[1]Disaster informatics or crisis informatics is the study of the use of information and technology in the preparation, mitigation, response and recovery phases of disasters and other emergencies. Disaster informatics or emergency involves increased use of technology to depict how people can react to emergencies and other disasters that require fast improvements on recovery and preparedness.[2] It began to emerge as a field after the successful use of a variety of technologies in disasters including the Asian tsunami, September 11th and Hurricane Katrina.
Disaster informatics may involve incorporating social media content generated by people in disaster zones into humanitarian response plans based on satellite imagery, early warning systems, and official emergency services procedures. Disaster informatics may involve crowdsourcing, data mining, participatory mapping or citizen science, with members of the public as 'everyday analysts'.[3]