Emergency management on a smart phone

Ajay Kumar, a Sahana Summer of Code 2008 Student, is working on a project to get Sahana on a smart phone. Sahana is an open source emergency management system. He is going to try to get it working on an Open Moko open source phone (no Google Android ones will be available in time to try). I am sure he would welcome advice and assistance from the open source community. More on these issues in the Humanitarian ICT Mailing list.

I am also in a process of acquiring the phones for the development
purpose and have contacted FOSS supportive companies in India. Any
support in that area is also appreciable.

But since the project is something new, I will be basing my
development so has to have something that "just works" and then
iterating it over time.

My primary reasons of choosing the Openmoko phone is:
1. FOSS - matches with the Sahana ideology.
2. Larger & active developer community - it has its own benefit in
terms of contributions to maintain the project in future.

For your reference, my academic project duration is:
1. Mid term - End of Research & Analysis Phase: October 27 2008.
2. Final deadline & Presentation: Mid April 2009.

My proposal @ college has been approved last week and I am working
ahead on this project.

ICT support for humanitarian relief in Myanmar

Paul Currion has posted details of the ICT support for humanitarian relief operations Myanmar (Burma). This includes an installation of the Sahana open source disaster management system. Who might be able to use Sahana in-country is unclear at present. I am on the Sahana Project Management Committee (PMC) and will be in Kuala Lumpur later in the week, but it is unlikely I can get into Myanmar, unless I hitch a lift with my former colleagues at the US 7th Fleet, with the USS Essex expeditionary strike group in the area. ;-)

Paul expresses some frustration about difficulties with getting into the country.

• A Sahana instance is being set up for the use of anybody who needs it, with the support of INSTEDD and possible uptake by NetHope members.
• Direct Relief International have done up a KMZ file of health facilities in-country, based on the WHO 2002 Global Health Atlas.
• OCHA are prepping a HIC to support the existing Myanmar Information Management Unit, who have already put out some W3 maps.
• UNOSAT have also got their sat on with a KMZ file of the cyclone path and the usual satellite mapping.
• Ditto ITHACA, who have released a series of satellite maps showing the impact of Nargis.
• ReliefWeb’s info stream on Cyclone Nargis is of course like drinking water from a hose, with their map filter probably most useful.
• The WorldWideHelp blog roars into action with all the news that’s fit to blog.
• A couple of the mailing list discussions that I’m on are talking about ways in which we might leverage cellphone and/or satellite phone communications if they become available, particularly for tracking relief and relief personnel.
• Digital Globe and Geo-Eye have hopped the NASA satellite for an updating KML layer on the cyclone.
• Microsoft apparently have a team on standby to deploy the refugee tracking software that was developed for Kosovo (no reference yet).
• Telecoms sans Frontieres are also on standby out of Bangkok, waiting for access to free up.
• Also Infoworld points out that - with regards to early warning - IT didn’t fail Myanmar, people did. ...
  

From: Cyclone Nargis, you know?, May 10, 2008

Guide for environmental health in disasters

The World Health Organization provide a very useful book free online: "Environmental health in emergencies and disasters: a practical guide" (B. Wisner and J. Adams, 2003 ISBN 92 4 154541 0 272 pages). Chapter 11 covers Control of communicable diseases and prevention of epidemics. The Sahana open source disaster software is being expanded to support disease surveillance and also for use in disease related emergencies, such as bird flu, where Public-health surveillance is important to detecting and dealing with the emergency:

Public-health surveillance is the collection, analysis and dissemination of health information to enable appropriate action to be taken. This is particularly important in disasters and emergencies because of the particular vulnerability of the affected population, the sudden changes that can occur in health due to the unstable nature of the situation,
and the need to share quantitative data rapidly with a range of partners to enable rapid and effective action to be taken (Médecins Sans Frontières, 1997a).

InSTEDD Google funded disease tracking technology

InSTEDD is partly funded by Google to produce disease tracking and disaster response technology. It aims to release open-source free technology. So far they have the Mekong Collaboration Program and the Golden Shadow Demonstration. They would seem to have a long way to go before they have the maturity of something like the Sahana Free and Open Source Disaster Management system.

Linux subnotebook computers for humanitarian disaster relief

Chamindra de Silva reports that the award winning Sahana open source disaster relief software is now running on a OLPC subnotebook (One Laptop per Child laptop) . This has a lot of potential as the OLPC is designed to be sufficiently rugged for use in places where there is no mains power and limited telecommunications. The OLPC has support for a mesh WiFi network. Also if it is widely distributed in developing nations for education, units will likely be available where needed.

I have been skeptical of the OLPC, but if it is distributed in large numbers f0or education, it would be good for disaster relief. But the ASUS Eee PC, which is in many ways the business equivalent of the OLPC might also be of use. It has the advantage of more likely to be readily available to individuals (it is being offered already in the UK for purchase by school children.

Another device I am about to take delivery of a test unit of is the Zonbu thin client Linux computer. This might be useful in an office environment, in place of desktop PCs. It uses less power than a desktop PC, is more rugged and should be easier to set up. It might be useful to, for example, have a carry case with a server in it and a set of Zonbu, OLPCs and/or Eee pcs.

Sahana Wins Free Software Foundation Award for Social Benefit

Making money isn't everything, sometimes is good to know you have done good. On the 24 March 2007, the Sahana disaster management system project received the Free Software Foundation's award for Social Benefit. I helped with the user interface, with a version for Indonesia and get a "Notable Mention" on the Sahana Phase II Leadership page, which is nice.

Sahana is up to version 2 and there is work going on to add more mapping functions and mobile features. After a visit by the Sahana team to Sir Tim Berners Lee (inventor of the Web), the W3C has taken an interest. The W3C might apply its semantic web expertise to disaster management.

International symbol for humanitarian aid

From time to time I have helped with the Sahana open source disaster management system. Recently someone asked what sort of symbol should be used to indicate where general humanitarian assistance is being provided, rather than just first aid. I suggested the "red crystal".

A red cross on a white background, which many people thinks indicates first aid, is actually an international sign for general humanitarian assistance.
Use of the red cross and red crescent are reserved under the Geneva Conventions for humanitarian aid in war time and in natural disasters. Because a cross and crescent can have religious connotations the "red crystal" was added.

The usual symbol for first aid, is a white cross on a green background. This should be used to indicate first aid, rather than a red cross.

Computer people should be especially careful using these symbols. Sometimes a black and white cross is used as an icon. Just make sure you don't use a red cross, unless it is for the appropriate purpose (misuse is a crime under Australian and International law).