Author: Disaster Map Foundation (Yayasan Peta Bencana)

As part of the “ASEAN Regional Disaster Management Early Warning and Decision Support Capacity Enhancement Project”, we spent the week in Manila with our partners USAID, the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), and the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) to kickstart the development of a crowd sourced disaster mapping platform for the Philippines. The initiative was officially launched on July 23, 2019, at an initial kick-off event attended by over 30 agencies including government organizations, NGOs, and private sector agencies.

Since its implementation in 2013 (formerly known as PetaJakarta.org), PetaBencana.id has proven that community-led data collection, sharing, and visualization reduces hazard risk and assists in relief efforts. The Philippines shares many of the key characteristics that have made PetaBencana.id a successful crowd-sourced hazard mapping platform in Indonesia. Geographically, it is also located in the ring of fire, and like many ASEAN countries, it has been affected by weather events which are becoming increasingly extreme and unpredictable due to climate change. Typhoons, floods, and landslides have been particularly destructive, and the Philippines is among the countries that have withstood the greatest socioeconomic hits in their wake.

Perhaps the most striking similarity that we have noticed however, is the spirit of mutual aid during disasters – more commonly known as gotong royong in Indonesia and bayanihan in the Philippines. The active spirit of coming together during disaster events, coupled with the fact that the country has the highest rates of social media usage in the world, sets up an ideal environment for developing a real-time information sharing platform to enhance capacities for civic-co management, increase coordination between residents and government agencies, and quicken response times during disasters.

We were thrilled to see the excitement of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), among other government agencies and NGOs, at the launch of this initiative. We look forward to working with all our partners and the residents of the Philippines to reduce risk together in the ASEAN region!

Pada 21 Mei 2019, PetaBencana.id dianugerahi penghargaan oleh Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa (PBB), yaitu United Nations Public Service Award (UNPSA) pada kategori “Memastikan pendekatan yang terintegrasi pada institusi sektor publik”. Penghargaan ini diberikan kepada PetaBencana.id bersama mitra pelaksana pemerintah Indonesia dalam hal ini Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB).

UNPSA dikenal sebagai penghargaan internasional yang paling bergengsi dalam lingkup pekerjaan sektor publik. Dalam pernyataan yang dibuat Departemen Ekonomi dan Urusan Sosial PBB, “penghargaan ini mengapresiasi pencapaian kreatif dan kontribusi institusi pelayanan publik yang mengarah pada administrasi publik yang lebih efektif dan responsif bagi negara-negara di seluruh dunia.” Kompetisi ini dilaksanakan setiap tahun dengan tujuan mempromosikan organisasi-organisasi yang berperan luar biasa untuk dijadikan sebagai contoh peran pentingnya pelayanan publik bagi masyarakat di seluruh dunia.

“Akibat pola cuaca yang semakin intensif dan tidak bisa diprediksi, kota-kota di Indonesia dihadapkan pada tantangan cuaca ektrem secara reguler. Kurangnya akses untuk data real-time dan terverifikasi mengurangi informasi dan kemampuan untuk membuat keputusan dalam perencanaan dan respon bencana, yang berujung pada manajemen sumber daya yang tidak efektif dan konflik. Dengan menyediakan informasi bencana yang gratis dan real-time, lalu membuatnya aman dan mudah untuk dibagikan, PetaBencana.id meningkatkan kapasitas seluruh masyarakat untuk berpartisipasi bersama dalam pengambilan keputusan.”  

Selanjutnya, Yayasan Peta Bencana akan berpartisipasi di dalam United Nations Public Service Forum di Baku, Azerbaijan bulan Juni 2019. Kegiatan ini berlangsung selama tiga hari yang mencakup lokakarya, sesi pleno, dan upacara penganugerahan untuk tema tahun ini “Mencapai Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan melalui efektivitas dalam Penyampaian Layanan, Inovatif Transformasi dan Institusi yang bertanggung jawab.”

