7th International Conference of Crisis Mappers Manila
Who would have thought that natural disasters would put the Philippines on top of the global crisis map?
Because of what Haiyan did to our country, we are also now at the front and center of the the climate change conversation. For this reason, the 7th International Crisis Mappers Conference (ICCM) was held for the first time in Manila on September 28–30, 2016 at Unilab Bayanihan Center in Pasig. ICCM is a Map The Philippines initiative under the HiFi Tech Hub, an innovation space for social good in Benilde and beyond.
From the ICCM website
“The International Conference of Crisis Mappers (ICCM) is the leading humanitarian technology event of the year, bringing together the most important humanitarian, human rights, development and media organizations with the world’s best technology companies, software developers and academics. As thus one of the few neutral spaces where such important conversations can take place, the annual ICCM conference brings together a wide range of diverse actors for important conversations that lead to concrete new projects and deliverables across a variety of diverse domains. As a community of practice, the ICCM thus helps facilitate new projects and catalyzes innovation in the area of humanitarian technology…
Why Manila? After sold-out conferences in Cleveland (2009), Boston (2010), Geneva (2011), Washington (2012), Nairobi (2013), and New York (2014), it is with great enthusiasm that we are to share in the ideation & innovation occurring in the Philippines. This will bring ICCM for the first time to the Asia-Pacific region where a new set of change agents will have center stage in sharing developments and discussions from the Crisis Mappers Network. The Philippines is the third most disaster prone country in the world and the number one country most at risk from climate change. The response to severe challenges brought about by Super Typhoon Haiyan & recent crises in the Asian region demonstrate that the Philippine and Asian community offer much to teach on crowdsourcing, humanitarian technology, participatory mapping, & microtasking for crisis response.
This year’s theme, Building Resilience: Inclusive Innovations in Crisis Mapping, is focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and will highlight how local populations can prepare for shocks to infrastructure and systems as well as the role of NGO’s, volunteers, and technical communities in partnering with the people from threatened areas. Thus, there is an expansion of field visits offered immediately following the conference that will bring participants to places affected by natural hazards to show first-hand the challenges and solutions found in this island nation. The decision to lengthen the duration and variety of field visits provides experiences unique for ICCM 2016 as fellow conference goers join together to witness how the concepts from ICCM can apply to sites around and beyond Manila.”
