disaster relief

See the following -

How Disaster Relief Efforts Could Be Improved with Game Theory

The number of disasters has doubled globally since the 1980s, with the damage and losses estimated at an average US$100 billion a year since the new millennium, and the number of people affected also growing. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was the costliest natural disaster in the U.S., with estimates between $100 billion and $125 billion. The death toll of Katrina is still being debated, but we know that at least 2,000 were killed, and thousands were left homeless. Worldwide, the toll is staggering. The triple disaster of an earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown that started March 11, 2011 in Fukushima, Japan killed thousands, as did the 2010 Haiti earthquake...

Read More »

How DoD Plans to Leverage Artificial Intelligence and Open Source to Improve Emergency Response and Disaster Relief

Some might not know it, but the US military plays a key role in US disaster response strategy and, accordingly, the Department of Defense (DoD) has prioritized its disaster response mission and is investing heavily towards increasing its capabilities and effectiveness. Technology is a big part of all modern DoD missions, and disaster response is no different. The most promising and transformative technology on the horizon for our future, and for the future of the DoD, is Artificial Intelligence (AI). So how exactly will the DoD leverage Artificial Intelligence technologies in order to meet the demands of the disaster response mission? Is a new Center of Excellence created by DoD, called the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC). Read More »

How Open Government Is Helping With Hurricane Relief in Puerto Rico

Just weeks after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, two more "unprecedented" hurricanes made their way to the southeastern United States. Although changes in Hurricane Irma's path spared Florida from the bulk of the damage, both Irma and Maria directly hit Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hurricane Maria was particularly devastating for the more than 3.5 million American citizens living in these U.S. Caribbean territories. The CEO of Puerto Rico's sole electric company indicated that the grid had been "basically destroyed." Without electricity, communications were severely limited. In the aftermath of a natural disaster, embracing open government principles—such as open data, collaboration between citizens and government, and transparency—can save lives.

Is This The Best Humanity Can Do For The Philippines?

Conor Friedersdorf | The Atlantic | November 11, 2013

Now that a storm, perhaps the most powerful in recorded history, has struck the Philippines, with winds gusting to 170 mph, a storm surge exceeding 20 feet, and an estimated 10,000 people dead; now that bodies are piling up in such quantities that local officials are digging mass graves [...]; now the world is rushing to send help... Read More »

Lessons from the Use of Open Source and Open Data in Nepal's Earthquake Relief

The power of an open source project like OpenStreetMap during a crisis like Nepal's earthquake is undeniable, and I had the opportunity to see it up close and personal. I worked with the Kathmandu Living Labs team, where I observed thousands of local and international volunteers collaborating to create data and tools. Responding agencies used the team's work to plan and execute their operations. The philosophy of Kathmandu Living Labs is that by collaboratively building upon existing work, we will reach much further and have a far greater impact than working on problems individually and from scratch...

Life Saving Phone-to-Phone Technology Scoops International Prize

Press Release | Flinders University | May 9, 2016

An emergency mobile phone system developed at Flinders University has won a prestigious international award for post-disaster relief work in the Pacific. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has announced that Dr Paul Gardner-Stephen’s smartphone communications system that can operate without cellphone towers is one of five winners in the Pacific Humanitarian Challenge. The Challenge, which attracted 129 applications from 20 countries, aims to acknowledge and develop outstanding efforts to improve faster, cheaper and effective aid responses to Pacific nations...

Read More »

Making Personal Health Data Available During an Emergency

If you or your family were injured during a disaster like a hurricane, earthquake or forest fire, wouldn’t you want your health data to be available to first responders and others who are there to provide care? We thought you might, and we are partnering with the State of California to pilot just such a project. Working at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), we have had the opportunity to leverage investments in health information technology to spur innovation in public health and preparedness...

