Disaster relief 2.0: The future of information sharing in humanitarian emergencies

Abstract: After each major disaster of the modern era, humani- tarian organizations have reaffirmed a critical lesson: good communication is essential to effective coordi- nation. As a result, many institutions made significant investments in information and communication tech- nologies (ICTs). Field workers now rely on tools like portable satellite antennae that enable them to have Internet communications from many places on the globe. Being ‘disconnected’ is still a real problem, but fewer humanitarians work without frequent interactions with their managers at headquarters in New York, Geneva, or other major cities. Rather, the problem is now shifting from basic connectivity to information management.

Link: http://hhi.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/publications/publications%20…