Do you have an exit strategy for you and yours in place, should a major earthquake, terrorist attack, or similar large scale disaster occur? You should. And with the help of San Francisco’s new social emergency preparation website, you will.
Much like New York City’s “hurricane-proof” civic website, SF72.org is a localised information hub leveraging the assistance of local tech heavyweights like Facebook, Twitter, and AirBnB to ease Bay Area residents into the emergency planning and response process.
“We found through research and user testing that people were intimidated by the types of preparedness information available because it tended to be overwhelming,” Kate Lydon, the public sector lead for SF72 developer IDEO told TechHive. “People don’t respond to information that’s fear-based. SF72 is designed around the idea that being prepared is based on social connection. That’s something we can do in our everyday lives.”
SF72.org works by pulling user information from a number of social media platforms, allowing city residents to easily access their profiles, update their statuses, and search for updates on friends and neighbours. It also provides a litany of planning and preparation resources as well as an “emergency mode” hub that displays a real-time Google Map showing the all available routes out of town and the locations of available shelters once disaster does befall the region.
Leave it to a city like San Francisco to apply design thinking to disasters. [SF72 via TechHive – Image: kropic1]