All of us are watching the coverage of relief efforts in Haiti with an uneasy mixture of admiration (at the worldwide effort), horror (at the human tragedy and death) and frustration (where are the mobile hospitals, why aren’t medical supplies getting into the city?) Here is a story via CNN.com of one small effort that may produce results not only for Haiti’s disaster relief, but also for others in the future. Over the weekend, CrisisCamp Haiti brought together tech volunteers from all over the country to contribute an open-source interactive map that relief organizations are already using to coordinate efforts. In progress: a ‘Craigslist-style’ website for groups to swap supplies, iPhone and Android apps to translate Creole to English and another to restore internet connectivity via Haitian ISP Multilink, which is struggling to get back into operation. Updated info on their CrisisCommons wiki. Article.
[Ed. Note: We are keeping our eyes out for stories on groups that are using telemedicine–satellite teleconferencing links with hospitals here in US and elsewhere. So far: a brief reference in the Miami Herald about University of Miami Hospital linking their Haiti teams with their counterparts in Miami, and a Arizona-based organization called H.E.L.P. linking with VIA CHRISTI in Kansas and Interactive Medical Solutions in Arizona. To be updated.]