One of the most sophisticated is one that digs into networks for calls for help and then geolocates them, displaying them on a heat map so first responders can see where they are concentrated. Something that has saved many lives. There are many very useful options: others inform so that people know what to do, indicate where to go for help and allow contact with acquaintances or authorities to report their condition.
Absolutely all the apps are open source, that is, they are enabled so that other people can access the source code and modify it. The latter, to improve it or why not, adapt it for other natural disasters in other parts of the world. A trend that has already been seen in other previous catastrophes. So far, the use of the Earthquake Help Project has been limited to Turkey, but the responsible duo is in contact with the Syrian authorities so that they also implement it in their rescues.
Algorithmic bailouts
One of the biggest problems after a natural disaster is getting hold of resources such as water and food. This happened in the earthquake in Nepal that occurred in 2015, where, not satisfied with the collapse of houses and buildings, those affected were left without drinking water because it only came through a network of public fountains that were destroyed by the earthquakes. The solution came from Canada with an algorithm that created a supply plan for the vital liquid without the need for the researchers to even know the place. The developers are currently making a number of adjustments to the model to port it to Syria and Turkey.
The new account includes the distribution of water, but it is more ambitious in many ways. On this occasion, the aim is to find a balance between the geographical data of the area and the number of people concentrated in the surroundings. This is to find the points most in need, but also the safest for the shelter for victims, the distribution of food and the implementation of medical services.
This algorithm is just one of many efforts to harness technology for advanced mapping to optimize the work of emergency services.. Operating in a disaster zone can be a virtually impossible task, as urban centers change dramatically and pre-disaster maps become virtually unusable.
This is why different countries around the world not only send rescuers, but also drones that fly over the territory to register the affected areas. Their captures are contrasted with satellite images obtained from the main space agencies in the world. This is how rescuers can define in advance the roads that are blocked or otherwise, those that have been opened by the telluric movement. This saves many seconds that can become vital for the rescue of the victims.