[Telecentres] ICTs & Disaster Risk Reduction /Protectingcommunities

[Don Cameron]

>> I think we need to start exploring ways of articulating the vital role
Telecentre's can play in public safety and emergency response situations
like the tsunami (snip)

Hi Andy, all,

This is certainly not an "I told you so"...however I posted the following
two items to this very forum back in September 2004 as items for submission
to WSIS yet drew little response or interest from our membership or those
preparing submissions. I have been promoting the use of Telecentre's as
adjuncts to emergency response and mitigation since 1996. Why does it always
take the loss of thousands of human lives to highlight the most fundamental
and important role of ICT's in society? - Of all the nations represented at
WSIS, only the US and Australia made mention of ICT's for emergency
mitigation in feedback to the declaration of principles; feedback that was
conveniently ignored and discarded. It's great that people are now starting
to take notice; tragic the events that had to happen to make them take
notice. Much of this loss of life could have been avoided so I make no
apologies for voicing my frustrations in this area (I am a graduate of the
Australian School of Emergency Management so I have a vested interest in
this area).

(30/09/04)

I'm taking the liberty of posting twice in one day because I think Taran has
identified a vital role for Telecentre's operating in impoverished or
otherwise disadvantaged communities, as well as highlighting a pressing need
that certainly justifies having a Telecentre in a great many communities -
that of providing support for the prevention, mitigation, management and
control of local civil emergencies. 

Rather than focusing on the equipment required by Telecentre's for these
scenarios, may I instead suggest a summary of the type of needs Telecentre's
may be called to address (there are many others we can add)... The equipment
required in support of each function depends on which needs are forecast as
potential requirements (we can add basic equipment requirements if desired
by the group, however as noted by Gopi, it will be a long list!)  

(The suggestions below are an extract from my paper titled: "Technology
Planning for Civil Emergencies". The paper discusses the role of NPO's and
Telecentre's and offers suggestions for basic infrastructure requirements.
The paper is provided online by TechSoup at:
www.techsoup.org/howto/articlepage.cfm?ArticleId=526&topicid=11 )

- Support of incident management, planning, logistics or resources
- Incident victim registrations
- Public health support (counselling or other roles)
- Transportation of victims or other impacted people
- The provision of emergency food, clothing, or housing
- Technical support (helping with computers, facsimiles or other equipment)
- Community communications liaison (getting the message out)
- Language translation services
- Any other act or service required to help establish normalcy

(30/09/04)

Opposite ends of the emergency spectrum Taran however I have been advocating
for many years for the use of Telecentre's as EOC's (Emergency Operations
Centre's) for major Australian bushfires in rural and remote locations -
There is much synergy in the roles, equipment and skills of EOC's and
Telecentre's and sometimes duplication is unnecessary. Many of our
Telecentre's are equipped with UHF radio on emergency operating channels,
map and resource allocation boards, GPS equipment and other items essential
for the use of Emergency Planning or Logistics Teams - or even for the vital
function of providing communications continuity for the whole community.

I think the concept of compiling a list of items required by Telecentre's
has merit and the lists provided offer a good spread of generic items -
although in my experience equipment and software requirements do vary
considerably from Telecentre to Telecentre (and community to community).

Rgds, Don