« Yahoo blog search | Main | "Robust yet fragile" Internet » Disaster relief via databaseThe Red Cross has deployed its Family News Network for the South Asian Quake region. Similar to the PeopleFinder project set up following Hurricane Katrina, though we don't think the Red Cross has adopted an open format like PFIF (the PeopleFinder Interchange Format). Global Voices has a summary of online community responses to the quake, and a longer summary of the generally ignored problem of flooding caused by Hurricane Stan in Central America. ("Current events are making me tense," as Larry Monroe usedta say.) It's gotta be a real nightmare to lose people, and have no way of knowing whether they're alive, injured, or dead. These database projects for tracking people down need more development, and we need ways to provide access on or close to the scene so that searches will yield meaningful results. And it has to be more than a volunteer effort. The Red Cross is probably the right organization to be putting the databases together, but distribution of a common format that many can use to gather data that feeds into the central authoritative search respository is crucial, and I don't think the Red Cross has that as one of their priorities. I know there are PeopleFinder volunteers still mindful of that goal. We're going to talk about the high tech Katrina relief efforts at Austin's first PlaNetwork meeting this week, October 13th, at City Hall. Gary Chapman and I will be talking about efforts we were involved with. It's an evening meeting; I'll post details here asap. jon posted this at 11:12 PM |
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