Blog posts

The Fast-Paced World of Disaster Response

It has been a busy and exciting week here at the British Red Cross.

The week began with the earthquake in the Philippines.  A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Bohol, Philippines, close to the major city of Cebu.  The team were on hand to quickly draw information from multiple sources, including from the US Geographical Survey (below).

What is a ‘Data Scramble’?

Rapidly drawing map information from many sources is useful to help the internal Red Cross response to a disaster.  This is known as a ‘data scramble’ and involves a team of several people all looking at different sources to gather information.

US Government Shutdown Prevents Access to Disaster Data

Using Data for Disaster Maps

In the second week of my placement at the British Red Cross, I have been helping to make a flooding map of Southern Africa.  We have been marking out the areas affected by flooding, cyclone and cholera in Southern Africa in the past 5 years (see below).  As I mentioned last week, the GIS team support the work of the Red Cross both here in the UK and abroad.

The map is to help the logistics team decide where to put equipment warehouses containing non-food equipment for disaster relief.  Other factors to consider include access to transport links and the political context.

Getting to the Heart of TBIF’s Social Value

I finally bid farewell to the team at the Big Issue Foundation a few weeks back, since which time I’ve been tinkering away at my final report. I’d wanted to get all my ideas nailed down before blogging my final post, hence why this one is coming a little late.

I had originally set out to calculate The Big Issue Foundation’s social return on investment, as explained briefly in my previous post. I started at TBIF with practically a layperson’s knowledge of their operations, being little more than an admirer of the magazine and its ethos. But over the course of the five or so weeks I spent working there, my understanding of how it functions and where it creates its social value developed greatly.

Mapping Disasters at the British Red Cross

This week, I started my placement at the British Red Cross in London.  The GIS team play an important and vital role here in the work of the British Red Cross, providing map services to the other departments.

At the start of the week, I joined a corporate strategy meeting and found out about the seven fundamental principles that guide the work of the Red Cross, which include neutrality and impartiality. British Red Cross strategy is formed through an inclusive process of stakeholder engagement.

Back at the GIS team, I have been getting to know the British Red Cross mapping tools and systems.

Some fantastic feedback!

Well it’s the end of the first week of the autumn term and all but one of the Charity Insights internships has come to an end. We have had some fantastic feedback from our charity partners. Here are just a selection of their comments:

“Will was an enthusiastic, well liked and respected member of the team. I think he exceeded expectations and that is in the light of having arrived with an excellent CV in the first place. The work he has undertaken with a creative, methodical and detailed approach on Social Return on Investment is invaluable.” Richard Mills, Big Issue

“Alex has been very enthusiastic, diligent and hardworking, and full of good ideas, and has been a real pleasure to work with.

End of a Fantastic Four Weeks

My fourth and final blog can only start one way, and that is by saying a huge thank you to all the staff at Blue Ventures and the people involved with Charity Insights at Imperial. It has been a memorable four weeks that I feel extremely privileged to have had. There is no doubt in my mind that the experience I have gained from this placement will impact my future career positively.

The last couple of days have been busy and it has been enjoyable seeing the project coming together. Furthermore, I discovered a great local café that do all day full English breakfasts that were great at helping me power through the work load.

Far from a blue venture…..

I am feeling extremely comfortable within the office now and powering on with the research project. The data collection is complete and I have begun the write up. My supervisor, along with the rest of the staff, has been very helpful and trusting of me, which has enabled me to feel part of the team.

The work Blue Ventures do in Madagascar is phenomenal. Prior to working in the London office, I was unsure exactly of the scale of proceedings, especially considering they have just celebrated their 10 year anniversary. It is clear the local communities are benefiting hugely from their involvement and I hope they will continue to expand at this current blistering rate.

What a first week…..

06/09/13

Thankfully the temperature dropped throughout the week and I am now able to work without the need for industrial sized fans. Data collection has been the main goal of this first week and it is coming along nicely. I had to devise a way of categorising the houses found in Madagascar that was as precise as possible, whilst also being efficient enough to complete the given area in the allotted time. Using the ‘Ruler’ tool on Google Earth Pro I measured the diameter of various properties and created three size groups (<5m, 5-9m, and >9m) to give a good spread of data.

Blistering Start

02/09/13

My first morning at Blue Ventures’ London HQ is over and I thought it would be a good idea to write a blog now rather than after several beers later on….

A brief overview of who Blue Ventures are, and my expectations of the project seem like a good place to start. Blue Ventures are a science led social enterprise that work alongside coastal communities in order to protect marine ecosystems. Madagascar and Belize are the two main locations that are focussed on. Although the charity is still somewhat in its infancy, they are already becoming well known and respected.

Rathlin Island Days 15-21

I am now back in London, having had a fantastic time on Rathlin Island and having completed my placement. The whole experience has been unrivalled by anything I have ever experienced before.

The final week at the RSPB Seabird Centre went smoothly, although there were very few breeding birds left to show people so late in the season. However, it was great to see so many people who were enthusiastic about coming to the centre to learn about the conservation of RSPB despite our lack of puffins and guillemots. We also had some extra excitement around the centre last Friday, when committee members involved in the Northern Irish parliament came to Rathlin Island and visited the Seabird Centre for a presentation about the proposed new marine bill, aiming to establish Marine Protected Areas and increase conservation efforts in coastal areas of NI, including Rathlin Island.