On the Internet: Crisis Mapping

Back in the good ole days of AP Human Geography, I came upon an article about Crisis Mapping, and it's left an impression on me ever since.

Crisis Mapping

Crisis Mapping is the use of live-action mapping technology to mark the locations where people need emergency help in crisis situations.

The technique was created by Patrick Meier, who wanted to help his friends and others in Haiti get the medical attention they need. He began by reading tweets from Haitians requesting medical assistance and placing their locations on the mapping technology software known as Ushahidi.

After realizing the job couldn't be done alone, he called over some 100 friends and volunteers to work on the project. They started to compile text messages, UN reports, and more to create the live map. In the end, the map helped save many lives.

Think about that. A group of people sitting with their laptops in a Massachusetts apartment helped to save lives in a country that had just been hit by a devastating earthquake. That's pretty incredible.

The crisis mapping team has worked on a number of other disasters, including earthquakes in Chile, floods in Pakistan, and fires in Russia. They also created election crisis maps for Egypt and Tunisia. There are some situations they've chosen to not involve themselves in due to safety concerns, such as the crisis in Syria.

Still, it demonstrates more capabilities of the internet.

(I actually tried to download the software and use it myself, but unfortunately, I have no knowledge of programming, so perhaps my dreams of becoming a crisis mapper will have to wait)