P2P Comes To Aid Relief

There’s a new P2P network coming. But it won’t be file-sharing this time. The new iCare network, invented by a pair of UC Berkeley students, will make for a much faster flow of disaster relief in the United States.   Anand Kulkarni and Ephrat Bitton, both working on their PhDs,were inspired by Hurricane Katrina and its nightmare aftermath. Communications were virtually impossible, and the logistics of relief became a nightmare in New Orleans.   Under their iCaresystem, which is currently in development, it would be come much easier to pair needs and supplies so survivors of disasters can start to reassemble their lives.   Survivors would list theirneeds, using cell phones or computers in aid centers. The system would then automatically send their requests to companies or organizations with the supplies to fill them. Maps showing the locationsof victims are built into the system.   Of course, that’s only half the battle – the other part is delivery. However, iCare will have an algorithm program to find free space ontrucks owned by companies that have signed up, and which will be go into the affected areas. Not only that, the program will be able to plot the fastest route for the driver to drop off the supplieswhere needed.   “There’s a massive desire on the part of the public to help after disasters, and they just need a good way to transform that desire into something tangible for thevictims,” said Kulkarni.   The plan isn’t for iCare to go it alone, but co-ordinate with existing agencies on aid relief.