Relief Insight

Our Story:

Our team felt passionate about communication and information access. We generated ideas around the use of SMS technology and a communication platform between organizations. We decided on an application with two main functional areas: Arrival Time SMS and a Relief Marketplace.

Arrival Time SMS

Mission: Provide timely information to individuals and communities affected by disaster about the arrival of vital resources. Vision: Incentivize organizations and government agencies to create efficient systems to help individuals and communities in preparation for, and in response to disasters.

User Stories:

User 1: Individual Affected In the event of disaster, those who are affected often have the least access to official news and information sources. Thus it is powerfully necessary to send information as efficiently as possible. Many do not access to methods of communication, but there are some who do. We are aiming to send relevant timely information to help individuals and their communities to plan and make most intelligent choices and decisions with all available resources.

User2: Organization In the event of disaster organizations who have resources may want to give relevant and timely information to individuals. Organizations who have information on when goods, and resources are scheduled to arrive in a given area can send text messages to individuals who are in that area. These text messages provide the amount and estimated time of arrival of the resource.

Example: 6 cans of sardines per family for 500 families on Tuesday, 11/17 at distribution point A.

User 3: Friends and Family In the event of disaster friends and family of those in the affected area can sign-up their loved ones to receive text messages about what goods are coming to their areas on what times. All they need to do is enter their loved ones phone # and location.

Relief Marketplace

Mission: Create an efficient platform between suppliers and on-the-ground organizations to organize resources when disaster strikes. Vision: First, incentivize suppliers to connect directly with on-the-ground organizations to address their needs; and second, allow on-the-ground organizations to effectively communicate with each other.

User 1:Suppliers In the event of a disaster, on-the-ground organizations have an intimate understanding about the needs of individuals and communities affected by disaster. This platform will provide an efficient way for suppliers and companies to connect with on-the-ground organization by creating a simple way to connect.

User 2: On-the-ground Organizations

Use Case 1: On-the-ground Organizations with needs On-the-ground organizations can request for available resources and supplies to suppliers using this platform. The platform provides an organized list of resources and accessible visuals that help on-the-ground organizations make the best decisions and plans.

Use Case 2: On-the-ground Organizers with resources. There are various on-the-ground organizations in disaster affected areas. The platform provides a medium for these organizations to visualize what each other is doing and provide a meaningful opportunity to communicate.