Disaster Management :Tech firm creates software pairing response systems with open data

Published 5 August 2014

A new application, called Disaster Assessment and Assistance Dashboard (DAAD), harnesses emergency response data in real-time and across multiple departments and agencies. DAAD will function as a central hub for information in the event of a disaster — using more than 100 different interfaces that upload data. Additionally, the hub will work in accordance with all manner of local government organizations such as fire stations, police stations and hospitals to further create a larger picture during the actual moments of an emergency.

Appallicious, a San Francisco-based open date tech company, has unveiled what it refers to as the Disaster Assessment and Assistance Dashboard (DAAD). The application, still in the beta testing stage, was shown at the Innovation for Disaster Reponse and Recovery Demo Day, held at White House last week.

The company says that DAAD offers a combination real-time data and agency notations that combine to aid and coordinate responses.

Yo Yoshida, the founder of Appalicious, called upon by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to create the system, said that the platform is being billed “as a solution that pairs local disaster response resources with open data, and offers citizens real-time developments and status updates.”

Thanks largely to the abundance of open data, the dashboard is able to harness emergency response data in real-time and across multiple departments and agencies. Once fully operational, it will function as a central hub for information in the event of a disaster — using more than 100 different interfaces that upload data. Additionally, the hub will work in accordance with all manner of local government organizations such as fire stations, police stations and hospitals to further create a larger picture during the actual moments of an emergency.

Also of interest is the ability of DAAD to link to local labor and financial resources to operate a community economy as a further tool. The dashboard allows residents and companies to post their skills (such as CPRtraining), locations and equipment — all of which ultimately might aid in recovery.

“It’s something that breaks down the barriers of all the silos of all the different departments [responding to a disaster], so you can create these high-level layers that help everyone facilitate and communicate at so many different levels, both pre-disaster and post-disaster,” Yoshida said.

Following the FEMA endorsement, San Francisco District 2 county supervisor Mark Farrell, said that the city adopted DAAD because of “its ability to centralize help for residents.”

Yoshida has disclosed that Appalicious are in discussions with other metropolitan cities, including Washington D.C., about the possibilities of incorporating the system elsewhere.

The dashboard is available as a free option for smaller cities who can also customize and upgrade the application based on need.

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