Using Waze, Uber, AirBnB and SeeClickFix for Disaster Response
After the Category 5 Tornado in Oklahoma, map editors at Waze used the service to route drivers around the damage. While Uber increased their car service fares during Hurricane Sandy, they could have modified their App to encourage the shared use of Uber cars to fill unused seats. This would have taken some work, but AirBnB did modify their platform overnight to let over 1,400 kindhearted New Yorkers offer free housing to victims of the hurricane. SeeClick fix was used also to report over 800 issues in just 24 hours after Sandy made landfall. These included reports on the precise location of power outages, flooding, downed trees, downed electric lines, and other storm damage. Following the Boston Marathon Bombing, SeeClick fix was used to quickly find emergency housing for those affected by the tragedy.
Read full post with additional graphics and links.
Continue reading “Patrick Meier: Using Waze, Uber, AirBnB and SeeClickFix for Disaster Response”