Disaster information networks in the pipeline

Those ideas we read and write about concerning disasters on the information superhighway are taking shape in the form of a number of international initiatives. Among them:

PAHO and NASA, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration are ready to launch a joint project to establish a regional electronic communications network. The countries of Central America will serve as the pilot for this project which will link key civil defense, health sector professionals, and legislators via the Internet, with other disaster management partners in their countries and throughout the world. This electronic network will promote coordination among national and regional organizations, public as well as private. It will help to:

· Start up national disaster management plans;
· Maintain inventories of human, material, and institutional resources;
· Permit "on-line" exchange of information before and after disasters.

ResponseNet, a not-for-profit organization, is developing a disaster network to help manage information to support local and international organizations working in emergencies and disasters. ResponseNet collaborates with organizations to build a global network system with common standards to permit the exchange of information quickly and easily.

ReliefNet is the potential collaboration between the U.S. Government and the UN Department of Humanitarian Affairs. Through the Internet. ReliefNet's goal is to share relevant information concerning humanitarian crises. It will encourage agencies with crisis-relevant databases to make them available on the Internet. The network will be managed by a neutral, primarily technical, interagency group.

Note: The names ResponseNet and ReliefNet are temporarily being used by these projects and may change at a later date.