Katrina PeopleFinder Project

The Katrina PeopleFinder Project was set up in early September, 2005 in response to the dozens of groups collecting "lost and safe" lists for people affected by Hurricane Katrina.[1] It provided a virtual messaging center using skype as well as creating "a uniform standard for collecting, compiling, data-entering", and "searching information on people affected by Hurricane Katrina".[2]

The project was conceived on Friday, September 2 with the establishment of the KatrinaHelp Wiki. Volunteers manually entered 15,200 records in less than 24 hours[2] and data entry was stopped with over 90,000 entries (when no new entries were apparent) by Tuesday, September 7. Dozens of technologists and thousands of volunteers had helped make it happen.

The Katrina PeopleFinder Project is an example of a nonprofit technology initiative implemented entirely by volunteers. Over 4000 people donated their time as data entry crew members.[3]

  1. ^ Holmes, Erin (2005-09-10). "Hersey teen helping build victim database". Daily Herald (Arlington Heights). Retrieved 2007-06-19. membership required
  2. ^ a b Gertz E. (2005). "KatrinaWiki, Katrina PeopleFinder: Distributed Technology Responses to Disaster". World Changing. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  3. ^ O'Connell, Pamela LiCalzi (2005-11-14). "Internet Matchmaking: Those Offering Help and Those Needing It". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-06-19.subscription required