top 10 smem technologies: at number 5: the crisis mapping platform

After a bit of a hiatus (see #onstorm and #icestorm on Twitter), I'm coming back to my list of top 10 smem technologies as part of my (and Kim Stephens and Jim Garrow too) Holiday countdown tradition.

For many in emergency management, maps are a perfect visualization tool: a quick glance helps gauge the situation .... evaluate needs, anticipate deployment of resources. Nowhere is social convergence more useful ... 

The actual platform doesn't actually matter ... We all have our preferences. What is important is that crisis mapping of crowdsourced information can be a lifesaving tool. Satellite imagery, crowdsourced image verification: all the key SMEM components are there. 

It's the ideal marriage of GIS tech and social media. This was evident as recently as a few weeks ago in the response to typhoon Haiyan.

So whether it's Google Maps, ESRI, Ushahidi/Crowdmap or Tweak the Tweet, the results should be the same: collaboration among, and empowerment, of citizens/volunteers and more up-to-date info/data for agencies. When done right, that equals to greater resilience and a better response to emergencies.

There is no doubt that crisis mapping is a powerful storyteller too ... more and more media outlets frequently create their own maps during a disaster or emergency. In the current flooding in the UK for example .... or to show the aftermath of a tornado outbreak.

Academia is giving it credentials ... it's clearly the wave of the future in SMEM. That's why it's number five in the top 10 list of SMEM tech.

The series so far: 

#5: the crisis mapping platform (Dec. 27)
#6: Skype and Google Hangout (Dec. 17)
#7: Facebook (Dec. 12)
#8: SMS (Dec. 8)
#9: the mobile app (Dec. 5)
#10: Youtube (Dec. 3)

Series introduction (Nov. 29)

Jim Garrow's blog 
Kim Stephen's blog