Techstination, your destination for gadgets and gear.   I’m Fred Fishkin.  The non profit disaster relief organization Direct Relief is using technology and data, including some from social media users, to get help where it is needed more quickly.  The organization’s VP of Research and Analysis, Andrew Schroeder..

“We take data from the Facebook platform that’s provided through a research and non profit data agreement through Meta Data for Good, and look at the change in the Facebook user base at intervals of time in eight hour increments before, during and after the crisis so that we can tell where areas may be evacuating, around say, when evacuation orders may have been issued.”

To better understand who has evacuated and who has not…and where help is needed.

You can find us at Techstination.com.  I’m Fred Fishkin.