New information technologies and their impact on the humanitarian sector

New information and communication technologies are impacting the humanitarian
sector in profound ways. Both crisis-affected communities and global volunteer
networks are becoming increasingly digital. This means that the former are
increasingly the source of relevant crisis information, while the latter are becoming
more adept at managing and visualizing this information on live crisis maps. This
article introduces the field of crisis mapping and provides key examples from Haiti,
Russia, Libya, and Somalia to demonstrate how digitally empowered affected
communities and volunteer networks are reshaping humanitarian response in the
twenty-first century.