Flowminder is supporting the Government of Mozambique and its National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC) in strengthening their disaster response and preparedness by developing a system to monitor disaster-driven displacement and recovery through the use of de-identified mobile data. By working closely with INGC, Flowminder has specified a solution tailored to support INGC's decision making processes before, during and after cyclone events. The system will detect both population displacements and returns by identifying changes in the main location of residence of phone users that coincide with the time and location of a sudden onset disaster.
This project will benefit INGC’s activities through better operational planning and allocation of resources before, during and after cyclones or other rapid onset disasters (informed by live estimates of where displaced people are and how many people remain displaced over time); improved support for host communities during recovery, management of resources for displaced populations, and supporting populations where displaced people are returning; and data-informed reconstruction planning. The project is funded by the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL). The de-identified mobile operator data is made available by network operators Mcel, Vodacom and Movitel, and hosted by mobile regulator ARECOM.
Photo credit: Michel Morin Jack, WikimediaCommons. Mozambique, Maputo, Zimpeto Market, Fruit Sellers.