Earth Protect Blog

Apps… whether for you mobile device or desktop, they can be fun – or LIFESAVING.

We’ve shared plenty of information of free safety apps in the past, but these are particularly useful Disaster related programs:

Many Apps and tools were shared at the White House Innovation for Disaster Response and Recovery Demo Day to help address the challenges that severe weather and other disasters can pose to our communities.

To better prepare and empower survivors and communities in the wake of a disaster, the public and private sectors announced the following technology initiatives and platforms:

Civic Ninjas’ Shining Light Project is a wearable device for emergency responder credentialing and disaster access control, with color-coded LEDs to indicate whether an emergency responder is allowed into an area based on geo-fenced GPS information. More details can be found at http://civicninjas.org/.

The MITRE Corporation tools for disaster response and recovery include Smart Phone Ad-hoc Networking (SPAN) communication when typical infrastructure is unavailable and Sociocultural Analytics for the Global Environment (SAGE) for real-time understanding of online and social media sources. Emergency managers may obtain these technologies under a simple license agreement through MITRE’s Technology Transfer Office.

Twilio is open sourcing a Rapid Response Kit for developers to stand up communications solutions during an emergency response, featuring SMS-powered volunteer signup and survivor surveys, flexible push and pull conference calling, and phone tree configuration. Users can start with $500 free credit by visiting Twilio.org to clone or download the Rapid Response Kit.

GeoQ crowdsources geo-tagged photos of disaster-affected areas to assess damage over large regions. Programmers can use the existing services and add features to customize the GeoQ code for their own community. GeoQ can be downloaded from http://github.com/ngageoint.

SeeClickFix provides a database of citizen requests to help generate clear and actionable data on the state of infrastructure in the wake of a disaster. To learn more visit http://en.seeclickfix.com/.

The Incident Waste Decision Support Tool (I-WASTE) offers emergency responders, industry representatives, and officials reliable information on waste characterization, treatment, and disposal options, as well as guidance on how to incorporate waste management into disaster planning and response. I-WASTE is available online at http://www2.ergweb.com/bdrtool/login.asp.

ShakeMap and ShakeCast are post-earthquake information tools for rapid situational awareness, using data from seismic monitoring systems to help emergency managers gauge an earthquake’s impact and plan response activities. These tools can be found at earthquake.usgs.gov.

Lantern Live is a mobile app that allows users to report the operational status of local gas stations, find fuel, and look up power outage maps from local utilities, while also accessing useful tips and guidelines. Lantern Live is available for Android at Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.doe.lanternlive

NPR Labs has developed technology that utilizes secure satellite and over-the-air broadcasts to provide emergency information to the 36 million Americans who are deaf and hard-of-hearing using a battery-operated radio and Android tablet. This collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate, FEMA, and 25 local public radio stations in the Gulf Coast could be expanded to partnerships with other local, state, and regional entities.

The Weather Company is building a localized alerting platform and API to enable state, local, and private authorities to manage and distribute alerts via The Weather Channel and existing local distribution points to two-thirds of the U.S. adult population. For more information contact  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The City of San Francisco and IDEO are launching the City72 Toolkit, an open-source platform leveraging human-centered design, to enable cities to customize and build their own local preparedness tools. Johnson County, Kansas is already using the toolkit to launch JoCo72. Download the toolkit at http://toolkit.sf72.org.

The American Red Cross provides different disaster preparedness apps in English and Spanish to deal with first aid emergencies, weather emergencies, and natural disasters. Users can download the apps for free at http://www.redcross.org/mobileapps.

The USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and the U.S. Department of State are supporting open data initiatives through the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), MapGive, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX).

Disaster Assistance and Assessment Dashboard (DAAD) from Appallicious visualizes nearby environmental hazards, and allows local government to identify community resources to aid in recovery. For a product demo, email  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Airbnb, a community marketplace for housing, will pre-identify and activate hosts for displaced persons and disaster service workers when an emergency occurs. To learn more and engage this initiative, contact  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

TaskRabbit Needs for First Responders is a web portal offering a real-time marketplace to connect local service providers with those that need assistance, without any fees. Those interested in joining the pilot program can email  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Yammer Survivor Network hosts private, online community spaces to serve as connection points and support networks for survivors and responders as they recover and rebuild.