After a 7.9 magnitude earthquake affected Kathmandu (Nepal) on April 25 Google has launched its Person Finder web-based tool which helps you find out where your dear ones are by using crowd-sourced information.
The application was introduced for the first time in 2010 after another devastating earthquake in Haiti. It has gathered over 1.300 records and the number keeps growing. Person Finder collects data from individual users and emergency responders who can introduce information for a missing person or for a person who has already been found.
If you do not have access to a computer you can use the app from a mobile as well. When opening the app you will be asked whether you are looking for a missing person or you want to post information about a person who is in the affected area.
If you choose the first option (“I’m looking for someone”) you will be directed to a search box in which you must type the person’s full or partial name. If there are any results Google will bring them up. If you do not find anything you can create a new profile for the missing person you are searching for.
If you select the second option (“I have information about someone”) you can search for profiles which already exist by typing the first and the last name of the person or if the you cannot find the person in the database you can as well create a new profile.
The details required by the app include name, address, contact number, last known status, recent photographs and links to social media pages. Other relevant data about you is also required, such as you own contact information.
Facebook’s Safety App was launched in October last year and it is used to find persons in affected areas. The tool sends Facebook alerts to friends of those who are trapped and those who are in affected areas must confirm that they are safe.
Mark Zuckerberg , the founder of Facebook, remarked:
“Safety Check is our way of helping our community during natural disasters and gives you an easy and simple way to say you’re safe and check on all your friends and family in one place.”
This app was launched after the 2011 Tsunami in Japan. The person in the affected area simply has to update their safety status and their friends will be notified about it. Using this app one can check the number of people who are safe or missing and can also get information about the location of the person who is trapped.
Image Source: Haaretz
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