[Sdi-latinamericacaribbean] Haiti: volunteers work to "crowdmap" cholera outbreak

[Kate Lance]

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/10/29/haiti.cholera.tech/index.html?hpt=C2
 
Haiti: volunteers work to "crowdmap" cholera outbreak
Health workers trying to combat the cholera outbreak in Haiti are using unique 
technologies to communicate with potential victims and map the disaster.
Local cellular networks are sending out free text messages to people in affected 
areas, giving them tips about how to avoid infection and telling them what 
symptoms to look for. The texts go out in Creole and specifically target people 
in trouble areas and in tent camps, where the disease could spread rapidly.
And "crowd mapping" groups are using internet volunteers to assemble real-time 
maps of the outbreak by aggregating geo-tagged tweets and text messages.
A website called HealthMap, for example, is collecting data about the locations 
of clean water sources in Haiti via text messages and Twitter posts. 

That's particularly important because cholera spreads primarily through infected 
water and food. 

A group called the OpenStreetMap team also is riding motorbikes through the 
streets of Haiti, carrying GPS equipment to map schools and clinics properly so 
aide workers and locals know where to get treatment, said Sabina Carlson, who 
works with a network of crisis-mapping volunteers.
 
See link for full story.


      
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