Global Engagement & Outreach | Perspectives, Volume 1 Issue 2

Publication date:

2010-05-27

Intro:

Can the Web Save the World? -- The Benefits and Challenges of Internet-powered Disaster Response

Contents:

Using the humanitarian crisis in Haiti as a lense, we examine the nature of Web-enabled interactions in modern disaster responses, the state of cooperation across institutional structures, and the opportunities and challenges presented by increasingly accessible technologies.

Disaster Response in the Digital Age

Can web-based, wiki-style collaboration complement on-the-ground aid delivery? What benefits and challenges emerge when a "here comes everybody" approach is applied to a disaster zone?

Inforsensics: The Cost of Communication

If more weight is placed on the use of mobile phones in a disaster, what kind of trade-offs might a survivor have to make to stay tied-in to such a capability? To be effective, individuals should be able to use the service, but, can they afford it? What decisions do survivors face, and how does mobile connectivity fit into these sorts of decisions?

Information Sharing: A Persistent Challenge

Crises like the recent earthquake in Haiti focus public and official attention toward the mechanisms of response efforts—and toward information management in particular. A major challenge in understanding the efficacy of crisis communications remains to ask the right questions about the nature of decentralized organizations, and even of information itself.

Video Journalism in the Wake of Disaster

An account of one of our multimedia specialists' recent experiences following the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The story and pictures present a glimpse of the conditions on the ground in Haiti.

Book Reviews:

Amartya Sen: Development as Freedom
Paul Collier: Wars, Guns, and Votes - Democracy in Dangerous Places

GEOtag: An Interview with Marko Sijan

Our distributed network of colleagues provide unique access to local insights and requirements.

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