Yayasan Peta Bencana sangat berterimakasih atas penghargaan UNPSA ini. Kami juga berterimakasih kepada USAID dan BNPB, dimana proyek ini menjadi bagian dari InAWARE: Disaster Management Early Warning and Decision Support Capacity Enhancement Project in Indonesia. Bersama dengan mitra kami akan tetap berusaha menyediakan solusi yang terintegrasi, inklusif, dan efektif kepada masyarakat.  

On May 21, 2019 PetaBencana.id was awarded the United Nations Public Service Award (UNPSA) for the category “Ensuring integrated approaches in public sector institutions”. The initiative has been recognized alongside its institutional partner, Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana.

The UNPSA  is internationally recognized as the most prestigious award for work in public service. In the words of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, “it rewards the creative achievements and contributions of public service institutions that lead to a more effective and responsive public administration in countries worldwide”. The competition is run annually with the aim of promoting outstanding organizations as examples of public service’s critical role  in communities around the globe.

“As weather patterns intensify and become increasingly unpredictable, cities in Indonesia are regularly faced with the challenges of extreme weather events. A lack of access to verified, real-time data compromises the ability to make informed decisions for planning and response, resulting in ineffective resource management and conflict. By providing free real-time disaster information, and making it possible to safely and easily share it, PetaBencana.id leverages capacities for all residents to equally participate in decision-making.“

In light of this achievement, Yayasan Peta Bencana will be participating in the United Nations Public Service Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan next month. The three day event includes a series of workshops, plenary sessions, and an awards ceremony surrounding this year’s theme of “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through effective Delivery of Services, Innovative Transformation and Accountable Institutions”.

We are honored by the recognition and grateful to be able to share this award with all project partners including USAID OFDA, BNPB, PDC, HOT, as well as with all residents of Indonesia and contributors to the platform for reducing risk together!

PetaBencana.id is a part of the USAID BNPB InAWARE: Disaster Management Early Warning and Decision Support Capacity Enhancement Project in Indonesia.

Gempa bumi berkekuatan 6,4 SR yang melanda pulau Lombok di Indonesia pada bulan Juli dan gempa bumi berkekuatan 7,5 SR yang melanda pulau Sulawesi pada bulan September, menyebabkan kehancuran, kerusakan, dan kerugian yang signifikan.

Selama beberapa bulan terakhir, Yayasan Peta Bencana telah berbicara dengan para manajer bencana, tim tanggap darurat, kelompok relawan masyarakat, dan relawan mahasiswa yang mengalami kejadian atau terlibat langsung dalam pemulihan, untuk mempelajari tantangan terbesar yang dihadapi.

Kesulitan dalam memberikan bantuan dan kesulitan untuk evakuasi, sebagian besar muncul karena kurangnya akses ke informasi yang tepat waktu. Kurangnya informasi terkini mengenai kondisi akses secara real-time menambah kebingungan dan risiko di pulau-pulau tersebut; tim tanggap darurat tidak dapat menjangkau tempat penampungan dan para korban karena gangguan akses yang tak terduga. Warga yang mencoba mengungsi juga menghadapi tantangan yang sama.

Peta banjir real-time, PetaBencana.id, telah membuktikan bahwa berbagi informasi secara urun daya dapat mengurangi risiko bencana dan membantu upaya pertolongan. Menyadari nilai dari pengumpulan, pembagian, dan visualisasi data yang dipimpin oleh masyarakat, Yayasan Peta Bencana sekarang sedang berupaya memperluas peta tersebut untuk mendukung kejadian bencana lainnya, termasuk gempa bumi.

