iHelp is a modular, Internet based service platform that can be used by the disaster recovery organizations and volunteers to support the early stages of delivering humanitarian services after a natural disaster or calamity where Internet service is available.
The tool is designed to be deployed where there is limited manpower available to perform ocular inspections of damaged areas and where wireless Internet access is available. Disaster victims who can get access to wireless Internet services would be able to start filing for much needed assistance without waiting for an actual person to assist them.
The platform is hosted and maintained by a virtual organization of volunteers. During emergencies, the virtual organization forms a bigger group spanning different regions and even involving other countries. Volunteers with special skills observe and collect data from individuals and disaster recovery organizations at ground zero that will be used to quickly create the right tools and processes that can be used by disaster recovery personnel and organizations to augment their logistics and data gathering capability.
The iHelp Team believes in the premise that if disaster recovery agencies and organizations have real-time information coming from the field, they can make quick and better decisions which speeds up the delivery of humanitarian services where it is most needed.
The main objectives of iHelp are:
- To make it easier for disaster victims to seek assistance where wireless communications is available.
- To provide a safe and speedy delivery of humanitarian services to all those who need it without any bias.
- To provide the capability to rapidly collect field data and share progress and monitoring reports in near-real-time among the organizations involved in the recovery efforts so that their leaders can rapidly make decisions.
The platform relies on the following:
- Wireless mobile telecom networks which is the backbone in delivering mobile centric services during disasters.
- Software development and web hosting services that create and hosts the online services.
- Partnerships with disaster recovery organizations and humanitarian groups for the delivery of the humanitarian services
For more information, please write to customercare@ihelp.ph