PetaBencana.id is an Indonesian web platform that produces real-time disaster maps by combining data from hydraulic sensors and citizen reports over social media. By modelling extreme events, PetaBencana.id supports risk managers in targeting emergency interventions and informs citizens about the development of the situation. The platform channels the flow of information from social media networks to share the reality on the ground, such as traffic disruption, school closures and other adverse effects of flooding.
The system is programmed to react when someone writes specific keywords on social media, such as “flood”, "earthquake", or "forest fire". A chatbot automatically replies and guides the user through four steps to submit a report with geotagged photos. The report is then visible on the live map at PetaBencana.id. This innovative tool is powered by “CogniCity”, a free and open-source software (FOSS) app to produce visualisations at the megacity scale using social media information.
Citizens should have a minimum level of digital literacy and access to infrastructures, such as the internet and gadgets (smartphones, tablets, etc.).
The platform needs participation and input from the communities to function. It is important to promote public awareness about the program to ensure that the data that is collected from the public is reliable and accurate.
On 20 February 2021, Jakarta registered heavy rainfalls and large areas of the city were flooded. As a result, 5 people were killed, 200 neighborhoods were affected, and 1,380 residents were evacuated. When the flood occurred, the flow of information from social media networks preceded official warnings and reflected the reality on the ground.
As Jakarta residents turned to social media to share updates about the flood, they were greeted by a chatbot inviting them to submit more detailed disaster reports. These crowd-sourced reports were used to map the flood in real-time, on a free and open-source platform, PetaBencana.id. The platform experienced a 2000% increase in activity in under 12 hours as residents actively checked the map to understand the flooding situation, avoid flooded areas, and make decisions about safety and response.
A possible challenge to the effectiveness of PetaBencana.id is the risk of receiving inaccurate or false information from users. However, the system has been designed in a way that discourages false reporting and allows users to flag potentially false reports and alert the platform administrators.