Sebagai bagian dari upaya kami untuk mengembangkan platform pemetaan bencana untuk gempa bumi, Yayasan Peta Bencana telah terlibat dalam proses desain dan penelitian bersama dengan berbagai pemangku kepentingan. Pada bulan November 2018, kami mengadakan lokakarya penelitian/desain yang bekerja sama dengan Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS). Lokakarya ini – yang mempertemukan para manajer darurat bencana pemerintah, jurnalis, mahasiswa, akademisi, kelompok sukarelawan, tokoh masyarakat, dan badan-badan iklim – memberikan wawasan multi-perspektif tentang strategi untuk tanggap darurat bencana dan kesiapsiagaan bencana karena para peserta berbagi keprihatinan, pengalaman, dan pengetahuan mereka yang unik.

Untuk merangsang diskusi, lokakarya ini disusun dalam bentuk permainan yang didasarkan pada skenario nyata yang dialami selama gempa bumi baru-baru ini. Permainan ini berhasil mendorong para peserta untuk segera terlibat dalam mengevaluasi arus informasi, mengidentifikasi kesenjangan utama, dan mendiskusikan peluang untuk mendukung respons dengan menggunakan informasi urun daya.

Kami sangat senang melihat bahwa di akhir lokakarya, kelompok pemangku kepentingan yang sangat berbeda (yang mengatakan bahwa mereka tidak akan memiliki kesempatan untuk berbicara bersama) saling bertukar kontak; para peserta menyatakan penghargaan mereka atas kesempatan untuk belajar dari kelompok yang berbeda, dan sangat ingin membangun kapasitas untuk bekerja lebih erat dalam kesiapsiagaan untuk kejadian di masa depan.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Lombok in July and a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the island of Sulawesi in September, left significant destruction, damage, and loss.

Over the last few months, Yayasan Peta Bencana has been speaking with disaster managers, emergency response teams, community volunteer groups, and student volunteers who experienced the events or were directly involved in their aftermath, in order to learn about the biggest challenges faced.

Difficulties in delivering aid and difficulties for evacuation, largely arose due to a lack of access to timely information. A lack of real-time situational updates about access conditions amplified confusion and risk on the islands;  response teams were unable to reach shelters and victims due to unexpected disruptions to access. Residents trying to evacuate faced similar challenges.

The real-time flood map, PetaBencana.id, has proven that crowdsourced information sharing reduces disaster risk and assists in relief efforts. Recognizing the value of community-led data collection, sharing, and visualization, Yayasan Peta Bencana is now working on expanding the map to support other disaster events, including earthquakes.

As part of our efforts to develop a disaster mapping platform for earthquakes, Yayasan Peta Bencana has been engaging in processes of co-design and co-research with a wide variety of stakeholders. In November 2018, we held a research/design workshop in collaboration with Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS). The workshop – which brought together government emergency disaster managers, journalists, students, academics, volunteer groups, community leaders, and climate agencies – provided a multi-perspective insight into strategies for earthquake response and disaster preparedness as participants shared their unique concerns, experiences, and knowledges.

In order to stimulate discussion, the workshop was structured as a game based on real scenarios experienced during the recent earthquakes. The game was successful in encouraging participants to become quickly involved in evaluating informational flows, identifying key gaps, and discussing opportunities to support response using crowdsourced information.

We were very excited to see that at the end of the workshop, very different stakeholder groups (who shared that they otherwise would not have the opportunity to speak together) were exchanging contacts; participants expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to learn from diverse groups, and were eager to build capacities to work more closely together in preparedness for future events.

