The world today is more connected than ever before. 46.1% of the world population are online, thats 3.4 billion internet users. Each of these users typically have 5.54 social media accounts. We generate on average 303 million tweets a day and 60 billion messages a day on Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. Youll agree these numbers are staggering and were constantly generating and adding to this torrent of big data.
We interact with the world around us through our devices and weve essentially used big data to make our lives more comfortable; where to eat, what movies to watch, the best routes from A to B. But what if this can be leveraged not only to recommend the best coffee shop on the block, but to show people where there is safe water to drink, or the nearest refuge centre?
Not only this. Could we use the unprecedented levels of data weve generated to actually predict crises and prevent violence and conflict in the worse affected areas?
The use of big data in response to humanitarian and social crisis is becoming increasingly important to tackle and understand the growing number of these issues today. Disasters both natural and conflict driven are chaotic situations and big data could well be the crucial factor in bringing some calm amidst the storm. It has the potential to give better understanding of situations using computer algorithms to find patterns in data generated from the multitudes of connected devices and private data sources.
With it, charitable organisations can deliver effective and efficient services to affected populations, see what resources are needed by organizations to relieve such situations and most importantly understand root causes so they can take preventative action in the future.
But lets not get carried away with the idea of a big data driven utopia just yet. There are still many challenges ahead. One thing to consider is that the areas most affected by natural disaster and conflict are often the most marginalised, with limited access to internet or mobile devices. Their infrastructures are often the most vulnerable to disruption during a crisis, restricting their connectivity to the rest of the world.
Whilst theres some brilliant examples of success stories of big data helping humanitarian causes, for it to take effect on a larger scale we first need to focus on getting the necessary organizations to collaborate.
Theres a variety of data to use from social data thats public and readily available to more powerful social and economic data held by governments and private organisations. The data is there and the social sector is ready and willing to use it, but the lack of skills and financing can be a massive hindrance. Like many industries, the demand for data scientists is astronomical and the social sector doesnt have the finances to offer as attractive salaries.
So, how do we get these people together? Organisations like DataKind connect data scientists with the charitable sector and government bodies to use data for good and are hard at work to make this happen.
When these sectors come together, great things can happen. One of the first examples of using big data systems following a natural disaster was in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The public sector and mobile service provider Digicel used cellular data to track displaced populations movements both pre and post-quake to help locate and deliver necessary food and medical supplies to those in need.
Its not just useful for tracking those in need but for understanding and planning what to do following a crisis. The Standby Volunteer Taskforce and Humanity Road used social media data to create a UN crisis map following the 2012 typhoon in the Philippines. The map gave a detailed report on infrastructure, crop damage, housing, population movements using data derived from Twitter, helping decision makers tailor plans to the situation.
One of the most prominent human crises to have affected the globe in recent years has been the Middle Eastern refugee crisis, seeing over 4million displaced people fleeing war torn countries. But what part is big data playing? When the refugees arrive in a country to apply for asylum, their details are entered into the UN ProGres database and from this they are issued encoded cards and vouchers for food and other basic resources. The coding allows spends to be tracked and monitored so that better forecasts can be made and resources made available.
There are also projects looking at portable, electronically formatted medical records to make sure refugees get the help needed despite language barriers and other prioritisation issues at borders.
Its also really important to recognise the impact mobile phones can have in situations like these and refute the negative rhetoric that has surrounded it. A mobile phone could be the most vital possession for a refugee to have and SIM cards are often made readily available in camps. Just think, access to a mobile phone when trying to navigate unfamiliar territories could help a refugee find camps, medical attention, food and water. Alongside keeping them in contact with relatives and relaying crucial information to others in the same situation.
Were only at the tip of the iceberg of exploring whether big data can help solve complex social issues and catastrophic events. Big data analytics may not bring about world peace, but it could have a life changing impact on individuals affected by humanitarian crises around the globe.
