Non-profit and Community

Length of Engagement: 2013- ongoing

Altamente was hired by Ciencia Puerto Rico as the technology solutions provider and consultant responsible for migrating a five year old social media platform in active use by over 5,000 scientists to a new more robust version. Ciencia Puerto Rico (CienciaPR) is a nonprofit organization composed of scientists, professionals, students and citizens committed to promoting science, research and science education in Puerto Rico.

Ciencia Puerto Rico was founded in 2004 by several Puerto Rican PhD students studying and working in various states. Their initial goal was to connect people working or studying science that had a connection to Puerto Rico as a topic or as a place of ethnic identity or origin, thus facilitating the sharing of information and facilitating mentorship opportunities. The original social platform Ciencia Puerto Rico ran on a legacy site ran on a web page publishing system that was developed in-house. As is typical after a few years, a small team finds it a challenge to maintain and add features. As such, it suffers what we refer to as bit rot, the tendency of legacy systems to become less and less functional over time. However, Cienciapr.org has developed an enormous amount of content in this legacy system and any change requires that all its user profile information, accounts, and posts continue to be available.

The new version of Cienciapr.org was required to include existing historic content, users, and user profiles to a new, stable, mature OpenSource (Software Libre) CMS with easy to use publishing tools, a flexible programming environment to extend capability, and key community features to aid its network of scientists in the promotion of the sciences in Puerto Rico. For this task, Altamente implemented and configured Drupal CMS using both MySQL and PostgreSQL databases. The task was completed within the three months period proposed, with additional training and support extending the engagement for nearly 6 months.

Engagement: 2014 and ongoing

Altamente's unique blend of technology integration, social media management and community engagement proved to be a key asset to the San Juan Children's Choir when they were faced with the challenge of raising $150,000 in 3 months to enable the Choir's participation in the International Rimini Choral Festival in 2014. Now in 2015, again we join in the efforts of raising, not only funds but also awareness of the soon to be half a century mark since the founding of the San Juan Children's Choir.  

Length Engagement: 9 years, 2001-2010

As one of the tech start up pioneers, Altamente has always been committed to helping bridge the knowledge divide between well intentioned government policies to foster high tech innovation on the Island and the reality of being a startup.

Contribution

Proposed and led the charge to create a committee that represented both technology solutions and represented the local emerging technologies sector. 

Length of relationship: 4 years

Contribution:

• Advisor: For three consecutive years, Altamente has provided business and technology advise to hundreds of women business owners on the bi-monthly entrepreneurial forum: 'Among Women Entrepreneurs'. 
• Technology: Altamente donated the technology to accept credit card payments for the organization's main annual event. 
• Speaker: Laura Gorbea was invited to share her knowledge on entrepreneurship and technology at 'Entrepreneurship with the Scent of a Woman', the organization's main annual event and at several other events.

Length of relationship: 6 years
Service on the Board of Directors 2005-2008

Altamente provided the Puerto Rico Products Association with a variety of technology solutions to more effectively engage their members and grow the popular appreciation for local products and services.

Length of relationship: 6 years

Contribution:

• Advisor: 2002-2003

Altamente was extensively consulted for insight into business needs of high technology startup firms before the launch of Puerto Rico's first High-Technology Business Incubator. Altamente assisted in the conceptualization of means to ensure sustainability of the project and technology infrastructure needs. In 2004, the Puerto Rico Trade and Export Department was interested in bridging the digital divide for micro and small enterprises by offering a government subsidized e-commerce platform. Commercial bids for this project surpassed $200,000. In a cost saving measure Altamente outlined over several months reliable and extensible open source tools and online business strategies that would make the project viable and sustainable. Thanks to Altamente's input, Puerto Rico Trade and Export Department went on to establish a partnership with the University of Puerto Rico using open source tools to develop this project.