Standby Task Force
= Online Volunteer Community for Live Mapping
URL = http://blog.standbytaskforce.com/
Description
"The Standby Task Force (SBTF) rises to the challenge of turning the adhoc groups of tech-savy mapping volunteers that emerge around crises into a flexible, trained and prepared network ready to deploy. The SBTF is a volunteer-based network that represents the first wave in Online Community Emergency Response Teams. The concept for the Task Force was launched at the 2010 International Conference on Crisis Mapping (ICCM 2010) to streamline online volunteer support for crisis mapping following lessons learned in Haiti, Chile and Pakistan, and to provide a dedicated interface for the humanitarian community.
Our main objective is to effectively assist crisis affected communities through co-operation with local and international responders. To this effect, we aim to increase the ability and skills of SBTF volunteers through a continuous dialogue and coordination with other tech and crisis mapping volunteer efforts. This will enable SBTF to provide a sustainable and predictable service to first responders. We are also directly engaging colleagues from the traditional humanitarian community in order to develop the SBTF structure and protocols with full understanding of principles of effective and ethical humanitarian response.
The SBTF is not an organization, it is a platform, a shared space for those who have skills to offer (or are willing to learn skills) to assist crisis affected communities through the use of crowdsourcing and mapping technologies." (http://blog.standbytaskforce.com/?page_id=2)