Hello to all.
I hope this message finds it's way to this group. It?s a long winded post
which I hope I can summarize quickly but fully explain.
I am working on a web project to assist with a disaster recovery effort that
can be used worldwide. Big task. Simple idea.
Working with the ARC here in San Antonio as a volunteer IT staff person and
during a few meetings I discovered the need for a quick type of web based
program that could be set up at the time of a crises and used by many.
Here's the basic concept.
To have software that can be installed on a web server that can be used to keep
a database of volunteers, evacuees and equipment.
I call the project Disaster Asset Management Network or The DAMN Project.
After the Katrina disaster I noticed several specials on the discovery and
history channels. They focused on what went wrong during disasters and the
reasons these things went wrong.
Now we can arm chair quarter back this thing till we're satisfied the right
person got the blame but the common thread I thought I saw was the ability to
quickly react to the problem with the right resources.
How can a web-based application do this? The first thing is that this DAMN
project does require some community involvement and corporation. The immediate
aftermath of Katrina brought about a need for a quick reaction to help the
survivors. People were separated from families. Equipment was donated,
loaned, borrowed etc. And volunteers expert in IT were used as kitchen help.
Looks like a serious fire drill run in zero gravity.
An application that could be developed that would address these three areas
would be of great benefit to any area that suffers a disaster. With the
problems in Guatemala or India and Pakistan these natural problems are pretty
much here to stay not to mention man made problems.
I?m trying to set up a Forum / WIKI to get things rolling so people can set up
test sites and others can begin writing code. I want this to be an open source
project so that anyone who needs it can use it.
Thanks for any help.
