IT and disasters

The recent events on Haiti made me remember what happened in Colombia, my home country, in 1994. There was an earthquake that devastated the city of Armenia. At that time I was working as an IT project manager and it stroke me that despite the increasing popularity of geographical information systems (GIS), there was very little effort in putting this technology to the service of disaster recovery and city regeneration. More than 10 years on, Armenia is now back on its feet, thanks to a collective effort, sustained investment and more importantly, the hard work of its people.

Last Friday (January 15th 2010) when beginning a seminar I then raised the same issue: Where are the IT experts when it comes to disasters? A few hours later I got an email from ICT4D, a collective umbrella organisation. One of the participant organisations had created a wiki with videos, photos and other items from Haiti. You can see it at http://inventory.ict4peace.org/Haiti+Earthquake+-+January+2010

Today (6 days after the earthquake) I have seen the following links that indicate that there are many people whose knowledge and software or technology products could be used to support the work on the ground in Haiti.

• http://wiki.crisiscommons.org/index.php?title=.php&title=Haiti/2010_Earthquake This is a wiki that has a number of entries with people who could contribute with software or skills; there are already organizations offering help in locating victims, mapping the different efforts that are being undertaken, and organizing events to 'think of' new possibilities. One of this events is called crisis camp (http://crisiscamphaitiwdc.eventbrite.com/), and will explore how to produce some layers of information that could be available graphically and made accessible through mobile applications. According to CNN, there are other suggestions to be discussed in the event that include:

• Creating an online locator system for families seeking lost loved ones

• Setting up an online communications tool similar to Twitter that would allow relief workers and others to talk with each other in real time

• There is another event called BarCamp, a series of events in different countries, in which possibilities for projects and ideas are discussed freely and without formal agendas. When going through the link, I discovered that these events have / will take place in Africa, Asia and South America among other regions. Interesting. There is one BarCamp scheduled for Bogota, Colombia, on the 27th of February 2010.

• The online locator system (http://www.haitiwelfare.com/) is a database (sponsored by Google) in which you can type names of people with the aim of either giving information about them or asking for information about them.

• Back to the wiki technologies. In November 6 2009 Recently I attended an event called know how now in London (http://www.knowhownow.org.uk/) in which an organisation called apropedia (http://www.appropedia.org/Welcome_to_Appropedia) has developed a wiki to put all information about building simple and sustainable solutions. It gathers such information from all those who have experience on the ground. The idea is to offer these knowledge and in different languages to people, so they could build their own solutions for. An entry I just saw in this repository is called 'building a basic shelter'. Anyone could contribute.

So it seems, technology is there and can be made available to provide information. A key issue is to make information simple, accessible and easy to edit / update. With these and for sure other possibilities, a question that comes to my mind is: do we need some kind of co-ordination mechanism so that people can find easily links to this information? When looking at some of the above links, unless I had them referenced somewhere else, it was not easy to find. Our friends from Google should take notice of this. When it comes to disasters, maybe we need some keywords.

And another question: What about different languages? Unless you know English, you might not know how to look for this information. This seems to reflect what is happening now in the ground: lots of nationalities together, everyone wanting to help, but it seems, there is very little co-ordination. IT guys should try to promote co-ordination and user intake of these technologies /possibilities to help in disasters.

Prospects for 2010

With heavy snow now in the UK, and some time to ponder on what could be happening this year, I have ventured to add to my previous post regarding some prospects for 2010. Hopefully these will be useful to those looking to work in making IT successful in organisations.

Time to decide. Many companies are now going to decide how much IT they keep and invest on. Those who have acquired previous commitments on big projects will either go ahead with them or will shed proposals or plans for the next year. In theory, the most sensible thing to do would be to wait and see. However, some opportunities could be lost. It is like going to explore a new market, in which there were positive signs but the wind of recession has frozen them. One could say that we need to wait until the frost has gone, others would say that we should be go into the new market anyway. If recession is everywhere, shall we let it freeze us too?

New and old knowledge need to be used. Of course new technology products will come into place, but they will need to be connected to old systems. So IT professionals will have to either reutilise their old knowledge to help plug in new technologies, or will venture in exploiting the new. Iphone applications are a good example. They should allow connection to transactional systems (e.g. banks), whilst at the same time whoever wants to design a new iphone application will have to learn how to do it with a different operating system, browsers, security, etc. In both cases there are opportunities. What we do not want to see is IT professionals 'waiting' to have a clearer idea of where to go. Someone has to take the lead.

Location is going to be important again. Previous years economy led us to think we could be working anywhere as IT professionals. My view now is that location matters for several reasons. First, with companies cutting on graduate posts, training opportunities or research and development, they are now 'downsizing' and choosing cheaper locations to operate. They are also hiring new professionals where they are based. So either you stay in the location where you can be hired, or you go to a new location but make sure that you place yourself strategically so that companies see you. I met someone recently who is a SAP consultant coming from abroad to the UK. Fantastic no? I suggested this person to be in the right place. In the UK I have heard of the IT corridor that runs west from London to Reading. Alternatively with this skills you could offer your services in locations where the competition is less strong.

Network even if this means changing your habits. Many of us meet other people in specific circumstances: colleagues from degrees, from the neighbourhood, from church, old employers. It is time to give them a ring if you want to ask them how they are doing, if they know who needs and IT professional or to develop new ideas. Why not propose new things, at least to have a coffee and catch up? Many ideas do not need lots of money. Doing a business plan, going to a chamber of commerce to ask for funding opportunities, getting yourself a trainer certificate in some IT equipment and then setting up your own business from home with a partner, these are ideas I have come across by talking to my former students, some of which are still in the look for jobs. Another of my students is now writing a research paper with me, and we began looking for a PhD studentship for him, all of this whilst he and I do our jobs. Of course, working through networks and with them takes time, but this is also a change of our habits if we're used to 'normal' working times.

Substitute the perfect job for a good one. Have you considered that maybe you are not ready yet for the job you're looking for, that such a job has been frozen or that it does not exist yet? If you have done so, congratulations, this is an honest account of reality. Look for a job that allows you to keep active, to pay the bills, and meet people. Yes, you could have the best qualifications in the world, but they are yours, not owned by anyone else. Companies are on the look for talent and skills, not qualifications. Maybe qualifications gave you awareness on talents you have and skills you need to develop, so think about what else you need to do. And you could do it whilst keeping a good job. Even volunteering jobs give you the chance to learn new things and meet people. Do not underestimate what comes your way unless you are someone like a good old friend who decided to wait for over eight (8) months (and there was no recession) for the perfect job to come. Ejem, he was also sponsored by his wife...

Finally, do not think you're wasting time by trying. Trying means you are on the look, that the glass is half full and not half empty (my friend kept trying). Despair, desperation, anxiety and other feelings can negatively affect us. But there could be worse things, one of them being 'dead' while alive. I remember hearing a former military expert who lost his leg and part of one arm. He told us his vivid account of how it happened, and how in the midst of the ordeal he mentally decided that it was better to fight for life than to lose it. He survived and began a different life, not easy but with full of challenges ("One damn thing after another!"). He keeps positive because being negative can lead him to lose life. So it is a question of losing life by still being alive if we think we're wasting it. If you feel desperate, phone a friend, go for a walk, tell off relatives who want to feel pity for you and join others like you who are on the look.

Good luck to us all! I am now on the look for funding!