New Technologies and Methods for Sustaining Key Communications During and Post DisasterA Case Study from Typhoon Haiyan

Andrew SchroederDirector of Research and AnalysisDirect Relief (www.directrelief.org)

Brian FishmanDisaster Relief | Humanitarian Response | ResiliencePalantir Technologies (www.palantir.com)

Implementing Partnerships:Local

NationalInternational

Coordination and Analytics Technology Development

Useful Information

Actionable Information

Who needs help?

What kind?

How much?

Where?

Have needs been met?

Have needs changed?

Four Smaller Parts of the Big Problem:

1. Damaged networks impede real-time digital data collection.

2. Coordination and data sharing either fails to occur or occurs intermittently in face-to-face meetings.

3. Field data collection is not linked directly to open public data.

4. Evaluation occurs after the fact, not continuously.

1. Remote Data Collection

Typhoon Haiyan Deployment: inReachSE by Delorme

• Delorme InReach• Satellite-connected SMS using the

Iridium network

• Drop-down data forms populate 160-character messages

• Palantir parses messages into objects• Common data framework• Integrated with mobile and web-

based data collection

• Open APIs allow for rapid and flexible deployment at scale

2. Real-Time Coordination

3. Open Data Integration

4. Continuous Evaluation

Bantayan Island, PH

Lessons Learned

THE GOOD• Technology works off the

shelf• Three Dimensional

Collaboration• Horizontal: across

organizations• Vertical: operations and

strategy• Temporal: Planning, response,

and recovery

• Lack of connectivity does not need to limit real-time coordination

THE HARD• Crisis coalition-building is

difficult• Need to establish

programmatic mechanisms to utilize data

• Clear vision for data-sharing• Ontology design

• Collaboration between international and host-nation NGOs and the private sector

Thank you.

Andrew Schroeder (aschroeder@directrelief.org)

Brian Fishman (bfishman@palantir.com)