Ideas for Using Tech to Improve Haiti Relief Efforts

by Rachel Sterne    January 13, 2010

Katie Dowd, the State Department's New Media Director, asked this evening via Twitter, "What can we do in Tech do help Haiti"

She was asking the right crowd: earlier today the Red Cross announced it had raised over $1 million in donations for Haiti earthquake relief through a text message campaign that spread largely over Twitter.

So how can we evolve relief efforts by leveraging technology? I've listed a few ideas below.  Please add yours in the comments.

1. Text message reporting of medical emergencies and injuries.
2. Text message reporting of aid resource supply and demand provisioning.
3. Cross-organizational Craigslist-style hub with forums for sharing resources and declaring need. Get corporations like Wal-Mart and Amazon involved.
4. Leverage existing resources like UShahidi's Haiti map mashup of text reporting.
5. Look to the iReport hub of photos of missing persons to connect survivors.
6. Refer to this rich resource list of incredible technology response initiatives to the Haiti earthquake.
7. Build an interactive, hyperlocal GroundReport media hub where locals and diaspora can tweet, text, post images, photos, articles, reports and commentary on the events.
8. Create an emergency radio station broadcasting information about services and aid. See Internews efforts to provide emergency information services in Haiti.
9. Create a local hotline for reporting emergencies and asking for help.
10. Create giving campaigns online at Amazon and other outlets to add provisions for Haitians in need at check-out.
11. Create Livestream channels (see Haiti Pal for example) to cheaply share information via video and live chat to locals and diaspora.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

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