Fix This

Learn how OfColor, a US-basd fintech, uses AWS to provide culturally-competent financial coaching, literacy resources, and tools tailored for workers of color.

As the volume and variety of Earth observation data continues to grow, there is a growing need to understand and make this information accessible to new users and applications. Descartes Labs, a cloud-based platform, is on a mission to help organizations across multiple sectors analyze satellite imagery, sensor data, and other geospatial information at scale. By building on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Descartes Labs offers customers cost-effective, scalable solutions to extract valuable insights that inform critical business decisions and drive sustainability efforts. The Fix This team sat down with Carly Benecke and Nicole Booths Toigo, leaders at Descartes Labs, to share how the company's all-in approach on AWS has enabled them to streamline data management, optimize compute resources, and rapidly prototype and deploy new analytics.

Poor air quality is a major global issue causing around 7 million premature deaths per year, disproportionately affecting low and middle income countries. OpenAQ is an organization dedicated to identifying solutions to this large issue. OpenAQ uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to collect and harmonize open air quality data from government sources and low-cost sensors around the world, ingesting around 10-12 million measurements daily. To learn more, the Fix This team sat down with Russ Biggs, director of technology at OpenAQ. Russ shared how AWS Lambda helps OpenAQ scale its data collection and harmonization pipeline in a serverless manner. And helps scientists, environmental justice groups, and community organizations access OpenAQ's data to study air pollution impacts, advocate for regulations, and raise awareness.

Discover how Archer Aviation is using AWS to reimagine urban transportation with eco-friendly aerial ridesharing solutions.

Access to healthcare is critical to an individual's quality of life, but around the world, many struggle to have their basic needs met. ZiphyCare is an organization dedicated to removing barriers that prevent populations from accessing critical care. By building on Amazon Web Services (AWS), ZiphyCare has created a scalable solution that combines in-person and virtual care to more patients than ever before. The Fix This team sat down with Dr. Rada Sumareva, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO), to learn more about how ZiphyCare improves access to care and delivers wifi, laptops, and any other resources that can positively facilitate the visit.

Canva is a digital art platform that allows users to express themselves and create content with a push of a button. Canva is the first Australian company to sign onto The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 that was co-founded by Amazon in 2019. Canva is more than a digital tool, it is also a leader in supporting sustainability best practices. Canva has reached a 90 percent reduction in cloud service emissions and using the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Customer Carbon Footprint Tool, it can forecast future emissions and strategies to reach its sustainability goals. To better understand how Canva uses AWS, the Fix This team sat down with Mike Williams, head of sustainability at Canva. Mike shares the importance of working together and using multi-step plans to see results.

PBS is a public broadcasting service on a mission to build out new content and programs that serve the US population. It builds on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deliver relevant content for viewers of all ages, create new programs that bring diverse voices and perspectives forward, and improve accessibility so everyone has the opportunity to learn and grow with PBS. To learn more about how PBS uses AWS to advance its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals, the Fix This team sat down with Sylvia Bugg, chief programming executive and general manager of general audience programming at PBS.

Community Solutions is a US-based nonprofit working to end homelessness through its Built for Zero program. Built for Zero is a movement uniting cities with the tools and strategy they need to help those affected by homelessness. By using Amazon Web Services (AWS), Community Solutions can create and share dashboards with local organizations to help visualize progress and facilitate on the ground research. To better understand how the Built for Zero program is directly supporting local organizations in the US, the Fix This team sat down with Lauren D'Amico, a member of the Built for Zero infrastructure team, Eileen O'Donnell, executive director of Coming Home of Middlesex County, and Christiana Osawe, system solution navigator at Coming Home of Middlesex County, to hear how Middlesex County, New Jersey has directly benefited from the Built for Zero services.

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Tune in for a 2022 recap featuring customers from around the world.

In US prisons and jails, personal phone calls can be charged per minute and act as barriers to opportunities in the outside world which, in turn, prevents rehabilitation. To address this issue, APDS builds on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to create and deliver cloud-based tools that provide individualized education, job training, and reentry services for justice-impacted individuals. By creating a video communication tool on Amazon Chime called Therapeutic Interactive Video Engagement (ThrIVE) and a virtual classroom application, APDS helps people involved in the criminal justice system prepare for the future and reenter society. To learn more about how APDS builds on AWS, the Fix This team sat down with Arti Finn, co-founder and chief strategy officer at APDS.

For centuries, people affected by sight loss have turned to technology and dogs to improve their day-to-day lives with innovative solutions. Guide Dogs is a nonprofit based in the United Kingdom dedicated to creating accessible tools for those affected by sight loss. As the largest breeder and trainer of dogs, Guide Dogs uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide dog owners with the information they need to take care of the dog and live a confident and independent life. By creating an Amazon Alexa skill, powered by AWS, dog owners can ask their Alexa device questions regarding caring for their dog, caring for themselves, and more. To learn more about how Guide Dogs uses AWS to improve accessibility for those affected by sight loss, the Fix This team chatted with Phil Bowers, assistive technology architect at Guide Dogs, and Lea Hampton-O'Neil, a senior product manager for Guide Dogs.

