Agile Technology with Lives at Stake: InSTEDD in Haiti & Beyond

Google Tech Talk June 30, 2010 ABSTRACT Presented by Eduardo Jezierski and Eric Rasmussen. InSTEDD, a Google.org Grantee, deployed to the Port au Prince airfield with a team from AlertNet just hours after the Haitian earthquake. Over the following days, a first-of-its-kind system was created that integrated technologies from more than a dozen partners. The system allowed Haitians to use their cell phones to both summon life-saving help and to receive critical information about relief efforts. From new portable satellite data antennas to plain RSS feeds, all sorts of technologies came into play to help the humans have a more effective response during Search and Rescue missions. Come and see the technologies that were used, how they were created from requirements in disaster response and public health, and how they incorporate innovations from field teams during and between disasters. We'll discuss what we needed to build and why, where it is now, where it's going, and what we need from you.