduction and asked if he could help me. Jim has been building maps for me for 10 years and helped create the first map gallery and interactive maps.

This map story is one that Jim did for me several years ago.

It's part of a "Rest of the News" strategy which I've been promoting since 1994 as an effort to turn "bad news" media stories into advertising that draws volunteers and resource providers into neighborhoods where tutor/mentor programs are needed. Without having help from GIS volunteers like Jim I could not be making these maps.

I recently asked what he knew about creating Google maps. After a bit of research Jim created this page, which is a tutorial that anyone can use.

I've already added a map to the Tutor/Mentor Connection forum, which will add to the network analysis work my interns have been doing. These maps will show where people in the forum come from and will hopefully help those located in the same parts of the world connect and share ideas and resources with each other.

Thanks Jim. I'll be sure to integrate these ideas into future mapping and network building that I do.

Public and Private Schools in Chicago. Create Your Own Map

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Great Schools offers this widget for making maps showing private schools in a city. I've mapped Chicago. If you're someone writing about public education I'd like to connect so we expand the conversation to include private schools as well as public. Maps like this can help. Chicago schools Illinois schools I want this widget for my site This map does not include poverty overlays, or show which schools are under performing, but I'm sure others may be developing map-tools to do this. The Interactive Map that the Tutor/Mentor Institute, LLC hosts includes these features and points to the location of non-school tutoring and/or mentoring programs. However, our map has not been updated in three years and without the resources to do this we can't expand it's impact.

Mapping strategies for helping kids

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I hosted another Tutor/Mentor Leadership and Networking Conference on June 14, 2012 at First Unitarian Church in Chicago. I've been hosting these every six months since May 1994 and in every one I've shared maps like these to illustrate the vision of the Tutor/Mentor Connection for mentor-rich non-school programs to reach kids in all high poverty neighborhoods. For this vision to be achieved leaders in business, politics, religion, health, law, sports and entertainment each need to be using maps to support volunteer and donor mobilization strategies that reach programs in all parts of the region. I've not been able to make new maps for more than a year since our money ran out and we no longer have a map-maker on staff. If you'd like to join with us as a partner, sponsor or volunteer we can continue to provide the maps that others can use to support their own decision making.

Bill Gates With Charlie Rose Talks India, China, Tablets, Microsoft And How US Politics Slow Down Innovation -The Philanthropist

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Here’s a clip from YouTube that is a small portion of the interview.  It’s worth your while to go over and listen to the full interview when you can. 

He talks quite a bit about India and China relative to technology and his opinion of where each excels etc.  Sometime he says in the next 10 years we will be able to cut the existence of malaria.  He also discusses HIV and how to attack the disease and what has been done thus far and says it will be a while before we really can reduce the numbers.  Bill Gates was always a science fan and with his work with the Foundation he’s been able to expand his learning. 

He talks a bit about software and it has evolved and gets around to talking tablets and pcs.  Funny when he talks about Apple and Steve Jobs and admits they did something better than he did.  He also says Microsoft has something with Surface that could change the rules again with fusing the pc and tablet worlds.  He says competition among software companies is a positive thing and states he’s not starving, so Apple, Google Microsoft and others competing is good.  Bill Gates still does get to suggest new project that Microsoft works on, but he would never go back full time. 

On Facebook, he says “Steve bought” and does see it as having importance.  In the end he says it’s all about the applications.  Again a very good interview and the first half is more about the Foundation and the second half deal with his thoughts and comments on technology.  He calls drugs and vaccines that are created but that are too expensive for people to afford a failure in referring to “markets”.  Philanthropy is still very necessary. 

Gates says there’s a real contrast between politics and science and he hopes it changes as that’s all that is generally is seen he says in the news and so forth and steels the focus.  Politics slow down innovation he states.  He hopes that some middle ground is found in politics and talks about the same disappointments that we all have.  He should know as for many years he testified about better education in Congress and has faced many deaf ears.  BD 

Bill Gates–Charlie Rose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HotLyazUiWw&list=UUwBUwaTxztTPuSzIi2cjimw&index=1&feature=plcp

India’s Public Doctors Will Soon Be Able to Prescribe “Free” Generic Drugs–Up To Half of the Population To Benefit–Big Pharma Could Be Seeing Less Business In the Future With Brand Names

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Just a few months ago India announced they were authorizing a local drug company to make a generic copy of a cancer drug made by Bayer.  This opened a lot of eyes and Roche for one looked into their pricing on cancer drugs and is reducing prices on some of their drugs too.  It appears the move is on to make drugs affordable. 

 

India Authorizes Local Drug Manufacturer to Make and Sell Generic Copy of Patented Bayer Cancer Drug To Make It Affordable

Part of the response has been with big pharma buying generic drug companies.  The new policy is slated to begin before the end of this year.  This certainly is good news for patients in India who are in the poverty levels that have not been able to get treatment, especially with cancer drugs.  BD 

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(Reuters) - India has put in place a $5.4 billion policy to provide free medicine to its people, a decision that could change the lives of hundreds of millions, but a ban on branded drugs stands to cut Big Pharma out of the windfall.

From city hospitals to tiny rural clinics, India's public doctors will soon be able to prescribe free generic drugs to all comers, vastly expanding access to medicine in a country where public spending on health was just $4.50 per person last year.

The plan was quietly adopted last year but not publicized. Initial funding has been allocated in recent weeks, officials said.

But the initiative would overhaul a system where healthcare is often a luxury and private clinics account for four times as much spending as state hospitals, despite 40 percent of the people living below the poverty line, or $1.25 a day or less.

Under various existing programs, around 250 million people, or less than a quarter of India's population, now receive free medicines, according to the health ministry.  "If doctors are found to be prescribing medicines which are not on the list, or which are branded, then disciplinary action will be initiated," he said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/05/us-india-drugs-idUSBRE8630PW20120705?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FhealthNews+%28Reuters+Health+News%29