Data: A vital tool for disaster response

henke54 · June 11, 2017, 4:24pm

reliefweb.int on 08 Jun 2017:

Through the Missing Maps project, the American Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations are using the power of crowdsourcing to trace buildings and roads from satellite imagery in order to create detailed base maps. This information is added to OpenStreetMap—a free and editable world map. Local volunteers then use this information on the ground. They literally walk around neighbourhoods and add detail to the maps, such as health facilities, water points, and schools.

Through this process, the American Red Cross and its partners have engaged more than 28,000 volunteers to put 40 million people on the map. Mapping has helped with efforts to prevent malaria, develop a water pipeline, vaccinate against measles and support disaster preparedness.

These results are noteworthy, but the process can be made more efficient. In a rural context, volunteers often scan through huge areas of satellite imagery to search for rural hamlets and villages. A lot of volunteer time is spent finding something to map rather than doing the actual mapping. It can be very difficult to locate accurate, timely, and detailed population information for many countries. This information plays an important role in program planning.

For these reasons, the American Red Cross is excited to explore the use of Facebook’s population datasets for its projects.

Published on 07 Jun 2017 — View Original