Databases rarely engender feelings of excitement or empowerment but Ushahidi, a crowd-sourcing tool developed as an open-source platform to map reports of violence in Kenya, is doing just that.

As described in the New York Times, Ushahidi is being used by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, an advocacy group dedicated to reducing accidents at Louisiana refineries, to collect and log reports of the effects of the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  It relies on witnesses to self-report via tweets, texts, e-mails and online submissions spill-related damage.

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What image pops into your head when you think of the future and innovation? Do you think of someone young and hip playing with the latest electronic gadget? I can’t help but wonder if in our fast paced drive to look and move into the future that we often discount the important role and function of older Americans as critical participants and creators of that hip future.

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