Women in Tech: Mobile & Mapping toward Resilience & Recovery
The Fulbright Association’s NY Chapter presented a Women in Tech panel which featured women in the mobile and mapping fields focused on crisis response and resilience-building. The pivotal role of mobile tech and mapping in crisis response has become increasingly apparent: rescuers in the Philippines used social mapping to direct typhoon response, and SMS to map services helped Hurricane Sandy-affected residents to text their location and needs to a contact number, which automatically mapped the information so the community could respond. Mobile technology like SMS, in combination with social mapping, has paved the way for a form of ‘artificial intelligence crisis response’ that has much potential.
Map of Philippines showing priority areas traced by digital volunteers in OpenStreetMap
Panelists included Liz Barry (Director of Urban Environment @PublicLab, Co-Founder @TreeKit), Heidi Boisvert (CEO & Creative Director of futurePerfect lab), Cathryn Stickel (Operations Manager @FrontlineSMS) and Alyssa Wright (VP, Civic Programs @BoundlessGeo), moderated by Josephine Dorado (Professor @TheNewSchool, President of Fulbright Association’s NY Chapter).
Event info: http://fbnywomentech.eventbrite.com
YouTube video: http://youtu.be/5hGGhuOvdzU
3 December 2013
