Digital Humanitarians

2015 non-fiction book

Digital Humanitarians

Author| Patrick Meier
Language| English
Subject| Use of technology in Humanitarian Aid
Genre| Non-fiction
Published| January 2015
Publisher| Taylor & Francis
Pages| 259
ISBN| 978-1498726474

Digital Humanitarians: How Big Data is changing the face of humanitarian response is a 2015 book by Patrick Meier.[1][2]

The book focuses on how to ethically use digital data when responding to a sudden onset humanitarian emergencies. Content includes use of drones for aerial imagery and effective use of Big Data.

## Contents

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Digital Humanitarians documents the start of digital Humanitarian Action, and the volunteers who respond to emergencies.[1] It is written from the perspective of Meier who is both a digital humanitarian himself, as well as being an academic in the same area.[1]

Within the book is a best practice guide and various tools and resources to help practitioners navigate big data and use of social media in humanitarian emergencies.[1] Contents include the areas of privacy, information veracity, and the role of technology in humanitarian response.[1] It documents how traditional humanitarian agencies find the volume of data available to them overwhelming and how issues of data accuracy can steer digital-amateurs in the wrong direction.[2] There is a focus on ethics and the safety of people throughout the book.[1] Noting the risk of error, Meier advocates for good regulation of technology.[1]

Included case studies include digital humanitarian responses to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Typhoon Pablo where the Philippines government coordination of digital response was praised,[1] an earthquake in Chile, the Libyan revolution, a fire in Russia, a US superstorm, and political instability in Kyrgyzstan.[3] The book has an emphasis on the value of aerial imagery and the value of unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e. drones) to gather images.[2] It includes Meier's commentary on the psychological and emotional impact on digital humanitarians exposed to images and accounts of injuries and unmet needs, with the Boston Marathon bombing used as a case study.[1] Meier encourages readers to take up digital humanitarianism and gives examples of free and low cost activities that people can do to help others.[4]

## Critical reception

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Digital Humanitarians is described by The Guardian as a "rousing manifesto urging readers not to feel alone or worthless."[4]

The book was described as "essential reading" for people interested in the intersection of humanitarian response and digital tools by Dimitrinka Atanasova at the London School of Economics.[1]

Writing for the Stanford Social Innovation Review, Lucy Bernholz praised the books encouragement for humanitarian organizations, volunteers and companies to collaborate:[3]

## See also

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* Crisis mapping
* Digital Humanitarian Responses

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Atanasova, Dimitrinka (May 17, 2015). "Book Review: Digital Humanitarians: How Big Data is changing the face of humanitarian response". USAPP. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
2. ^ a b c "When Technology Helps Us Become More Human". Time. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
3. ^ a b Bernholz, Lucy (Summer 2015). "Always on Call (SSIR)". Stanford Social Innovation Review. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
4. ^ a b Shringarpure, Bhakti (June 18, 2015). "The rise of the digital saviour: can Facebook likes change the world?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2021.

## External links

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* Official website