TechFocus
Cutting edge disaster management through ICT
Clockwise from left: Sidr trail map by Google Maps, Sidr moving north toward Bangladesh on November 15 -- the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on Nasa's Aqua satellite acquired this photo-like image on November 15, screenshots of Sahana Disaster Management System and Reuters AlertNet.
It's been just about two weeks Cyclone Sidr made landfall in the coastal districts, killing thousands and flattening houses and trees. No doubt the devastation will haunt our collective memory day in, day out. A vast alluvial delta, Bangladesh is especially prone to acts of God, against which mankind is only helpless. But we could develop a robust disaster management system to reduce casualties, the thing we have seen this time. But due to a lack of proper information dissemination, hundreds of fishermen downplayed the scale of the danger stalking them. Rescuers have now found many of their floating bodies and many are reported still missing. The catastrophe has also tore apart the telecommunications services in the affected areas, contributing to the difficulty in shipping emergency services. On-time information could have reduced the extent of the destruction. But weak technological strength and the lack of practical know-how are the main obstacles to implementing this strategy in the country. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) greatly adds to an effective disaster management. Disaster management is the discipline that involves preparing, warning, supporting and rebuilding the society when natural or man-made disaster occurs. ICT has deep impact on disaster management in all its phases. A state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure helps the government to precisely analyse the weather condition, develop effective warning system and strengthen aid-distribution chain. This article spotlights several ICT-based solutions that could help the government, NGOs and similar organisations to enhance disaster management tactics. Transforming cyclone centres into internet service centres The government is planning to establish many cyclone centres across the coastal districts. These shelters can as well be utilised to provide meteorological information for the vulnerable people. In this regard, each centre needs to be connected to cell phone towers to get uninterrupted internet service. The authorities should come forward to develop special websites and relevant contents that would enable people to gather right information at the right time. The centres will reach emergency news to the rural people through community places such as local school, village market and mosques. As the shelters are always connected to the internet, bucolic people can use IP telephony service to send in their information to district headquarters during any emergency. Cell-phone operators should charge nominal internet-service fees to make the system viable. In normal circumstances, these centres can be used to train people, NGO workers and volunteers for disaster control and preparedness and for creating social awareness. Developing a central database of available resources Nowadays a central database of resources is indispensable to well-coordinated relief activities. This database stores information regarding vital elements such as food, medicines, clothes, building materials, etc. If a particular district bears the brunt of Mother Nature's wrath, neighbouring districts can come forward to assess the emergency requirements there by using this database, mobilising available resources instantly. District authorities will regularly send updated information on their districts to a central server, which could be located in the capital so that high-level government officials could closely monitor and synchronise district-level activities. India Disaster Resource Network (www.idrn.gov.in) is a good example of such a database. During a disaster, when everything is in complete disarray, software could be used for proper resource management. Sahana is an ideal instance of this kind of software, which was developed in Sri Lanka by a team of ICT volunteers to help tsunami victims and coordinate work among relief organisations during and after that catastrophic disaster. Sahana is a free, open-source software that provides solutions in four segments -- person registry, organisation registry, campus registry and request management system. An online information system such as AlertNet (www.alertnet.org), developed by Reuters Foundation, is another good example of ICT-based warning and disaster management system. AlertNet started its operation in 1997 and is basically a humanitarian news network that keeps informed relief professionals and general people about the disaster around the globe. Community radio Community radio is the radio of rural people. It paves the way for sharing local news, local happenings, weather updates, commodity price, etc. between rural communities. Traditional radio stations broadcast programs that are commercially motivated for which they miss out many contents that have significant impact on the bucolic people. Community radio warns fishermen of bad weather and guides them to safety. It also helps people find out the victims of any disaster and informs them of casualties. GIS and remote sensing for exact analysis Geographic Information System (GIS) can be used for scientific analysis, resource management and development planning. Through GIS, researchers can successfully identify and isolate risk-prone geographical areas, as a GIS-based 3D map provides detail information compared to a traditional 2D map. GIS also allows scientists to monitor environmental change, human impact and other natural process in a particular zone from earth-orbiting satellites. GIS is also helpful to identify the damage and at the same time ensure uniform distribution of emergency supplies at the right place. Remote sensing is a tactic that allows researches to gather information about any object located in a remote place. Generally aircraft, spacecraft, satellite or ship are the prime elements of remote sensing. SMS and cell broadcasting Short Message Service (SMS) is a potential way to send any important news. During disaster, when it is not possible to initiate voice calls due to network congestion, people can send SMS as it operates on separate control channel. SMS also has another advantage over voice calls because it can be sent to many people simultaneously. Cell phone operators nowadays can inform people about any weather warning through the cell broadcasting. In this process, a text message is sent to a particular cell or the entire coverage area. ICT in disaster management can be another arrow in the government's arsenal to fight against all the negative fallout of a disaster. It also saves lives. It is high time both government and private stakeholders integrated ICT in disaster management tactics.
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