MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Taqadam - crowdsourced geospatial AI

One-line solution summary:

Taqadam allows crowdsourcing youth talent to validate Earth Observation AI working using a mobile app

Pitch your solution.

Taqadam is a unique solution that is designed for vulnerable and displaced youth to get access to digital work through mobile application. What is the difference between a digital nomad, and a person with a smartphone?

We built a scalable platform for geospatial mapping, and Earth Observation practice allowing hundreds of users to contribute to building global agriculture and building footprints using drones and satellites imagery. Our users - vulnerable youth in Rwanda and Lebanon - accessing digital work at a low operational cost: no need for computer labs, laptops, internet, or bank account.

We aspire to bring our solution to a global scale through partnerships in digital livelihoods programs, and verticalization with open-source meaningful geospatial mapping projects. Our goal is to hire 1000 users for sustainable income in the places where it is deemed impossible through business as usual approaches.

Film your elevator pitch.

What specific problem are you solving?

Many solutions at digital workforce innovation focus on bringing youth to work in advanced engineering and coding practices for global companies. In our original human-centered design research in conflict-affected states, a significant number of youth lack access to computers, or live in the environment of poor transportation to access built computer labs. Thus unable to launch a remote digital work career, choosing informal work over global opportunities.

We target this group of vulnerable youth which remain out of target by the majority of solutions.

We bring them to the workforce without specialized training, building on simple skills and time available to launch digital work using an intuitive mobile app.

What is your solution?

Our solution enables youth to join the digital workforce with the minimum effort and solves the challenges of freelance bank access, skills gap, or language barriers.

We have built and tested on 1000 users the mobile app built using Android (the most accessible among the vulnerable youth).

https://play.google.com/store/...

We built for clients the web platform to crowdsource millions of images and maps to validate Earth Observation machine learning results.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/radiant-blog-assets/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/24152549/ML4EO-Industry-Map_Sep-2020.pdf

From the commercial practice, we are the first tool to allow geospatial mapping at scale, and the first low operational cost product to build and validate maps.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Our solution serves youth at places of:

1. Limited freelancing opportunity due to embargoes, banking access

2. Refugees and users without valid tax IDs, allowing a quick rollout and contracting at the time of legal restrictions.

3. Poor access to the internet or computer labs (eg. transportation challenges in East Africa, or the Middle East)

Which dimension of the Digital Workforce Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Provide more equitable access to the digital workforce for all, including those lacking connectivity, those who are differently abled, and those with undervalued talents

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

I have been working in Digital economy and digital workforce solutions for the last 5 years. The current landscape is over populated with coding academies and bootcamps, and outsourcing teams. I believe a mobile app based digital workforce is a specific solutions for the people left behind. We believe we offer a unique proposition to the group of innovators targeting the digital workforce challenge with our technology:

https://impakter.com/stories-i...

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Beirut, Lebanon

Is your solution already being implemented in one or more of the following ServiceNow locations (Australia/New Zealand, Canada, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Kingdom, United States), or are you planning to expand your solution to one or more of these countries?

My solution is already being implemented in one or more of these ServiceNow locations

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in one or, ideally, several communities, which is poised for further growth.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

We have built and tested our mobile app in 2018, and invested over time to enrich features and delivery to serve a unique geospatial mapping market.

Our web platform: platform.taqadam.io was launched in 2019, and has been tested over million of locations served and a number of clients globally.

We have been steadily growing, but lack the capacity to scale quickly. To grow, we need resources for marketing, positioning, and business development.

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Karina Grosheva

Do you qualify for and would you like to be considered for the ServiceNow US Racial Equity Prize? If you select Yes, explain how you are qualified for the prize in the additional question that appears.

No, I do not wish to be considered for this prize, even if ServiceNow is specifically interested in my solution/I do not qualify for this prize