IBM mobilises to speed tsunami recovery
As billions of dollars in aid arrive in southeastern Asia, the challenge is to distribute efficiently the supplies critically needed in the areas devastated by the tsunami and now threatened by outbreaks of disease. IBM's Crisis Response Team has been working with governments and relief agencies in the hardest hit areas...
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Stanley Litow, president of IBM International Foundation says IBM has been especially well suited to providing innovative solutions to complex, large-scale issues using the technology infrastructure and logistics support needed to turn donations into relief and recovery. The IBM team is in the midst of several projects, including a registry to track the various organisations involved in the relief effort, a request management system to coordinate requests for relief and offers of assistance, and a people registry to track missing persons, the deceased and orphans. In addition, IBM provided 1,000 IBM ThinkPad notebook computers equipped with fingerprint scan technology to help identify victims and to track survivors and displaced persons. Area volunteers and students are working to establish those databases. The company has also donated technology equipment to non-governmental organisations that are providing relief services in affected countries and is offering IBM 24/7 Help Desk support to command centres operated by affected countries. "At the heart of this comprehensive, systemic approach to solving problems is the practical application of IBM innovation," says Mr Litow. IBM initially committed $1 million in technology and services in response to the disaster, a figure that will - of necessity - increase based on assessments currently being done by IBM staff in the affected countries. Back to home |
February 2005
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