This system was requested by Andrej Verity from UNOCHA Geneva.

 

Imagine if senior managers, operation staff, etc could simply reference their phone, ipad or computer and know that they always have the latest situation report, latest emergency numbers, latest maps, etc on their devise.  Imagine meetings where people could be talking about the very, very latest numbers because it is simply available in their pocket!  If we built it in a open-source manner, other entities could use it for multiple purposes: pushing information to the affected populations [via connected entities like radio stations], pushing content to all their field staff, etc, etc.

inside the emergency arena. The old kiosk concept is still very valid, but we can use modern technologies to turn the same concept into a revolutionary tool for the humanitarian response.

 

 

Essentially, we are going to put the operational information onto responders’ computers, iPads and/or smartphones, keep it up-to-date with almost no effort, and enable responders to easily share this library with others. The best part is that the technologies to do so are essentiallyavailable.  What is the current Humanitarian Kiosk?  The kiosk is simply a terminal-like computer where the humanitarian community can come with their flash drive and copy all the latest files / data and return to their office. With serious bandwidth constraints for manysmaller organizations, it can be a life-line to the latest information - especially when talking about large files such as the latest maps. The kiosk is placed in a reception centre (e.g. Haiti) or at the central meetinglocation (e.g. Pakistan). The kiosk is maintained by an information management staff member who physically updates the files on the computer on a regular basis.  So, What is HK2?  HK2 makes use of tools such as DropBox and Bump to push files out from one central location to anyone who wishes to subscribe and makes it painfully simple for any existing user to effortlessly “bump” the library to a nearby mobile device. Imagine if an organization could update one folder and those contents are replicated through the cloud to all subscribers - these clients would always have the latest products and data on their devices. Imagine sitting in meeting in the operation and having the latest information at your fingertips even if not connected to the Internet. And, imagine if the person next to you did not, but you could simply “bump” your devices and s/he would have it to. This approach would not only will help the in-disaster responders, but virtual teams, senior management, and even media outside the arena could easily subscribe and have the latest information at all times. This approach would not make the old kiosk redundant. To the contrary; it would make the physical kiosk much easier to manage as it would simply become a subscriber thereby relieving most maintenance work. And Internet bandwidth challenges will remain in some major emergencies like the Haiti earthquake. However, we can now have both. The HK2 would very much complement any response website. The HK2 would be a place for the latest documents and would not hold an archive. A response website would hold a trove of other information and applications, would hold the latest information, and would maintain an archive of all files. It would be the place for visitors to start and would be the place wherevisitors could subscribe to the HK2. Next StepsThe challenge now is to actually implement this approach. The sharing technology is not hard, but will require some investigation to select the right solution. This component could likely be implemented in the matter of a few weeks (pending any procurement challenges). The Bump technology exists, but is focused on music so would have to be modified (perhaps in partnership with Bu.mp themselves) and thus would need to be implemented in the second phase. With the right support and resources, the first version of the HK2 could be alive and working within a few months. And, for a simple solution that could drastically change how emergency response is carried out, I believe the HK2 should be immediately prioritized. It is simple and exciting. We need to act now. It would be the place for visitors to start and would be the place where visitors could subscribe to the HK2.