Starbucks supports millions of mobile orders every day. Whether you order on a mobile application, in person, or through a friend – Starbucks is always innovating to find new ways to support its global customer base. By using Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the AWS Carbon Footprint Tool, Starbucks can scale to meet demand, create new services to delight customers, and make sustainable business decisions. Starbucks helped create and announce the sustainability pillar for the AWS Well-Architected Framework and continues to be a leader in sustainable technology. To learn how Starbucks uses AWS and prioritizes sustainability, the Fix This team chatted with Drew Engelson, director of engineering, Unified Commerce Platform at Starbucks. Drew shares how Starbucks uses AWS to make data-informed decisions and how it empowers technologists around the world to adopt a sustainable mindset.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused many healthcare providers to rethink how they engage with and treat patients. In response to these changes, the US Army Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) began building a telehealth application on Amazon Web Services (AWS) with Deloitte, a professional services company. The National Emergency Tele Critical Care Network (NETCCN) application uses AWS Wickr to create a secure environment that allows patients and clinicians to communicate from virtually anywhere. To learn how NETCCN is making a difference in the healthcare world, the Fix This team sat down with Matt Quinn, science director at US Army TATRC, and Daniel Adams, health technologist from Deloitte.

Quality fresh food is essential for day-to-day lives, but these foods can often be inaccessible, too expensive to purchase, and tough on the environment. With crops transported globally for our consumption, these long-haul trips are only adding to excess emissions concerns. Rise Gardens is a green tech startup building on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to combat this issue by empowering users to grow fresh food directly in their homes. The Fix This team chatted with Dan Kuhn, chief technology officer at Rise Gardens, to hear how it is using Amazon Alexa and the internet of things (IoT) to power its hydroponic indoor gardens and mobile application. The mobile app alerts users when to water plants and when to harvest, resulting in less water use, and the hydroponic gardens allow users to grow produce without being confined to a climate or region.

As climate change increases the chance of wildfires, floods, and droughts, individuals are unsure if or when these catastrophic events will reach them. First Street Foundation is on a mission to uncover actionable climate data to deliver peace of mind and to help individuals understand their own home’s climate risk through the power of shared data and knowledge. First Street Foundation is a research and technology nonprofit building on Amazon Web Services (AWS) to create a suite of scalable and flexible tools called Risk Factor. These tools include flood factor, heat factor, and fire factor to help understand the individual risk of a property. To learn more, the Fix This team chatted with Matthew Eby, chief executive officer, and Dr. Ed Kearns, chief data officer at First Street Foundation. Matthew and Ed discuss how the Risk Factor suite can empower individuals to understand their potential home’s future climate risk.

Food insecurity and hunger are known global challenges, and as a result, many people rely on local organizations to feed themselves and their families. As the largest food bank in the United States, the Houston Food Bank depends on its robust volunteer program to serve the Southeast Texas population, including home-bound individuals. As an Amazon Web Services (AWS) IMAGINE Grant winner, the Houston Food Bank developed a mobile application to streamline its home delivery service and, in turn, created a better volunteer and user experience. To learn more about the benefits of the cloud-based mobile app, the Fix This team sat down with Cara Gabris, director of distribution at the Houston Food Bank.

People of all ages turn to games for entertainment, education, creative outlets, and community building spaces. Creative Assembly—a craft-led, European gaming studio owned by SEGA Europe with over 35 years’ experience—is on a mission to ensure the future of the games industry is reflective of its diverse audience by improving diversity, equity, and inclusion across the gaming industry. Creative Assembly is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) customer. It uses technology to not only create its award-winning games, but also to reach under-represented groups with educational resources through its Legacy Project. To learn more about how Creative Assembly is impacting the industry with the Legacy Project, Ray chatted with Emma Smith, director of talent and social impact, and Lucy Boxall, director of corporate communications at Creative Assembly.

Netflix, one of the world’s leading entertainment services, offers viewers a variety of movies and shows across many languages and genres—all available to stream at the push of a button. Using Amazon Web Services (AWS), Netflix is improving its global content creation by building flexible collaboration tools and workstreams that allow teams to work from virtually anywhere. To learn more, the Fix This team sat down with Naz Pethani, head of product for Netflix media technology, and Steve Kowalski, director of engineering for production infrastructure at Netflix. Naz and Steve share how flexible workstations help Netflix reach and retain creative talent without geographical limitations. Empowering creators from around the world helps the company build authentic collaboration and diverse content to delight its growing global audience.

To help build a sustainable future, individuals and organizations have the opportunity to create and follow sustainability best practices every day. Salesforce, a customer relationship management company, uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) to lead by example and innovate on behalf of its customers and planet Earth. Using the AWS customer carbon footprint tool in addition to other services from AWS, Salesforce aims to build sustainably at all levels of its business. To learn more about how the cloud helps Salesforce advance its goals, the Fix This team chatted with Patrick Flynn, senior vice president and global head of sustainability at Salesforce. Patrick shares insights into what the company has achieved so far in its sustainability goals, how climate change presents enormous opportunity for individuals and businesses, and how customers can place sustainability at the center of their work.