Humanitarian Action 2.0

Patrick Meier speaks on how internet and communications technology can help humanitarians save lives in the field.

Once upon a time, the internet was a relatively passive place. The World Wide Web served mainly as a window through which people sought information. Now, the internet is far more interactive — Web 2.0, as this evolving digital platform is sometimes called, can serve as a collaborative workspace where knowledge, data and experience can be shared by anyone, anywhere, any time. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, for example, Patrick Meier and other volunteers created online crisis maps that allowed victims and aid workers to use their cell phones to post up-to-the-minute data about the location of people in need of help. Meier says new technologies could have a profound impact on humanitarian action in the field.