- Those monitoring the earthquake response will already be well acquainted with the #NepalEarthquake hashtag, but they should also subscribe to this Twitter list.
- How Facebook (via Safety Check) and Google (via Person Finder) helped connect people immediately following the 25 April earthquake.
- Relief efforts have been better targeted thanks to volunteer crisis mappers (about 2500 of them) who were activated immediately following the earthquake. For more on how crisis mapping works read this.
- You can join the mapping effort via Humanitarian OpenStreetMap (HOT) or Tomnod. Never mapped before? MapGive, an initiative of the US State Department's Humanitarian Information Unit, provides a step-by-step guide.
- A group known as the Standby Taskforce coordinated a community of 'MicroMappers' to aggregate, curate and identify tweets and images on damage assessments.
- Kathmandu Living Labs has created a central repository for geo-located data collected via SMS, social media and email. Powered by Ushahidi, and used by the Nepalese army, the site has recorded over 1000 reports detailing urgent needs. NGO NepalMonitor.org is also using Ushahidi to map and record human rights and security incidents.
- The Humanitarian Data Exchange has assembled a list of open-source data sets, including on health infrastructure and landslide locations. Organisations can download this data and/or share their data through the online exchange.
- Crowdfunding has long been popular to source money following disasters, however the magnitude of mini crowdfunding campaigns for Nepal is unprecedented. Why? And is this the best way to give?
- New experimental web platform Verily is being used to rapidly crowdsource information verification, such as images and aid delivery, using 'digital detectives' (for more on Verily see this video).
- Despite signs of coordination between humanitarian UAV operators, the Nepalese Government has cracked down on the use of drones, suspecting sensitive information has been leaked about the country’s heritage sites. UAV operators (included those hired by the media) must now gain permission from the country's Civil Aviation Authority. The internet is awash with drone footage, including the below, profiling the immense impact of the earthquake:
[vimeo:126676918]
