Mapping Efforts Gather Around Crisis in Haiti

If you’re reading this, you’re almost certainly aware of the category 7 earthquake that rocked Haiti early on Wednesday evening. Thanks to the exploding density of real-time connection that is social media, news of the unfolding humanitarian crisis has blazed across the globe – with much of the initial coverage breaking within hours of the event.

The international aid response has been significant, with several different organizations like Yele, the Clinton Foundation and the Red Cross setting up instant donation channels via Facebook and mobile phone text messages. Beneath all of this is a fast-moving effort to get interactive maps of Haiti online and in front of aid workers, survivors, and survivor’s families.

Ushahidi, a project that’s creating an open-source data and visualization platform with an eye on African countries, has mobilized its efforts in the last few days towards Haiti and launched this excellent interactive crisis map (if you are in Haiti, text 4636 (International:447624802524) with your location and need to update the map). For the more map/tech-savvy, Open Street Map has put together this wiki with various geographic and attribute layers of the country coming from all over the Net.

And Google, possibly the most influential player in the mapping and data world, has put together this excellent crisis response center with news updates, free voice calls to Haiti for the next two weeks, donation channels, a missing person reporter, and great up-to-the-minute maps of Haiti via Google MapMaker and GoogleEarth.

What appears to be happening is a mass mobilization of geographic and attribute intelligence around a place in serious need. That’s incredibly key for relieving this horribly raw crisis in the short term – where knowledge provided by maps might help survivors and their families take stock of their situation, and focus aid workers and aid dollars in the spots they’re needed most.

At a personal level, I’m struck by the emotional effect that maps and social media seem to have produced in this context: there’s a tangible sense of connection to events happening far away. Whether it’s the vividness of the reporting, the obvious means of doing something to help, or the frenzy of social media activity in the last few days, the addition of our wiredness to the mix is meaningful. In the long term, then, let’s hope that these connections can bring a sense of dignity to Haiti in the wake of wreckage – and maybe even a newfound identity on the global stage? Maps are supposed to highlight things; it’s encouraging that they’re doing that in the highest of ways right now: bringing help and attention to people who really, really need it.

The following organizations are accepting SMS donations in the US only:

* SMS text “HAITI” to 90999 to donate $10 to Red Cross relief efforts
* SMS text “YELE” to 501501 to Donate $5 to Yele Haiti’s Earthquake Relief efforts
* SMS text “GIVE10″ to 20222 to donate $10 to Direct Relief