DisasterBox: Designing social media for disaster relief

Abstract

Natural disasters are a period of uncertainty and instability for those affected. It becomes important for members of the public in a disaster zone to access up-to-date information about their environment. Currently, solutions are only set up for information from official sources to flow through existing infrastructure to members of the public. This approach has been criticized for being incomplete and slow to respond. The authors propose an integrated communications solution that would leverage the networked potential of localized actors, whether they are affected members of the public, aid workers, or official agencies sent to provide support.