Facebook May Save Your Life During Disaster
This post is also available in: 
עברית (Hebrew)
Having your cell phone with you and the location setting activated can save your life in case of a disaster. First responders use now a special Facebook service when conducting rescue missions. Disaster Maps launched by Facebook last June is a feature produced by its Data for Good division.
In fact, the media giant had already introduced Safety Check widget in late 2014, which earned kudos for allowing people in crisis zones to signal they’re safe. However, it appeared that search and rescue teams needed better situational awareness – real-time data that shows where the most vulnerable people are located.
To generate Disaster Maps, Facebook takes time-stamped snapshots of users’ geographic coordinates to show where they’re moving. As a result, Disaster Maps provide aid groups with near real-time data visualizations of how users react as a calamity unfolds, allowing for a more dynamic response – where to stage resources, how to evacuate those who are stuck, and how to reach folks who check in as safe but are nonetheless uprooted.
The service gathers account signals into population heat maps, revealing when and where people cluster via a shared dashboard that only Facebook and vetted disaster response partners can view.
Facebook app users don’t need to do anything but have their (charged) phones with them and the location setting activated. Their data is aggregated and anonymous: The program scrubs the exact identity associated with each signal but still tracks movement, allowing for hourly updates on sheltering and evacuations.
So far, the tech giant and various external relief teams have deployed Disaster Maps during more than 100 worldwide crises that have occurred in the past year, including hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, the California wildfires, a cyclone in Chennai, and a volcano eruption in Bali.
About a dozen nonprofits, including the World Food Programme and UNICEF, have committed to the service.
