This document discusses using crowdsourcing and collaborative mapping during emergency responses. It describes an exercise where citizens reported missing person locations in real-time to emergency responders. The exercise highlighted opportunities to improve data sharing and geolocation across organizations. Web and mobile technologies can enable broader collaboration and use of real-time geodata to better inform emergency response and the public. However, challenges remain around data reliability, validation procedures, and organizational adoption of new approaches.

1. [...] technique does not aim to a
purpose, does not open salvation
scenarios, does not reveal the truth,
technique ‘works’.
Umberto Galimberti
RETHINKING TECHNOLOGY EDGE
Web and mobile emergency networks to real-time information and geodata management
DI LOLLI - LANFRANCO - LOMBARDO - RAPISARDI
VVF TAS Torino | Università di Torino | NatRisk | Open Resilience
ValGeo 2011 Ispra 17/10/2011

2. Exercise
Missing Person
Why Managing crowdsourcing [citizens engagement] and
collaborative mapping in real time within the framework of
procedures applied by Fire Department and Civil Protection
Where Protec, Lingotto Fiere, Turin July 2011
Who Fire Department: TAS [Topography Applied to Relief] Turin &
Aosta, Search & Rescue teams
Centro Intercomunale di Protezione Civile Bassa Val di Cecina
University of Turin
Open Resilience Network
Prisma Engineering
Il Giornale della Protezione Civile [media observer]
Conference Attendees

3. Nucleo VVF TAS Torino
The TAS mission
Geodata sharing and collaboration between different bodies
and institutions
Real time geodata updating and sharing

4. Exercise > HOW SHARED MAP
Operating Room » VVF - UCL
REPORTS VALIDATION
Missing Person Operating Room Operating Room
CITIZENS AS SENSORS
Attendees & Media UCL Unità di Comando Locale geolocated alerts and reports
from the population
INFORMING THE PUBLIC
NETWORKS DATA FORMAT & PLATFORMS Real time information from
Operating room
GSM/UMTS telecoms cellular GIS data formats (shp, KML, wpt, GPX,
network PLT)
Lingotto Fiere internal Wi-Fi (plus Platforms GIS or web-gis (OziExplorer,
an outdoor ad-hoc exercise ArcPad, Google-maps, Ushahidi, Global
network) Mapper)
Fire Department WiMAX
Fire Department radio network
Prisma Engineering - LSUnet

5. Lessons
Learned

6. Civil Protection 2.0 «Community»
Institutions Communications Volunteers
Ma
ss
ne
na
red
gem
pa
RISKS
ent
Pre
Relief
Media Citizens

7. Public/Citizens/VTCs
The WEB 2.0 is GEO
Emergencies Bodies

8. Overview
Networks
Data Formats
Map Sharing
Crowdreports & Validation

9. 1 Crowdmapping Focus
Geolocation Mapping
Several free tools allow the location of The challenge in using social media as a
people during an emergency. These crisis map layer is that the data is huge,
tools are normaly used to connect to chaotic, free, and collectively good, but
friends and for social networking. individually unreliable.
Foursquare type check-in, or even To improve the social media data
better, an automatic check-in inclusion on crisis maps, we need to
technology, could be included in many focus on quality and relevance and on
cell phones. social proactive commitment

10. 2 Emergency Bodies Focus
Geolocation Mapping
The challenge is collaboration and a
The geolocation in relief operation is
massive use of web/mobile solutions.
perceived as a crucial need.
Processes and procedures should take
There is a lack of: common standards,
advantage from web/mobile.
common policies and skills.
Training programme to improve the Technology as enabler of a wider
capability to manage geolocated collaboration between the different
information from different sources. players. Interoperability of data.
Define validation procedures. Abilities to interact with data, see
patterns, take decisions.

11. A tech issue?

12. Web changes communications
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photodavid/

13. Testo
Web changes emergency

14. Testo
What about people?

15. The wealth of networks:
how social production
transforms markets and
freedom.
Yochai Benkler.
The post-Gutemberg
revolution is «The end of
institutionalised mediation
models».
Richard Stacy
The Web 2.0 World

16. Web 2.0 Key Words
#share
#collaborate
#communicate
#cooperate
#support
#include - e.g. #diversity

17. «with advances in
technology, the gap between
professionals and amateurs
has narrowed, paving the
way for companies to take
advantage of the talent of the
public.»
Darren Gilbert
<p>The Crowd</p>

18. SWOT: Web 2.0 and Risks
Strength Weakness
«Web Divide»
Local Social Ties
Opportunities
Common Approach
Global Social Networks Crowdsourcing
Reliability & Validation
Tech Innovation
SKA & Organizational Change
Volunteers Commitment Resistence to Change
Low Budget
Web 2.0 Community
Free web 2.0 platforms
Institutionalized information model Low Web litteracy
Citizens driven information model Past Dependencies
Threads
Low Collaboration
Privacy and Security Issues
Slow pace of change
Privacy and Security Issues
Cultural Approach Low Budget
Tech dependencies Lack of Continuance

19. Richard Stacy | www.richardstacy.com
The assets of a post-Gutemberg world
100% controlled by stakeholders/customers
Community
Conversation
Content
100% controlled by you/institution/organization/....

20. Richard Stacy | www.richardstacy.com
The assets of a post-Gutemberg world
100% controlled by stakeholders/customers
Community
Conversation
Content
100% controlled by you/institution/organization/....

21. Focusing on
Community
#preparedness
#resilience

22. Community Ecology
from: relief & recovery
to: «social & economic continuity»
cc: resilience, preparedness

23. The Step Forward
23

24. 2.0 Data & Information
Communications
geolocalization crowdsourcing
ss
Ma
ne
na
d
are
emg
ep
Risk
en
Pr
t
Relief
tag & taxonomy data format

25. Rethinking the Framework
Institutions Volunteers
Organizational Models
Processes & Procedures
SKA & Job Roles
Media Citizens

26. Still a tech issue?

27. «We are stuck with technology when what we
really want is just stuff that works.»
Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt (2002)
ELENA RAPISARDI
e.rapisardi@gmail.com
MASSIMO LANFRANCO
massimo.lanfranco@unito.it
ANDREA DI LOLLI
DAVIDE LOMBARDO
tas.torino@vvf.to.it