About Us
This map was created using the Ushahidi open source software by students at Tulane University in conjunction with the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and site host Radical Designs so that you, the citizens of the Gulf Coast have a voice to speak out in testimony of the how the Gulf oil spill is threatening your livelihoods and the ecosystems that you love and rely on.
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Partners:
Tulane University Disaster Resilience Academy
New Additions!
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* Do you have an Android phone? If so, the Oil Spill Tracker is now available in the Android Market and currently pulling/pushing data to the Oil Spill Crisis Map. All you have to do is search "Oil Spill" in the Android Market!
* Follow Louisiana Bucket Brigade staff members, volunteers and guest bloggers as they discuss their work with the oil spil at http://labucketbrigade.wordpress.com/
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the Oil Spill Crisis Map?
This map visualizes reports of the effects of the BP oil spill submitted via text message, email, twitter and the web. Reports of oil sightings, affected animals, odors, health effects and human factor impacts made by the eyewitnesses and the media populate points on a this public, interactive, web based map. The information will be used to provide data about the impacts of the spill in real time as well as document the story of those that witness it.
Who can use it?
Anyone that sees, smells or feels the impacts of the BP oil spill and has access to a cell phone or computer can make a report. We are asking residents, fishermen, volunteers and any one else in impacted areas to assist us in getting people to make reports of what they are experiencing. The more reports that get submitted the more powerful each individual report becomes.
How can I make a report?
Reports can be made in four ways:
1. Send a text message or call (504) 27 27 OIL (7645),
2. Send an email to bpoilspill@gmail.com
3. Via Twitter with the hashtag #BPspillmap
4. Filling out this form (http://oilspill.labucketbrigade.org/reports/submit/)
What happens to the information I report?
All reports are made public and available on the Oil Spill Crisis Map website. Reports will appear on the Oil Spill Crisis Map after they have been approved. Reporters can choose to remain anonymous or choose to share their contact information. Contact information from reports will not be made public or shared without consent.
How can I help?
Make a report! The more reports that are made the more useful the information on the map becomes. This system depends on participation from those that are directly impacted by the oil spill. With enough of these eyewitness accounts we will be able to provide immediate data on the impact of the spill, to facilitate transparency and accountability and to document this disaster from the eyes of those that witnessed it first hand.
Donate to the Louisiana Bucket Brigade so that we can continue to track eyewitness accounts of the spill!
Get the word out! Tell your friends, family members, neighbors and social networks about the Oil Spill Crisis Map. The more people that know about this tool the better!
If you would like to volunteer to assist in this project, please contact clayton@labucketbrigade.org.
Why does this map matter?
This map utilizes public testimony to visualize the impact of the BP oil spill over time and geography. By using information that comes from participants we will be able to track, document and make public the effects of the BP oil spill. By making all information public we will facilitate transparency, accountability and effectiveness in the oil spill response and clean up.
Who made this?
The Oil Spill Crisis map is brought to you by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and was developed in partnership with students of Nancy Mock and Nathan Morrow of Tulane University. This technology, utilizes the Ushahidi (http://ushahidi.org) crisis mapping platform to map eyewitness accounts of the oil spill disaster. Ushahidi was first used and developed by Kenyan bloggers to display reports of post-election violence. Since then Ushahidi has been used in other emergencies like the Haiti Earthquake (http://haiti.ushahidi.com/) response, Washington DC's winter blizzard (http://snowmageddoncleanup.com/) and in Atlanta (http://crime.mapatl.com/) to track crime. The Oil Spill Crisis map is first application of Ushahidi in a humanitarian response in the United States.
Special thanks to:
Tulane student, Zach Holden, for setting up the map; Tulane students, Cassandra Miller, Jade Haug, Whitney Hostetter, Sarah Jackson, Adam Maese, John Marmion, Katie Young and Kris Ansiin who spent countless hours compiling data for the maps and making everything work well. Shannon Dosemagen and Mariko Toyoji from the Bucket Brigade for tireless work coordinating and learning the system. Nathan Morrow, Nancy Mock, Adam Papendieck, Deborah Elzie and Kevin Ollivier, from the Payson Center for International Development at Tulane University for advice, coordination and technical support. Jon Gosier from Appfrica; Patrick Meier from iRevolution; Ory, Brian, David and Jaro from the Ushahidi team for technical support and data pooling; Louisiana Bucket Brigade volunteers for their countless hours of assistance in community outreach and site management.
Data for the base layers were sourced from:
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
The Louisiana Department of Social Services
The Louisiana Department of Education
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Icons were used with the permission of Green Maps, an NGO that promotes inclusive participation in sustainable community development worldwide using mapmaking.