Pada tanggal 12 Agustus 2018, Yayasan Peta Bencana mengubah sebagian jalan yang sering dilalui kendaraan bermotor di Semarang dengan instalasi seni jalanan anamorphic, yang secara eksklusif dirancang untuk membangun ketahanan menghadapi musim hujan yang akan datang! Setiap hari Minggu pagi di Semarang, jalan-jalan utama di pusat kota ditutup untuk kendaraan bermotor dalam rangka Hari Bebas Kendaraan Bermotor (Car Free Day) mingguan, memberi jalan bagi ribuan pejalan kaki, jogging, pesepeda, dan pemain skate. Peta Bencana mengambil kesempatan ini untuk meluncurkan acara kesiapsiagaan untuk musim hujan 2018/2019; ketika orang-orang yang lewat berhenti untuk berswafoto dengan instalasi seni jalanan, mereka diingatkan untuk terus membagikan foto-foto mereka dengan PetaBencana.id selama musim hujan, dan berkontribusi pada pemetaan banjir komunitas secara real-time. PetaBencana.id mengumpulkan laporan yang telah dikonfirmasi mengenai banjir dari berbagai media sosial dan memvisualisasikannya dalam sebuah peta berbasis web yang gratis, sehingga setiap orang memiliki informasi yang mereka butuhkan untuk tetap aman dan terhindar dari bahaya saat terjadi banjir. Informasi ini dibagikan kepada badan-badan penanggulangan keadaan darurat, yang juga dapat memperbarui peta dengan informasi terkait banjir yang sangat penting, sehingga menciptakan saluran komunikasi dua arah yang transparan untuk semua orang di kota. Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD) DKI Jakarta juga menggunakan kesempatan ini untuk menyebarkan kesadaran tentang program penanggulangan bencana mereka kepada para pengunjung Car Free Day. Anggota BPBD Kota Semarang juga menjelaskan peran mereka dalam upaya penanggulangan bencana banjir dan manfaat dari laporan masyarakat yang masuk ke PetaBencana.id bagi para manajer bencana dalam mendukung respons berbasis bukti.

Beberapa warga menyatakan pentingnya memahami peran BPBD Kota Semarang selama kejadian banjir. Anggota BPBD Kota Semarang menyatakan bahwa mereka merasa senang karena memiliki kesempatan untuk tidak hanya menginformasikan kepada masyarakat tentang inisiatif mereka, tetapi juga dapat terlibat dalam percakapan yang lebih dalam dengan mahasiswa, bahkan mengundang para mahasiswa untuk mengunjungi Pusat Data dan Komando. Umpan balik menunjukkan bahwa acara ini berhasil dalam mendukung penguatan jaringan masyarakat, dan membangun pemahaman kolektif tentang upaya berbasis masyarakat untuk ketahanan banjir.

Beberapa pengunjung Car Free Day mengungkapkan antusiasme mereka terhadap acara ini, menjelaskan bahwa acara ini jarang terjadi dan sangat disambut baik karena melibatkan berbagai komunitas, LSM, dan lembaga penanggulangan bencana. Para pengunjung sangat antusias untuk mengetahui tentang peluncuran platform ini di Semarang, dan berkomentar bahwa dengan meningkatnya frekuensi kejadian banjir di Semarang, platform ini akan menjadi alat yang berguna untuk berbagi informasi tentang banjir dan membantu mereka dalam menavigasi kota dengan aman.

On August 12th, 2018, the Peta Bencana Foundation transformed a portion of a heavily traversed road in Semarang with an anamorphic street art installation, exclusively designed towards building resilience for the forthcoming monsoon season! Every Sunday morning in Semarang, main roads in the center of the city are closed off to vehicles for the weekly Car Free Day event, making way for thousands of walkers, joggers, bikers, and skaters. Peta Bencana took this opportunity to launch a preparedness event for the 2018/2019 monsoon season; as passers-by stopped to take selfies with the street art installation, they were reminded to continue to share their selfies with PetaBencana.id during the monsoon season, and contribute to real-time community flood-mapping. PetaBencana.id gathers confirmed crowd-sourced reports about flooding from various social media channels and visualizes these on a free web-based map, so that everyone has the information they need to stay safe and avoid danger during flood events. This information is shared with emergency management agencies, who are also able to update the map with time-critical flood-related information, creating a transparent two-way communication channel for everyone in the city. The Jakarta Emergency Management Agency (BPBD DKI Jakarta) also took this opportunity to spread awareness about their disaster management programs to the Car Free Day visitors.  BPBD Kota Semarang members also explained their role in response efforts during flooding and the value that the crowd-sourced reports coming into PetaBencana.id would have for disaster managers in supporting evidence-based response.

