How a Journalist and Technologist Collaborated to Improve Maps for News

By: 03/11/2013

In the current news environment, journalists and developers are increasingly calling upon and benefiting from one another's skills and expertise.

The nearly one-year-old InfoAmazonia is a product of such a partnership–and a testament to the power of collaboration. Led by Knight International Journalism Fellow Gustavo Faleiros, InfoAmazonia presents environmental news and maps of open data in Portuguese, Spanish and English from the nine-country Amazon region.

The Washington-based company MapBox built the developer tools for the InfoAmazonia site. During InfoAmazonia’s development, MapBox provided site strategy, Web design and cartography, as well as training for journalists in Brazil on how to use the site’s tools.

IJNet talked with Faleiros and MapBox senior developer Alex Barth to find out how their collaboration improved the work of both.

Read the interview on IJNet.

Latest News

ICFJ Fellow Builds Community of Women Journalists in Post-Assad Syria

When Bashar al-Assad’s government was overthrown at the end of 2024, Mais Katt, a Syrian journalist who has lived in exile for 14 years, immediately returned to her country. She was one of the first journalism trainers to enter Damascus after the fall of the regime. Her goal? Help prepare women journalists to take advantage of their newfound freedoms.

ICFJ Fellow Investigates Government Failures in West Bank Refugee Camps

Aziza Nofal, a Palestinian freelance journalist and an ICFJ Jim Hoge Reporting Fellow, through her fellowship, conducted a months-long investigation into the shortage of aid for refugees living in West Bank refugee camps. When Nofal was covering Israeli incursions into West Bank refugee camps for outlets like Al Jazeera, she observed a lack of support from Palestinian authorities.

Hold the Line Coalition Welcomes Maria Ressa and Rappler's Acquittal on Foreign Ownership Case, Urges Closure of Remaining Case

A Filipino court has acquitted Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, along with five Rappler directors, in a long-standing anti-dummy case. Filed in 2018 under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, the case was based on the allegation that Rappler had violated constitutional restrictions on foreign ownership of media.