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Digital Humanitarians Diasporas Drones Lessons Learned 3Ds (Digital humanitarians, Diasporas, and Drones) during disasters: A lesson from Nepal’s earthquake Uttam Babu Shrestha1,2 1Institute for Agriculture and the Environment, University of Southern Queensland, Australia 2Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group, Global Young Academy 8,940 Nepal’s Earthquake 2015 Death Categories of earthquake affected districts Two massive earthquakes followed by hundreds of aftershocks affected eight million people of Nepal (one third of total population)1. The earthquakes have affected almost every sector of the 22,329 Nepalese economy: social sectors (housing and human settlements, health, education, cultural Injuries heritage); productive sectors (agriculture, irrigation, commerce, industry, tourism, finance); and infrastructure sectors (electricity, communications, and community infrastructure, transport, 631,175 water and sanitation) as well as impacted crosscutting issues (governance, disaster risk House fully damaged reduction and environment and forestry). The estimated total value of disaster effect (damages and losses) in all sectors caused by the earthquakes is US$ 7 billion1. As in other disasters, 295,753 Nepal’s earthquake prompted substantial support from the aid agencies, relief organizations and House partially damaged volunteers for rescue and relief. Interestingly, 3Ds (Digital humanitarians, Diasporas and Drones) played a vital role in the aftermath of the quake. This study based on the secondary data and 7 billion personal observation highlights the role of the 3Ds in the earthquake, discusses the challenges Disaster effect Data source: GoN/Ministry of Home Affairs Data source: www.drrportal.gov.np of using 3Ds during disasters, and summarizes lessons learned from Nepal’s earthquake, 2015. Digital Humanitarians Diasporas Drones Digital humanitarians are volunteers around the world, who mobilized online to Diaspora communities have been key players in humanitarian responses in create digital crisis maps by analysing data from social media, SMS, and imagery disasters in recent times. At least one member of ~ 55% of the total household captured from satellites and UAVs to support search-and-rescue efforts and of Nepal are currently residing outside Nepal for employment, residence, relief operations on the ground2. In Nepal’s earthquake, ~7,000 digital education, and other purpose6. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, humanitarians contributed to map physical infrastructure in the affected areas Nepalese diaspora raised funds for relief efforts, provided emergency medical and analysed the disaster data to support rescue and relief operations. In 23 services, and mobilized volunteers on the ground. Intellectuals of Nepalese days, 4,300+ mappers have made 86,000 edits to the map adding up to 30,000 origin contributed for information dissemination and public awareness through roads and 240,000 buildings into the OpenStreetMap platform3. Likewise, academic and popular writings at the time when local academic institutions volunteers dropped more than a million tags over features in Tomnod, another were disrupted. Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), the largest and well- crowdsourcing platform run by DigitalGlobe4. Nepal has weak spatial data recognized umbrella organization of Nepalese diaspora alone raised US$ 3.17 Picture taken from drone showing damage in a world heritage site of Nepal © Umesh Shrestha infrastructure, lacks comprehensive high quality maps, and limited scientific million7. Skill diaspora communities have been collaborating with various The use of UAVs popularly known as drones during disasters is increasing. In capacity in disaster risk reduction and management5. The efforts of digital agencies for rebuilding and reconstruction. Nepal’s earthquake, drones were used for reconnaissance and mapping the humanitarians provided data for rescuers and disaster responders, informed the damages, helping locate survivors in the rubble, performing structural analysis public about the scale of the damage, and prevented further damage. of damaged infrastructure including heritage sites and capturing videos and photographs of the impacts for mass media. After the earthquake, more than 25 drones operated by humanitarian organizations (GlobalMedic, UAViators), relief agencies, NGOs (GlobalDIRT, Team Rubicon), private companies (DroneDeploy, Halo Drop), and research institutions (CRASAR) individuals were used. Although the usage of drones during Nepal’s earthquake is considered more coordinated than that was in Typhoon, Haiyan, it still demonstrated Data source: www.tomnod.com Countries in the a world where NRNA raised funds for Earthquake disaster relief Campaign several challenges in country like Nepal. Challenges Lessons Learned Several technical, organizational, and regulatory challenges were surfaced, some of which are outlined below: • The spirit of digital humanitarians has emerged spontaneously during crisis fuelled by a feeling of shared • Due to the lack of a single coordinated institution, task duplications and information over flow was observed while responsibility. We need a proactive approach to systematize it. digital humanitarians were working in a cyberspace. • Local capacity to operate disaster drones and analyse the big data generated by the digital humanitarians should be built. • Credibility of the work done by the digital humanitarians, who have limited information about Nepal’s complex • A Formal and robust institution is the key during disasters to initiate fundraising as done by NRNA or to systemize the topography and scattered settlements, is always an issue. efforts of digital humanitarians or to coordinate drone operators during disasters. • Limited institutional capacity of the end users particularly of Nepalese governmental agencies and lack of • Despite the increasing global trend of involvement of digital humanitarians during disasters, it is not acknowledged in coordination between them made the valuable information created by digital humanitarians less useful. the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-20305. To be better equipped for the next disaster, we need a strategy to harness the power of 3D during disasters. • Ambiguity in the protocols of operating drones in a country like Nepal hindered the use of this technology and limited • Drones were used for visualization and qualitative information. Quantitative analysis of UAV-based images would add the potential benefits. value. • It was observed that some drone operators had hidden interests such as publicity and might have misused the drones which made security force and aviation authority ban the use of drones stating that they could leak sensitive References information and pictures of its valuable heritage sites. 1. GON. 2015. Nepal Earthquake 2015: Post Disaster Needs Assessment, Government of Nepal, National Planning Commission, Nepal 2. Patrick Meier 2015. Digital Humanitarians: How Big Data Is Changing the Face of Humanitarian Response, CRC Press • Some drone operators did not seem transparent and were less accountable. It was not clear where, how and to 3. Andrew Wisemand and Pierre Beland 2015. OpenStreetMap Responds in Nepal (https://opensource.com/life/15/5/nepal-earthquake- whom they shared data and information. They did not cooperate with local responders, security agencies, and hfoss) (Published: May 19, 2015) rescuers. 4. Tomnod, Nepal: Earthquake http://www.tomnod.com/ 5. Shrestha et al. 2015 Disaster response: Volunteers, unite ! Science 349(6249):699-700. • Drone journalists, disaster junkies carrying drones, and hobbyist drone pilots collecting disaster adventure footage 6. Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal: National Population and Housing Census 2011 created crowded skies in some places. 7. Non-Resident Nepali Association (www.nrna.org.np).
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