The effectiveness and the spatiality of volunteered geographic information in disaster response: A Case study of information platforms for Typhoon Morakot
Date Issued
2012
Date
2012
Author(s)
Wu, Yu-Ping
Abstract
This study uses the information platforms for Typhoon Morakot as a case study to assess the effectiveness and spatiality of volunteered geographical information in disaster response. The major research tasks are to evaluate their contributions to information dissemination and resource distribution and to explore the spatial characteristics of disaster information delivered on those platforms. Semi-structured qualitative interviews are adopted as the primary research method. Key informants in three sectors that have information in need for disaster responses are interviewees to justify the usefulness and effectiveness of volunteered geographic information. The first one is the government agency including the National Fire Agency and the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction, the second is the NGO containing Tzu Chi, the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China, and World Vision, and the last group is the media such as reporters. Afterwards this research conducts in-depth interviews with the people who established the disaster information platform for the issues of information obtaining, sieving and positioning to demonstrate the spatial characters of disaster information. Not only the spatial distributes of information on the platforms are analyzed, but also the role that the civil geographical information played in disaster recovery is further discussed. This study finds that the spatiality of volunteer geographic information is not boundless because of the limitation of ICT and social networks; however, the information platform indeed could help to find missing people and distribute rescue goods more efficiently. Concluding, this study contributes to the knowledge gap with regard to the scientific discussion of the volunteer geographical information in disaster management; at the meanwhile the actual effectiveness and the spatial characteristics of the volunteer geographical information, as well as the relationship between the information flow and informants are examined.
Subjects
volunteered geographic information
disaster response
spatiality of information platform
Typhoon Morakot
disaster information
path dependence
Type
thesis
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