Google to help search and rescue cyclone victims
12 Oct 2013
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Internet search giant Google will now search for people displaced by the cyclonic storm Phailin to help them connect with families. Google said the open source software, 'Person Finder', will assist authorities in the search and rescue work.
Google said it has voluntarily set up a 'crisis response' team to assist the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in rescue and rehabilitation of cyclone victims as the respective states prepare for the impending cyclone Phailin, which is expected to hit their shores in the evening.
"Google has come forward to offer their help. We are coordinating with them. It will help us collect information concerning the victims of the cyclone and track their status," said Andhra Pradesh minister for information technology and communications Ponnala Lakshmaiah.
Google is also working with Airtel to see if an SMS blast can be flashed to to all users alerting them of the cyclone.
The firm is launching a crisis map, which will display the points where the cyclone has hit.
The crowd-sourced map would mark the shelters, power outages and other resources. It also has a list of helpline numbers.
Google has appealed to the concerned state governments seeking their help in locating relief camps as the search giant does not have enough sources concerning the location of the relief camps.
The maps have been sourced from netizens who call themselves 'digital humanitarian volunteers' or so called CrisisMappers.
The online volunteers along with on-the-ground relief mates from different places, including volunteers of StandBy Task Force, OpenCrisis, Info4Disasters, and several university students are working on the map.
Cyclone Phailin, the level-5 category storm, is supposed to be approaching the shores at 315 km an hour and wave height of 54 feet, according to US navy forecasters.
The Global Disaster and Alert Coordination System (GDACS) has rated this event as a red alert, high humanitarian impact based on the maximum sustained wind speed.
The cyclone, which will also raise sea level up to three metres, is expected to flood low-lying areas of Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha and Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh and extensively damage the agricultural crops.
The AP government is also coordinating with the telecom service providers to ensure 24/7 connectivity.
The IT department is also ensuring that video-conferencing will be available 24/7 in all government departments to ensure a flow of communication.
Google said it has voluntarily set up a 'crisis response' team to assist the governments of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha in rescue and rehabilitation of cyclone victims as the respective states prepare for the impending cyclone Phailin, which is expected to hit their shores in the evening.
"Google has come forward to offer their help. We are coordinating with them. It will help us collect information concerning the victims of the cyclone and track their status," said Andhra Pradesh minister for information technology and communications Ponnala Lakshmaiah.
Google is also working with Airtel to see if an SMS blast can be flashed to to all users alerting them of the cyclone.
The firm is launching a crisis map, which will display the points where the cyclone has hit.
The crowd-sourced map would mark the shelters, power outages and other resources. It also has a list of helpline numbers.
Google has appealed to the concerned state governments seeking their help in locating relief camps as the search giant does not have enough sources concerning the location of the relief camps.
The maps have been sourced from netizens who call themselves 'digital humanitarian volunteers' or so called CrisisMappers.
The online volunteers along with on-the-ground relief mates from different places, including volunteers of StandBy Task Force, OpenCrisis, Info4Disasters, and several university students are working on the map.
Cyclone Phailin, the level-5 category storm, is supposed to be approaching the shores at 315 km an hour and wave height of 54 feet, according to US navy forecasters.
The Global Disaster and Alert Coordination System (GDACS) has rated this event as a red alert, high humanitarian impact based on the maximum sustained wind speed.
The cyclone, which will also raise sea level up to three metres, is expected to flood low-lying areas of Ganjam, Khurda, Puri and Jagatsinghpur districts of Odisha and Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh and extensively damage the agricultural crops.
The AP government is also coordinating with the telecom service providers to ensure 24/7 connectivity.
The IT department is also ensuring that video-conferencing will be available 24/7 in all government departments to ensure a flow of communication.
