In moments like a growing wildfire or a trembling earthquake, having access to high-quality information and actionable safety tips is critical. The American Red Cross and their Global Disaster Preparedness Center developed an open sourced platform for developers called the WhatNow Service — a data feed of global safety tips for over 20 different disaster types.
WhatNow Service operates in a five-step process:
Step 1: Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies work with GDPC to upload localized messages on the global WhatNow Message Portal.
Step 2: Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies engages with Media partners about WhatNow.
Step 3: Media networks access WhatNow messages through API and broadcast alongside hazard alerts they already disseminate on their platforms. The Message Viewer is available for printing and sharing and social media communications.
Step 4: At-risk communities receive WhatNow messages from many communication channels.
Step 5: Red Cross National Societies engage with communities for feedback.
The intention is also for mobile app developers to integrate and use this functionality in their SOS apps.
See Natural disaster safety tips: a Q&A with the Red Cross
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When people come to Google Search looking for information about a natural disaster near them, they’ll now find localized safety tips in the SOS alerts.