Is Crowdsourcing Effective In Disaster Situations?
The intersection of humanitarian crises, new technology, crowd-sourcing, and crisis mapping.
It’s the middle of November in Nairobi, Kenya and the annual International Conference for Crisis Mappers (ICCM 2013) is taking place.
A charismatic software developer and founder of humanitarian technology company GeoThings Kuo-Yu ‘Slayer’ Chuang casually walks to the stage and delivers an engaging 5-and-a-bit minute talk.
The topic? Crowdsourcing.
With his distinct Taiwanese accent, Slayer outlines a novel method of making crowdsourced data much more valid and trustworthy.
Putting user-generated content to work isn’t anything new. There are few places online where it cannot be effectively applied because after all, most people feel empowered by helping.
And while it has obvious benefits, there are inherent dangers with crowdsourcing.
In disaster response situations, how do you determine the areas that are the worst hit so you can prioritize the distribution of resources? Better yet, how do you know you’re not dealing with a hoax and needlessly wasting valuable resources and time?
People will make mistakes.
And, they will share false information.
This is where Slayer’s very simple (in concept), but effective 2-tier crowdsourcing for disasters comes in. Step one: be prepared to handle volume, step two: provide reliable and trustworthy outcomes.
Crowdsourced information about a disaster is delivered to trained staff (mostly NGO administrators) via a live feed not unlike Twitter. They then forward it to frontline responders stationed closest to the area via geotagged SMS. Once responders check out the area, they then inform the admin staff of the severity and resources are distributed there.
Couple this publicly sourced information with additional data from other trusted sources such as the government and military supports, you now have a very refined way of using crowdsourced information effectively.
So, just what is the ICCM?
It’s an annual international event that is organized by the International Crisis Mappers Network. Co-Founded by Dr Patrick Meier & Dr. Jen Ziemke in 2009, The Crisis Mappers Network is an international collective which according to the website consists of
“experts, practitioners, policymakers, technologists, researchers, journalists, scholars, hackers and skilled volunteers”.
Their mission is to harness the power of technology using mobile and internet applications, crowdsourced data, computer models, live simulations and satellite imagery, among other forms of technology, to provide early warnings for swift responses in humanitarian emergencies such as natural disasters.
The large network consists of over 6,000 members in 162 countries and over 3,000 member organizations which include 400+ universities; dozens of technology companies; volunteer community networks; and 50 UN agencies & projects. In 2009 they started the International Conference of Crisis Mappers — an annual event at the forefront of humanitarian technology.
The conference has expanded its reach over the years and now attracts leading academics, software developers and technology companies in the humanitarian technology sector.
Crowdsourcing is just one of the many advances they’ve made toward making disaster responses swifter, more efficient, and more human — which is ultimately saving more lives.
Contributor DENNIS MUBAIWA. Born and raised in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, Dennis is a freelance writer and social media contributor with a keen interest in sustainable development, humanitarian issues, gender equality and higher education in developing countries. | Editor JESSICA JOHNSON