Mobile Phones Are Now As Crucial As Food And Water In Emergency Aid

Heather Timmons | Quartz | November 13, 2013

Foreign aid is streaming into the Philippines from around the world as the news of the devastation wrought Super Typhoon Haiyan spreads, but it’s no longer just food, water and shelter: Before the storm even made landfall, a team from non-profit Télécoms Sans Frontières was on the ground, carrying satellite phones and laptop-sized BGans, which enable voice calls and internet connections via satellite. Read More »

Moving Counter-Clockwise: Lessons from Hurricanes, Floods and Earthquakes

The plethora of natural disasters raises all sorts of complicated but expected issues – from discussions of the legitimacy of global warming to the adequacy (or lack thereof) of on the ground relief efforts. One would have thought that post-Katrina, we would be ready, willing and able to provide immediate relief to those in need of disaster relief...despite capacities, we have been stunningly slow in moving these new services into disaster areas. Instead of technology advancing the ball, it is as if we are moving our clocks backwards. Sure, in the absence of cell towers, creative workarounds have been enabled like ATT&T facilitating communications to/from the mainland for its customers.

Read More »

Off-Grid Phone System to the Rescue

Press Release | Flinders University | March 29, 2016

An emergency mobile phone system developed at Flinders University has been acknowledged in international InnovationXchange awards for post-disaster relief work in the Pacific. The Australian Government’s Pacific Humanitarian Challenge is running the awards competition to acknowledge and develop outstanding efforts to improve faster, cheaper and effective aid responses to Pacific nations. Among 129 applications from 20 countries, the first-round winners included solutions to communications, logistics and finance in disaster situations, including the acclaimed free smartphone system built on the Serval Project at Flinders...

Read More »

Open Health IT Company Receives Investment to Drive Interoperability and Disaster Response

Press Release | Audacious Inquiry (Ai) | January 18, 2018

Audacious Inquiry (Ai), a health information technology (IT) and policy company that delivers bold solutions for connected healthcare, announced today it had received an investment from ABS Capital Partners, a leading late-stage growth company investor. The funding will be used to enhance solution offerings, as well as expand the company's geographic footprint. "Ai seeks to meet the pressing need for connected care across the country, through complementary advisory, systems integration, and software solutions," said Chris Brandt, Managing Partner of Ai. "We look forward to our partnership with ABS Capital as we work to accelerate interoperability across the country to enable better communication, coordination, and care."

Read More »

Open Source at the American Red Cross

Megan DeGruttola | Open Source Delivers | January 15, 2015

When local and national disasters happen, organizations like the American Red Cross are there to provide emergency relief. Quickly and effectively mobilizing over a million volunteers is a technological challenge that regional American Red Cross divisions are turning to open source to solve. Read More »

Osijek’s MeshPoint Gets an Award for the Best Humanitarian Technology

Vedran Pavlic | Total Croatian News | June 21, 2016

MeshPoint has been named the best startup project in the category "Best Humanitarian Tech of the Year", which made it the top humanitarian technology product in the competition with 11 other teams at The Europas contest. This startup project was developed based on the experience gained when these Slavonian volunteers brought to the refugees the devices for free wireless internet, as a part of the Open Network...

Read More »

Strengthening Participatory Organization Uses FrontlineSMS In Pakistan To Improve Service Delivery After Floods

Cathryn Stickel | FrontlineSMS | July 11, 2013

When monsoons flooded southern Pakistan in 2011, the Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO) quickly implemented a disaster relief project to distribute food items and shelter. This case study takes a look at their work, in collaboration with the Popular Engagement Policy Lab and Raabta Consultants, using FrontlineSMS to improve services in the aftermath of disaster. Read More »

U.S. Trying to Find More Doctors to Send to Disaster Areas

Melanie Evans | The Wall Street Journal | October 14, 2017

A U.S. government program that sends doctors and nurses to disaster zones says it needs more health-care workers, as relief efforts during this hurricane season are near the end of a second month with no end in sight in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The National Disaster Medical System, which recently wrapped up big deployments to hurricane-ravaged areas in Texas and Florida, says it will start recruiting more medical professionals in the next few weeks...

Read More »