Mapping for disaster relief after Hurricane Harvey
By: Mikel Maron
In the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, we are closely tracking the relief efforts in Texas, and supporting maps and data that are critical to the response. Geographic data about the infrastructure and people in the region allows responders to identify the most vulnerable areas and plan accordingly. To be effective, all of this information needs to be open source for reuse in the future and quick to update in the present as damage conditions change rapidly.
The Catholic Charities USA Disaster Operations Map is being used by disaster responders right now to identify the most vulnerable people and target interventions.
Richard, Jake, Judy, Max and the other amazing people at DataKind built this map, with support from Lukas at the DC Spring DataDive. The goal for Catholic Charities USA was a map to identify acutely vulnerable populations to better target disaster mitigation, preparedness, relief, and recovery efforts. They combined data on social vulnerability with natural hazard risk, in an accessible and open source map designed for taking action.
You can contribute now
Join the OpenStreetMap US community to improve the map in communities immediately in the path of Harvey. This is an important way to have an impact from afar.
To support with funds for Hurricane Harvey, donate to CCUSA (or text CCUSADISASTER to 71777), and other good local and national response organizations.
Want to learn more about how to map and use data for humanitarian response? Check out our mapping guides. Get in touch and come meet us at the Global Disaster Relief and Development Summit and HOT Summit, two events exploring innovative contributions to the unfortunate reality of disasters.
