The frequency of natural disasters have increased significantly over the pass couple of years. During the first half of each year between 1998 and 2007, the average number of disasters recorded was 380. By mid 2008 it was already 400. Overcoming the aftermath of a disaster is a complex endeavor involving co-ordination, data collection and management, resource allocation and more importantly trying to be organized in all of these processes. Enter the services of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Disaster Management, in which data is gather, stored and analyzed in a methodical fashion to provide the information backbone to facilitate any disaster recovery work.
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ICT can play a pivotal role in providing access to information that is well organized and up-to date. It plays primarily two forms of purposes. One is the obvious support during a post-disaster condition and the other is as a long term data analyzing system which helps to mitigate any future disasters. One such approach is known as the “DesInventar.” It is a system which offers capability to simulate disasters and study their impacts such as the loss of human lives and damage to infrastructure. This information is then used for planning, risk mitigation and disaster recovery purposes.
A wide variety of software is used during post-disaster conditions. The primary goal of these software is to bring the data together into a central system and then provide filtered information as and when required to any location. Some of the software used is not specifically for disaster management, but used quite often by people in the field. Here are a few.
Groove – Groove is a Microsoft owned desktop software which offers the capability to share workspaces online between a small group of people. Used as a means to collaborate and communicate with a distributed set of people, it provides with a private virtual location for discussions and planning.
FACTS – Acronym for the “Food And Commodity Tracking System,” FACTS was developed by Mercy Corp a humanitarian aid organization with the help of Microsoft to assist aid workers in delivering supplies in disaster situations. The software is an easy to use Internet application which standardizes logistics operations and streamlines reporting. Having a steady form of information at hand, assists in delivering supplies to the right locations and the right time.
Sahana – Free and Open Source Disaster Management System
Sahana was developed by the open source community of Sri Lanka, following the tsunami in 2004. The task was upon the developers to come out with a release of the system within a period of three weeks, which they did and was used extensively during the post-tsunami activities. Since then, Sahana has grown into one of the most comprehensive and the most deployed disaster management systems world wide and has brought world recognition to the Sahana developer community and especially, to Sri Lanka.
Sahana provides a web portal that provides web applications for co-ordination and collaboration. Some of the applications included are the missing people registry, Organization registry, Camp Registry, Request Management System, Inventory Management and so on. For more information on Sahana, visit their web site at http://www.sahana.lk.
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