The Ushahidi blog features a guest post by Alex Mayyasi, a graduate of Stanford University’s International Relations program, class of 2011, living in Cairo, Egypt on the use of the mapping platform during Egypt’s 2011-2012 parliamentary elections. It notes,
Our most common verification strategies were to corroborate reports by checking online news, looking at attached photos or videos, asking our local volunteers to investigate personally or through their local contacts, or contacting the sender. We had an additional team on the ground that could travel to investigate and verify reports of large-scale fraud.
Our verification volunteers also had two additional trainings. First, they learned how to use ICT4Peace’s verification matrix plug-in, which helped administrators ascertain the reliability of reports. Second, they had training from Reuters reporters, as traditional media has developed a range of intricate verification strategies in the face of their need to draw from social media.