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Title:
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USHAHIDI IN HAITI: THE USE OF CRISIS MAPPING DURING THE 2009 EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI |
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Author(s):
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Patrick Meier, Olga Werby |
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ISBN:
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978-972-8939-36-6 |
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Editors:
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Gunilla Bradley, Diane Whitehouse and Gurmit Singh |
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Year:
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2011 |
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Edition:
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Single |
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Keywords:
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Crisis mapping, crowdsource, SMS, Haiti earthquake, humanitaria aide, Mission 4636, The Fletcher School, live map |
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Type:
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Reflection Paper |
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First Page:
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247 |
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Last Page:
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250 |
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Language:
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English |
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Cover:
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Full Contents:
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click to dowload 
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Paper Abstract:
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Ushahidi, witness in Swahili, is a free and open source mapping tool. It is completely public and makes use of mobile phones to collect (or crowdsource) reports of human rights abuses. In the case of 2009 Haiti earthquake, Ushahidi was used to assist the search and resque operations and help deliver aide to where it was needed most. Ushahidi and volunteers at The Fletcher School used the mapping software to create a live map of Haiti just hours after the earthquake struck. Days later, a coalition of partners set up a short-code for Haitia project called Mission 4636to allow anyone in the country to text in their location and most urgent needs while thousands of volunteers rallied to translate these text messages from Kreyol to English. Volunteers at Fletcher then identified the most pressing translated messages and added those directly to the live map of Haiti, a process called "crisis mapping." This entire initiative was volunteer-based and thus organized outside all official channels. The live map was the best source of information about ground conditions in Haiti. |
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