Mapping disaster zones

摘要

In the aftermath of any disaster, satellite and aerial images are critical for identifying priorities, planning logistics and working out access routes for relief operations. Two events last year, Hurricane Katrina in the United States and the Pakistan earthquake, catalysed a collaboration between relief workers and the Global Connection project, a partnership between Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, NASA/Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, Google and National Geographic. The goal was to help communities and response agencies to access post-disaster images quickly using the Google Earth geospatial image browser. The emergence of a new breed of volunteers — online data managers — highlights the potential of a web-based community approach to disaster operations.