Kathmandu Living Labs (KLL), a leading civic tech group in Nepal, was featured in the very first episode of “The Crowd and the Cloud” for its work on OpenStreetMap to map different places in Nepal during the 2015 earthquake.
After the earthquake, one of the main reasons why aid could not be distributed immediately was the lack of knowledge of the structure of places that needed help; even in the vast cluster of houses that is the capital city, Kathmandu.
Nama Budhathoki, the executive director of KLL, said in the video, “When we were hit by the earthquake, many of the earthquakes hit districts were not properly mapped. They did not know where to go, how to go, whether there was a road.”
In a crisis, an immediate response could save a lot of lives but a proper navigation system is required so that people know where to go for help and how to go there.
See Also: KLL Visualizes Development of Nepal
This is where KLL came in. Through OpenStreetMap, which helps to create a free editable map of the world, 9000 people were brought together to create a map of Nepal; with 2000 people coming to help on the first day. Due to these efforts, first responders like Jenelle Eli from Red Cross were able to speed resources to the people most affected by the earthquakes.
Recognizing the effort of KLL on OpenStreetMap, The Crowd and the Cloud featured KLL in the first episode titled “Even Big Data Starts Small” alongside CoCoRaHS, EyesOnALZ and Public Lab.
The Crowd and the Cloud series delves into how the cumulative efforts of citizens are revolutionizing scientific enquirer through thousands of micro-contributions. They have four one-hour-long videos shot in different countries all over the world.
You can watch the video down below:
Edited By – Awale Sushil
