<p>&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The objective of this site us to track the political changes reshaping the Middle East and the enabling role social media is playing in this transformation.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The amount of communications and conversations on the Internet over what is unfolding in the region is overwhelming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Whether coming from mainstream news sites or social media sources, the site will look to map the key developments across the Arab World in one place with a particular focus on tracking the progress of political and democratic reforms for governments in transition.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A major intention here is to document all the social media channels being used by activists and authorities in order facilitate more focused communications, support, and resonance for their outreach efforts.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As a' crowdsourcing' site, the biggest impact will come through you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Your reports can be sent via e-mail to 'nextgenarabia@digitaldaya.com', the hashtag on Twitter #nextgenarabia, or directly through the form on the site.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The site will be looking to track five categories of information:</p> <ol> <li>Government Reforms:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>What are the conciliatory moves and democratic reforms initiated by authorities or transitional governments.</li> <li>Pro-Democracy Movements: Where are the public assemblies, gatherings, or demonstrations by pro-democracy activists and what are their demands.</li> <li>Security Actions: Military and police actions initiated by authorities or clashes with protesters.</li> <li>Social Channels [Activists]: Social media sites linked to activists</li> <li>Social Channels [Government]: Social media sites linked to authorities</li> </ol> <p>The greater the participation, the clearer the picture on what is happening, where support is needed, and how one can get involved.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The site is for informational purposes only to generally encourage, assess, and advance better governance in the Middle East and is not intended to communicate security situations or threats at<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>a particular neighborhood level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>There are specific in-country crowdmap sites for these purposes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The site is administered by The Digital Policy Council (DPC).</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><strong>About The Digital Policy Council&trade;</strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Digital Policy Council (DPC) is an international, non-partisan &lsquo;think tank&rsquo; that promotes good governance and policy-making.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The research and policy arm of the management consultancy firm Digital Daya&trade;, DPC&rsquo;s mission is the advancement of open discourse on issues of inclusive governance through the use of the Internet and Web 2.0.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The aim of the Digital Policy Council is to make &ldquo;inclusive&rdquo; governance, despite its form, democratic or otherwise, its platform. With the firm belief that citizens need to be included in the decision making process and the first priority of citizens is the quality of their life and that of their future generations, the DPC is a gathering of like minded individuals who believe that engagement with open information is a fundamental right of citizens and the tenet for good governance.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For further information, please vsist our website at www.digitaldaya.com</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>