Facebook has partnered with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and a non-profit body, SEEDS in India, to offer tools to these agencies to help them respond more effectively to natural disasters.
The new product was launched at the company’s first Disaster Response Summit in India along with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to improve disaster response and disaster management in India.
According to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) data, India is the third-worst affected country by natural disasters
Disaster Maps was introduced globally in June and uses aggregated location information that users have chosen to share with Facebook and these tools have been deployed in Peru and the US.
Facebook is also supporting the pilot of the Aapda Samachar Karyakarta-Disaster Information Volunteers (ASK-DIV) scheme
The programme, which is being executed by SEEDS, will establish a network of volunteers to provide real-time, first-hand information on disasters in their local communities
The programme will be piloted in two disaster-prone States — Assam and Uttarakhand.