CHAPTER 7: STRENGTHENING THE RESPONSE TO PEOPLE IN CRISIS
How technology can improve response
20 million
300,000
in five days
per minute
TWEETS
TWEETS
about the
during the
2012 Hurricane Sandy
2011 earthquake/tsunami
in the US
in Japan
The number of mobile subscriptions in the top 20 recipient countries of humanitarian assistance has increased dramatically in recent years and is now estimated to be 63 subscriptions per 100 people. The lack of physical infrastructure in these countries has driven demand for access to this virtual infrastructure and has catalysed great innovation in its use. Mobile and internet technologies are allowing a wider number of geographically disbursed people, their ideas and data to be connected faster than ever before. This is passively engaging and actively encouraging new participants, new partnerships and new ways of working. These developments have the potential to change the balance of power, participation and accountability in the humanitarian system. It is important to note, however, that for large swathes of people in the poorest countries the cost of mobile contracts and internet connectivity remains prohibitive even for the poor quality of service available. Information and communications technology (ICT) is increasingly enabling people in affected communities to: • collect, manage and distribute information • manage information to make decisions • leverage their own networks and resources • act on their right to influence, shape and direct humanitarian assistance • build on and extend social capital/direct contacts with different groups of people.
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Lifesaving SMS in Haiti Borne out of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Trilogy Emergency Relief Application (TERA) system is a two-way communication system that enables the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to send SMS messages to defined segments of a population. It estimates that it has sent 100 million messages to nearly 3.3 million people in Haiti with critical advice on cholera prevention, first aid and, most recently, Hurricane Sandy preparedness. Of the 74% of people in Haiti who reported receiving Red Cross messages in 2011, 96% said that they found the information useful and 83% said they took action as a result.26