Several residents expressed the importance of understanding the role of BPBD Kota Semarang during flood events. BPBD Kota Semarang members expressed the value of having the opportunity to not only inform the public about their initiatives, but also the significance of being able to engage in deeper conversations with university students, even inviting the students to visit their Data and Command Center. The feedback demonstrated that the event was successful in supporting the strengthening  of community networks, and building collective understandings of community based efforts for flood resilience.

Several car free day visitors expressed their enthusiasm for the event, explaining that it was uncommon and very welcome to have a free public event, that engaged various communities, NGOs, and disaster management agencies. Visitors were eager to learn about the launch of the platform in Semarang, commenting that with the increasing frequency of flood events in Semarang, the platform would serve as a useful tool to share flood information and support them in navigating the city safely. 

… PetaBencana.id adalah alat yang berguna untuk membangun ketangguhan di tingkat komunitas karena menyediakan cara untuk dengan mudah berbagi informasi penting waktu dari daerah yang terkena dampak banjir dengan berbagai komunitas dan lingkungan. Kemampuan untuk berbagi informasi banjir tanpa harus mengunduh aplikasi baru atau mendaftarkan nama pengguna adalah cara yang unik dan sangat efektif untuk mengumpulkan informasi bencana secara massal dan membangun jaringan pelapor warga yang aktif …

Pada tanggal 11 Agustus 2018, Yayasan menyelenggarakan lokakarya untuk Korps Suka Rela PMI (Palang Merah Indonesia). Sebanyak 51 peserta menghadiri lokakarya ini, yang mewakili lebih dari 13 universitas dari Semarang. Lokakarya ini dibuka oleh Bapak Bambang Kristiyono, sebagai perwakilan dari kantor PMI Kota Semarang. Bapak Bambang Kristiyono menyampaikan antusiasme PMI dalam menyelenggarakan lokakarya ini, karena mereka sangat antusias untuk memiliki sebuah platform yang dapat digunakan untuk berbagi informasi banjir secara real-time. Beliau menyebutkan bahwa hal ini tidak hanya akan mendukung upaya tanggap darurat mereka sendiri, tetapi juga memberikan cara untuk dengan mudah berbagi informasi penting tentang daerah yang terkena dampak banjir dengan berbagai komunitas dan lingkungan sekitar, sehingga membantu membangun ketangguhan di tingkat masyarakat.

Selama sesi pelatihan langsung, para peserta sangat antusias untuk mencoba berbagai metode pelaporan informasi banjir ke dalam platform ini, karena mereka aktif di berbagai media sosial yang telah terintegrasi ke dalam PetaBencana.id.
Para peserta secara khusus berkomentar tentang kemudahan pelaporan melalui PetaBencana.id, dengan menyebutkan bahwa kemampuan untuk berbagi informasi banjir tanpa harus mengunduh aplikasi baru atau mendaftarkan nama pengguna, merupakan hal yang unik, sangat efektif, dan memungkinkan platform ini untuk mendaftarkan jaringan pelapor yang luas yang akan terdorong untuk berbagi informasi banjir dengan cara yang tidak rumit.

Selama sesi berlangsung, para peserta juga sangat ingin mengetahui tentang mekanisme verifikasi laporan yang bersumber dari masyarakat, dengan mengajukan pertanyaan tentang bagaimana platform ini memastikan validitas data. Tertarik dengan metode verifikasi yang digunakan oleh PetaBencana.id, para peserta meminta integrasi saluran media sosial tambahan dan meminta agar platform ini diperluas ke ancaman bahaya lainnya.

Para peserta sangat ingin menyebarkan penggunaan platform ini dengan jaringan mereka sendiri, dan mengungkapkan nilai dari berbagi penggunaan data yang bersumber dari masyarakat untuk membangun ketangguhan masyarakat.

