hala systems

on making a business out of saving lives

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Recently, when considering phenomenal work that inspires, I have invariably been drawn back to thinking about Hala Systems. I first came across Hala through my Schmidt Futures/ETI project on Technology in Peacekeeping and had the pleasure of meeting one of their project managers. This is just a little story of how much Hala has managed to move the needle and how happy that has made me.

the beginning

Hala first gained notoriety for creating the Sentry platform in 2015 which functioned essentially as an early-warning alert system for Syrian civilians subject to brutal and indiscriminate air strikes. See more here (such an incredible and detailed retelling, give it a read if you can). Their work allowed those who were already monitoring planes on the ground (particularly the White Helmets) to input information about what kinds of warplanes were taking off from which air bases, say, in Hama. From there, Sentry would issue predictive warnings on social media—with additional input from boots on the ground as the plane flew over adjacent towns—to inform innocent civilians about which areas would likely suffer an imminent strike. 

From the above Wired article:

What Hala has done, essentially, is give Syrian civilians a radar system—and a better chance of surviving against overwhelming and indiscriminate force.

An aside: here’s some more info on how they scaled their solution with a hashgraph consensus algorithm (cs 262, anyone?).

sentry and insight

Now, Hala supplies two primary services: Sentry spun out of that first project and now functions as a localized and exportable threat detection system pressing out an average of 140 alerts per day across war zones and natural disaster zones. Insight is a situational awareness and predictive portal, which provides visualizations for GIS and quantitative data. With its aggregated data, Hala is able to produce an array of functions, from evidence of ceasefire violations to predictive ground-level violence warnings.

The UN is rife with unpleasant realities that warrant its own investigative bonanza (see: Congolese UN peacekeepers removed from CAR, in 2007, upon accusations of abuse of power and sexual violence). It is trying, but imperfect, in its mission to keep citizens of the world safe from the worst degradations of life. Through it’s own imperfect, but considerably consequential work, Hala has been one of the only for-profit companies (or social enterprise, as they say) to help fill that gap.

what else?

So much—learn more here. I promise it’s so worth it.

as a beacon of hope

Sometimes, I start to wonder how I could possibly find myself in a position doing cool shit, meaningful shit, and making just enough money to justify the stress and energy that these two factors typically necessitate. The perceived infeasibility depresses me—it makes me doubt whether the idealistic notion of a burgeoning public-interest tech force (inspired by Latanya Sweeney) might ever come to fruition. 

I am aware that a money-making corporation should not be personified or memorialized to this degree (a slippery slope to be sure), but seeing good work by conscientious technologists makes me so indescribably hopeful for the future. Thank you, Hala, for showing me that the trifecta of intellectual stimulation, meaning, and reward does not necessarily demand a depleting compromise of energy and conviction. 

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