Googling Disaster – Google Crisis Response
Google operates a website, Google Crisis Response, that is designed to provided a wide range of news, information, and other helpful online tools in the wake of a disaster. Among the services it provides:
- Organizing emergency alerts, news updates and donation opportunities, and making this information visible through our web properties
- Building engineering tools that enable better communication and collaboration among crisis responders and among victims such as Person Finder and Resource Finder
- Providing updated satellite imagery and maps of affected areas to illustrate infrastructure damage and help relief organizations navigate disaster zones
- Supporting the rebuilding of network infrastructure where it has been damaged to enable access to the Internet
- Donating to charitable organizations that are providing direct relief on-the-ground
This strikes me not only as a powerful example of the potential impact of such an aggregator on disaster response and recovery, but it also could serve as a potential model of a sort for future collaboration across all facets of homeland security.
The page dedicated to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami can be found here:
http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html
