Maps for Disaster Resilience

Maps are among the most critical elements that first responders seek during an emergency response, when time is of essense. From learning of where best to pre-position materials, planning food/non-food distributions, and identifying routes in order to access the most affected areas - they are an invaluable asset and when used correctly can save countless lives.

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/5/c/8/f/600_437603695.jpeg

The earthquake that hit Nepal few weeks ago rallied volunteer mappers across the world to support emergency services on the ground. The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap team leverages OpenStreetMap platform in various directions to support crisis management with map data. Over 4,000 mappers quadrupled road mileage and added 30% more buildings in the earthquake hit regions of Nepal.

https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/4587826/7375493/1296df88-eda7-11e4-9bcd-418ff81e7d7b.png

This edition of GeoBLR will open the floor to discuss the potential of open mapping and disaster resilience in the light of the work we did in Nepal. We will extend the questions to focus on emergency and aid agencies around us and understand how to be prepared before a crisis.