Unleashing human potential with Fulcrum

I recently came across an essay entitled The Servitude Bubble, by Umair Haque, regarding technology and the booming “Sharing Economy.” The author makes an interesting argument, emphasizing that the tech industry focuses excessively on trivial app development. Moreover, these apps primarily create systems that rely on armies of servants to perform menial tasks. Haque refers to this trend as the “Servitude Bubble,” highlighting its growth in on-demand labor services for the privileged. Additionally, he argues that this phenomenon represents a significant waste of human potential at its worst.

‍Introspective

Reading this inspired me to think more deeply about the value of a service like Fulcrum. Fulcrum equips users with tools to design and deploy custom field data collection solutions for mobile workforces. Scientists, engineers, students, civil servants, researchers, and activists use Fulcrum to gather meaningful information about their surroundings. The platform ensures users can capture data efficiently, enabling sound and informed decision-making in their respective fields. Fulcrum removes traditional IT barriers, allowing professionals to focus entirely on the demands of their fieldwork.

As an Integration Engineer, I witness firsthand the incredible projects our users accomplish with Fulcrum. Furthermore, Fulcrum empowers people worldwide to tackle remarkable work that drives meaningful impact every day.

Case studies

We try to be diligent about keeping our user case studies pages as fresh as possible, but I wanted to highlight a few projects that are actively benefiting from leveraging the Fulcrum platform.

• The HALO Trust has incorporated Fulcrum into their ordnance-clearing operations in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Laos, Zimbabwe, and the West Bank. This technology helps them to better assess the impact of landmines in particular areas, is used to log strike footprints, and record locations of found ordinances.
• Desert Channels Queensland is actively using Fulcrum to track invasive plant species and nuisance wildlife to assist landowners across the Queensland section of the Lake Eyre Basin in Australia. Check out their promotional video for additional information.
• The International Dark Sky Association is collecting data on sea turtle nesting sites and nearby artificial light pollution, which can confuse turtle hatchlings trying to find their way to the sea. This data helps drive mitigation programs and environmentally responsible outdoor lighting campaigns.
• Village Earth is working with Native Americans on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota to conduct detailed household surveys to challenge existing Federal Census data. Check out their promotional video for additional information.
• Premier Utility Services has surveyed 4,000 miles of gas pipeline and inspected well over half a million gas meters with field inspectors equipped with Fulcrum.
• Nest Builders International has conducted over 20,000 field surveys as part of an initiative to help residents in Freetown, Sierra Leone gain better access to clean water.
• House of Hope Community Development Corporation is using Fulcrum to record information directly from the streets in support of their initiatives to research and combat homelessness in Rhode Island.

Outside resources

• Built Environment and Health Research Group at Columbia uses Fulcrum for a Community Health Diagnosis in Rio das Pedras, Brazil. Specifically, the group focuses on Rio das Pedras, an informal community of 63,500 residents lacking essential municipal services. Additionally, researchers aim to gather detailed data on the area’s environmental and health conditions. Check out this needs assessment blog post by Daniel Sheehan for more information.
• The Portland Police Bureau Bike Theft Task Force is conducting an extensive survey on bicycles and cyclist bike locking habits throughout Portland to help combat bike theft. Check out this bike theft blog post by J Allard for more information.

‍Conclusion

This example offers just a glimpse of the broad range of work our users achieve using Fulcrum. Returning to the essay mentioned earlier, it becomes clear that Fulcrum helps unlock human potential for positive change.