The Community Choices Tool is under active development by researchers at the Pacific Institute, in Oakland, California. We thank the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for generously providing the funds to create this prototype. We are actively seeking funding to greatly improve and expand the program.
Filling a Need for Expert Information
Over the years, we regularly get questions such as:
- How can safe drinking water be provided?
- How can safe sanitation be provided?
- Can you recommend the best, lowest-cost option for my community which is extremely (wet/dry/mountainous/on the coast)?
- What kind of water purification can I use with (firewood/solar energy/local materials)?
This software is being built to address the need for greater accessibility to expert knowledge.
The Community Choices Tool was designed to capture some of the knowledge held by water, sanitation, and hygiene experts, and make it available to a wider audience in an easy-to-use format. It belongs to a broad class of software sometimes called expert systems, or decision support systems.
About the Pacific Institute
The Pacific Institute is one of the world's leading independent nonprofits conducting research and advocacy to create a healthier planet and sustainable communities. Based in Oakland, California, we conduct interdisciplinary research and partner with stakeholders to produce solutions that advance environmental protection, economic development, and social equity, in California, nationally, and internationally.
Project Director Meena Palaniappan is Director of the International Water and Communities Initiative at the Pacific Institute. Formerly the director of the Community Strategies for Sustainability and Justice Program at the Pacific Institute, Ms. Palaniappan is an engineer with more than 15 years experience in community-based environmental planning and research, with degrees from Northwestern University and University of California, Berkeley. She has worked extensively on water, sanitation, and hygiene issues internationally including in Mexico, East and West Africa, and India.
Project Manager Dr. John Akudago is a Senior Research Associate in the water program of Pacific Institute. Prior to joining the Pacific Institute, Dr. Akudago worked with the Community Water and Sanitation Agency in Ghana as a hydrogeologist, World Vision Ghana also as a Hydrogeologist and Field Operations Manager, and Samaritan’s Purse as a WASH Manager where he responded to water, sanitation and hygiene needs of Haiti earthquake survivors, the Cholera epidemic, and also Japan earthquake survivors. Dr. Akudago received a bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. He was later awarded a Japanese government Scholarship to study at Okayama University, Japan, where he received a Masters and PhD.
Project Researcher Misha Hutchings is a Research Associate in the International Water and Communities Initiative of Pacific Institute, working actively on expanding the Community Choices and WASH SMS Projects. Ms. Hutchings holds degrees from Reed College and University of California, San Diego, and recently spent one year as a visiting scholar in water resource management at Australian National University, in Canberra, Australia.
Software Developer Lucas Howell is a Consultant working with the Pacific Institute to expand and develop the Community Choices Tool. Mr. Howell holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wyoming and has a wide and varied background spanning the fields of Aerospace, GIS, and Natural Resources Management. Prior to his career as an engineer, he served as an AmeriCorps Volunteer and worked on several environmental and community improvement projects.
Technical Lead Matthew Heberger is a Research Associate in the Pacific Institute's Water Program, where his research has focused on the connections between water and climate, water use efficiency, and the role of water and sanitation in human health. Mr. Heberger is a licensed Environmental Engineer and holds degrees from Cornell and Tufts Universities. Previously, he worked for a consulting firm on watershed management and water supply, at a non-profit water policy organization in Washington, DC, and as a water and sanitation educator with the United States Peace Corps in West Africa.