A number of technical people and companies â€" both big and small â€" helped connect and find people in Haiti through SMS messaging, after its earthquake, said Dr. Frank Rijsberman, program
director of Google.org, which is the philanthropic arm of Google Inc., in speaking to at the 4A’s media conference.
This helped save lives, he says. Also web site areas started up to
aid people in trouble.
With Haiti being a very poor country, officials there were more than willing to accept all sorts of technical help, says Rijsberman.
In contrast, Chile, with a
more vibrant economy, initially didn’t want technical help after its earthquake, he says. But Google eventually help solve some technical issues for that country.
A big part is creating
maps for troubled areas. For its part, Google started drawing detailed maps after the earthquake in Haiti for helping aid agencies find their way.
“Ten or 15 years ago none of this
was possible,†says Rijsberman.