10-22-2005, 01:58 AM
<u><b>Web portal will assist relief efforts </b> </u> Thursday October 20, 2005 (0055 PST)
ISLAMABAD An information-sharing web portal âPakistan Relief and Information Systems for Earthquakesâ (RISE) was launched on Wednesday, designed to provide information on the 4,000 earthquake-affected villages in the NWFP and Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan.
The system has been developed and will be maintained by a consortium of experts from the US, Pakistani universities, the World Bank and the private sector with the support of the Pakistan government. It will provide damage and relief information about the affected villages, relief workers, local officials and help coordinate relief efforts.
âReal-time information from the affected areas is essential and details about every village will ensure no one is left behind,â said John Wall, the World Bank country director for Pakistan.
The system offers pre-earthquake information with village-level demographic and infrastructure data, major road networks and the distance of villages from the epicentre of the earthquake. Each of the 4,000 villages is listed on a table of common headings, including everything from the amount of aid received to agencies working in the area.
Mr Wall said RISE was truly a remarkable and spontaneous collaboration by a range of academics and development practitioners. âThis portal will be the key to coordination among donors and relief agencies and the World Bank will use it extensively to plan its follow-up support to Pakistan,â Mr Wall said.
The web portal is a joint effort by experts from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Harvard University and Pomona College in the US, the World Bank, Pakistanâs National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), the Mahbubul Haq Human Development Centre and the World Online (WOL), Pakistanâs largest Internet service provider.
âAll the latest satellite, geographical and statistical information at village-level for the affected areas is consolidated in one database,â says Aamer Manzoor, WOL co-founder and vice-president. âThe world-wide collaboration enabled us to work round-the-clock with the best experts in the field,â he added.
Relief workers, donors, the government, and volunteers can provide information by directly posting information on www.risepak.com by sending text-messages, faxes or emails.
http//www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=123047
ISLAMABAD An information-sharing web portal âPakistan Relief and Information Systems for Earthquakesâ (RISE) was launched on Wednesday, designed to provide information on the 4,000 earthquake-affected villages in the NWFP and Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan.
The system has been developed and will be maintained by a consortium of experts from the US, Pakistani universities, the World Bank and the private sector with the support of the Pakistan government. It will provide damage and relief information about the affected villages, relief workers, local officials and help coordinate relief efforts.
âReal-time information from the affected areas is essential and details about every village will ensure no one is left behind,â said John Wall, the World Bank country director for Pakistan.
The system offers pre-earthquake information with village-level demographic and infrastructure data, major road networks and the distance of villages from the epicentre of the earthquake. Each of the 4,000 villages is listed on a table of common headings, including everything from the amount of aid received to agencies working in the area.
Mr Wall said RISE was truly a remarkable and spontaneous collaboration by a range of academics and development practitioners. âThis portal will be the key to coordination among donors and relief agencies and the World Bank will use it extensively to plan its follow-up support to Pakistan,â Mr Wall said.
The web portal is a joint effort by experts from the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Harvard University and Pomona College in the US, the World Bank, Pakistanâs National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), the Mahbubul Haq Human Development Centre and the World Online (WOL), Pakistanâs largest Internet service provider.
âAll the latest satellite, geographical and statistical information at village-level for the affected areas is consolidated in one database,â says Aamer Manzoor, WOL co-founder and vice-president. âThe world-wide collaboration enabled us to work round-the-clock with the best experts in the field,â he added.
Relief workers, donors, the government, and volunteers can provide information by directly posting information on www.risepak.com by sending text-messages, faxes or emails.
http//www.paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=123047
