The Community Flood Assessment crowdsourcing map

The example of the City of Boulder (Colorado, US) can be quoted, that was launched in September 2013 a "Community Flood Assessment" crowdsourcing map to capture flood data and stories from Boulder residents and businesses. In this case, the Boulder citizens have been empowered to contribute to a shared learning experience in order to document the September 2013 flood event. On community submittals (called reports), citizens shared data/information and attached photos or videos to enhance their story (how they lived the event). Geo-located pins associated with specific date-and-time categories like Flooding; Road damage; Path Damage; Property Damage; Debris; and overflows, allowed the creation of maps that are "easy-to-use". Once posted, all data, photos, and videos became public domain and have been used by all site users including the City of Boulder. Thus, this information on place-and-time flooding activities helped the city in assessing the entire flood event and helped to inform future planning efforts (generating a learning process). Boulder people, therefore, have been empowered in crisis management through crowdsourcing.

Note: See source document for full reference.

Cultural Factors: Local knowledge

Hazards: Natural hazards

Disaster Phases: Response

Types of Actors Concerned: Local authorities

Recommendations:

• The use of new technologies (e.g. Bluetooth) can improve communication strategies in disaster management situations