By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    AI analytics
    AI-Based Analytics Are Changing the Future of Credit Cards
    6 Min Read
    data overload showing data analytics
    How Does Next-Gen SIEM Prevent Data Overload For Security Analysts?
    8 Min Read
    hire a marketing agency with a background in data analytics
    5 Reasons to Hire a Marketing Agency that Knows Data Analytics
    7 Min Read
    predictive analytics for amazon pricing
    Using Predictive Analytics to Get the Best Deals on Amazon
    8 Min Read
    data science anayst
    Growing Demand for Data Science & Data Analyst Roles
    6 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Big Data: A Natural Solution for Disaster Relief
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
Aa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Analytics > Predictive Analytics > Big Data: A Natural Solution for Disaster Relief
AnalyticsBig DataData ManagementITNewsPredictive Analytics

Big Data: A Natural Solution for Disaster Relief

kathryn1723
Last updated: 2013/02/20 at 3:41 PM
kathryn1723
5 Min Read
big data crisis management
SHARE

By Mike Smitheman, VP of Marketing at GoodData

By Mike Smitheman, VP of Marketing at GoodData

Last Friday, a 10,000-ton meteor sped into northern Russia at 40,000 miles per hour. The resulting shock wave hurt an estimated 1,000 people. While scientists were concerned about another, more massive meteor called DA14, the Russian one seemingly slipped under the radar, catching experts off-guard.

With big data as common in science as it is everywhere else, could we have used better tools to see this coming? What’s the role of big data in natural disasters today?

More Read

data visualization for small business

Data Visualization Boosts Business Scalability with Sales Mapping

5 Best Practices for Extracting, Analyzing, and Visualizing Data
5 Ways to Streamline Your Business Data for Maximum Efficiency
10 Important Ways Data Visualization Can Benefit Your Content Strategy
From Raw Data to Visualization: Marvel Social Graph Analysis

big data crisis managementThe answer is a work in progress. NASA, for one, admits to currently having a big data problem. “(D)ata is continually streaming from spacecraft on Earth and in space, faster than we can store, manage, and interpret it,” writes NASA Project Manager Nick Skytland. “In our current missions, data is transferred with radio frequency, which is relatively slow. In the future, NASA will employ technology such as optical (laser) communication to increase the download and mean a 1000x increase in the volume of data. This is much more then we can handle today and this is what we are starting to prepare for now. We are planning missions today that will easily stream more then 24TB’s a day. That’s roughly 2.4 times the entire Library of Congress – EVERY DAY. For one mission.”

NASA still needs to catch up with its data load. Other government agencies are looking for ways to collaborate more effectively. For example, the Department of Defense has secret satellites located around the world for reconnaissance. Those satellites also happen to have the capability to detect large and small meteors. The DoD, however, is nervous about sharing any information that it deems classified, so efforts are still underway to find a way to incorporate that data into the bigger scientific schema.

Real-Time Disaster Maps

Terrestrial challenges, on the other hand, are currently more amenable to big data. One of big data’s true strengths lies in crisis mapping, the process of using visualizations, footage, analysis and apps to get an overview of a disaster as it evolves. Google’s Superstorm Sandy Crisis Map tracked the course of last winter’s storm, with video footage, evacuation routes and emergency aid centers. The UN commissioned the Digital Humanitarian Network to track the real-time effects of Typhoon Pablo in the Philippines. Among other efforts, social data was analyzed to provide a detailed, real-time map of displaced people, fatalities, crop damage, broken bridges and more.

Relief Efforts

If done well, relief coordination means the difference between life and death. Big data has made it possible for relief organizations to reach their goals more quickly and effectively.

To name a few examples: Data analytics company Palantir worked with relief agencies to provide rescuers with data in advance of their arrival, such as a map of fallen trees, power outages and gas shortages. NASA and the Open Science Data Group are working on Project Matsu, which uses Hadoop to analyze and timestamp satellite pictures to give relief workers real-time disaster maps. Google Person Finder re-connects disaster victims with their friends and families.

A Nascent Science

Big data’s contributions to crisis mapping and relief efforts have already made a big difference. Yet they’re just a drop in the bucket compared to the technologies that will evolve in the coming decade. We may have push alerts sent to our mobile phones, warning of natural disasters either in our location or those of our loved ones. Rather than swarming the nearest location, disaster victims may be routed to the relief centers that can best accommodate them. With the right tools and communal efforts, we may even be able to predict the trajectories of oncoming meteorites.

TAGGED: crisis data, data visualization, social data
kathryn1723 February 20, 2013
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn
Share

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

Data Ethics: Safeguarding Privacy and Ensuring Responsible Data Practices
Data Ethics: Safeguarding Privacy and Ensuring Responsible Data Practices
Best Practices Big Data Data Collection Data Management Privacy
data protection for SMEs
8 Crucial Tips to Help SMEs Guard Against Data Breaches
Data Management
How AI is Boosting the Customer Support Game
How AI is Boosting the Customer Support Game
Artificial Intelligence
AI analytics
AI-Based Analytics Are Changing the Future of Credit Cards
Analytics Artificial Intelligence Exclusive

Stay Connected

1.2k Followers Like
33.7k Followers Follow
222 Followers Pin

You Might also Like

data visualization for small business
Data Visualization

Data Visualization Boosts Business Scalability with Sales Mapping

7 Min Read
big data visualization
Data Visualization

5 Best Practices for Extracting, Analyzing, and Visualizing Data

6 Min Read
streamline business data effectively
Big Data

5 Ways to Streamline Your Business Data for Maximum Efficiency

6 Min Read
Data Visualization
Data Visualization

10 Important Ways Data Visualization Can Benefit Your Content Strategy

13 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

data-driven web design
5 Great Tips for Using Data Analytics for Website UX
Big Data
ai is improving the safety of cars
From Bolts to Bots: How AI Is Fortifying the Automotive Industry
Artificial Intelligence

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?