…PetaBencana.id is a useful tool to build resilience at a community level as it provides a way to easily share time critical information of flood affected areas with various communities and neighborhoods. The ability to share flood information without having to download a new application or register a username is a unique and highly effective way to crowd-source disaster information and build a network of active resident reporters… 

On August 11th, 2018 Yayasan conducted a workshop for PMI Korps Suka Rela (Red Cross Indonesia Volunteer Corps). 51 participants attended the workshop, representing over 13 different universities from Semarang. The workshop was opened by Mr Bambang Kristiyono, as a representative of the Semarang PMI office. Mr Kristiyono shared the enthusiasm of PMI in hosting the workshop, as they were excited to have a platform through which their network could easily share flood information in real-time. He mentioned that this would not only support their own response efforts, but also provide a way to easily share time critical information of flood affected areas with various communities and neighborhoods, thereby helping to build resilience at a community level as well.

During a hands on training session, participants were eager to test various methods of reporting flood information to the platform, as they were active on many social media channels already integrated into PetaBencana.id.

Participants commented specifically on the ease of reporting through PetaBencana.id, mentioning that the ability to share flood information without having to download a new application or register a username, was unique, highly effective and would enable the platform to enroll a wide network of resident reporters who would be encouraged to share flood information in an uncumbersome way.

During the session, participants were also eager to learn about the mechanisms of verifying crowd-sourced reports, raising questions about how the platform ensures the validity of data. Intrigued by the verification methods employed by PetaBencana.id, participants requested the integration of additional social media channels and requested for the platform to expand to other hazards.

Participants were eager to spread the use of the platform with their own networks, expressing the value of sharing the use of crowd-sourced data for building community resilience.

…The ease of reporting through PetaBencana.id will enable more efficient reporting, and allow us to respond more effectively to flood events…. 

To continue building a growing network of active resident reporters and encourage effective sharing of disaster information in Semarang, Yayasan Peta Bencana is conducting workshops and outreach events with a range of communities active in the disaster management ecosystem in preparation for the upcoming monsoon season.

On August 10th, 2018, Yayasan Peta Bencana conducted a workshop with Semarang’s Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD Kota Semarang) network of volunteer communities. During disaster events, these independent community groups coordinate with BPBD Kota Semarang to aid in immediate first response efforts before the agency is able to deliver formal response. They also serve as key points of contact between the regional disaster management agency and the residents in their respective communities. These groups are active in raising disaster awareness within the local communities in which they are formed.

35 participants attended the workshop, representing a total of 18 different community volunteer groups, ranging from police volunteer groups, scout volunteer groups, first response volunteer groups, youth volunteer groups, village volunteer groups, disability volunteer groups, and regional search and rescue teams.

Yayasan Peta Bencana also held a workshop for BPBD Kota Semarang’s network of volunteers from the Kelurahan Siaga Bencana (Disaster Prepared Village) community group. In Semarang, each village is represented by a volunteer who acts as a first responder within that village in the event of a flood and also acts as the main point of contact between BPBD Kota Semarang and residents, responsible for reporting the on-the-ground situation. These volunteers are trained directly by BPBD Kota Semarang to manage disasters at the village level. As critical actors in Semarang’s disaster management ecosystem, it was great to be able to extend the socialization of the platform to this group, and share how PetaBencana.id could support more effective disaster reporting.

41 participants representing 39 different villages in Semarang, attended the workshop.

Over the course of both workshops, participants shared their inputs on the platform and on the use of crowd-sourced reporting for flood resilience. Participants raised questions about how the platform ensured the validity of crowd sourced reports, and responded positively when they learned the verification methods employed by PetaBencana.id. Participants expressed that the confirmed incidents of flooding displayed on PetaBencana.id would be useful to support evidence-based action and response. Participants expressed that the ease of reporting through PetaBencana.id would enable more efficient reporting, thereby facilitating volunteers in responding more effectively to flood events.

Excited by the prospects of utilizing crowd-sourced reports to support timely disaster management in the city, participants also expressed interest for the platform to address additional hazards.