Delivering humanitarian aid faster with what3words and DataCapable

During disasters, social media can contain a wealth of information that emergency services can use to help them deliver aid and relief more effectively.

DataCapable has set up a monitoring platform to source geolocated Tweets during disasters and incidents. For example, they are able to aggregate social media posts using certain keywords or sending SOS messages – and display them on maps for emergency responders.

DataCapable’s platform sourced geolocated Tweets in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

This enables emergency responders to spot trends, and to collate key information about particular areas. It also enables them to see the exact location from which somebody sent a Tweet. By automatically displaying the 3 word address for each geolocated Tweet, the platform enables responders to quickly and easily communicate accurate location across platforms.

3 word addresses can be radioed or said over the phone to responders in the field, as well as sent over SMS. This flexibility allows first responders to communicate across teams and for teams to speak to HQ, giving them a common language for location, which can be especially critical during disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes where street names, intersections and key landmarks can become unrecognisable.