Massive storms like Hurricane Sandy and Katrina, leave communities vulnerable and disconnected from the networks that connect us to the information, physical resources and emotional support we need to survive. In the first 72 hours of a disaster survivors must rely on the people around them to survive, as relief organizations need time to mobilize and get a clear picture of what's happening on the ground. In this period, survivors want to know how bad the situation is so they can plan accordingly. There is also a strong desire to get a message to loved ones outside of the affected area and to account for those within the affected area.
Compounding these challenges is the fact that the internet and cell technology we have become so dependent upon is so often severely compromised or completely unavailable as was the case for millions during Hurricane Sandy. Expecting this situation, government officials ask citizens to prepare in advance. Essentially, this means having a plan about where to meet your family and how to contact them, along with the physical resources to get you through a week or more. But citizens aren’t prepared. In fact, Americans are less prepared for a disaster than before Hurricane Katrina.
Neighbor Share Spot is a concept for an accessible neighborhood based collaboration system for disaster situations. It enables survivors to help themselves in a disaster while also helping the people around them, by sharing their knowledge, building on the work of others and allowing local leaders and first responders to recognize patterns so relief can be targeted more effectively. Neighbor Share Spot is a predetermined rally point, a collection of off-the shelf technology and open source software that provides a way for survivors to share even when cell and internet services don’t work.
Sociologists who have been studying disasters for decades consider the survivors of disasters to be their own greatest potential resource in a disaster, but much of the innovation is targeted to crowd-sourcing volunteers outside the affected to get a better picture of what is happening on the ground. Better “situational awareness” can go a long way in the more effective deployment of limited resources by first responders and humanitarian organizations, which can ultimately save more lives and limit more suffering. Each survivor on the ground holds pieces of that knowledge puzzle, from the locations of local seniors and gas shutoffs to suitable places to accommodate emergency shelters, but there isn’t a system that exists for survivors to help themselves after a disaster has already struck.
Survivors need a way to plug into the knowledge, skills, and resources (both physical and emotional) of the people around them. It is our networks that will give us the information, guidance, comfort and access we need, more than any tool ever could. And it is the people on the ground that can provide the clearest picture of local conditions. How can we design for the reality that most people won’t be prepared? That internet and cell connectivity is likely to be destroyed? That what is motivating most people is the desire for knowledge and getting word out to their loved ones? That most survivors will be in a state of shock and will need a clear place to go and guidance when they get there? That physically being with other people who have experienced the same thing provides emotional and psychological support that is critical in the first days? That especially in a disaster, survivors need interactions that are intuitive and feedback that shows even the smallest bit of progress is being made? That more than communication alone, survivors need a better way to collaborate with the people around them, by encouraging sharing, recognizing patterns and guiding people to build on the work of others.
The video below is meant to demonstrate how this concept could be used in a disaster situation. Neighbor Share Spot is based on an extensive Human-Centered Design research process carried out as part of my thesis in the Engineering Design and Innovation masters program at Northwestern University. My hope is that my research will begin a conversation about options for survivors and that Neighbor Share Spot can serve as a starting point for further exploration.
http://vimeo.com/84790432