COVID-19 Support Platform, Italy

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COVID-19 Support Platform, Italy

Covid19Italia.Help is an opensource and open access platform created in the first days of the pandemic with the aim to disseminate information related to the pandemic and to support people in need.
Hazard:
Pandemic
Year:
2020
Location:
Italy
Scale:
Country
Involved Organisations:
IT Experts
  • Covid italy 1.jpeg
  • Covid italy 2.jpeg
  • Covid italy 3.jpeg
  • Covid italy 4.jpeg
Publishing Organisation

Ubiquiti Networks (UNIFI)

Category

Real-world

Theme

Crowdsourcing, Social Media

Thematic
  • Collecting and Analysing Information from SMCS
  • Ensuring Credible Information
  • Making Information Accessible
Disaster Management Phase

After, During

Description
From January 2020, the coronavirus started to spread in Italy and from March 2020, the ban on leaving and moving around the area was imposed. From then on, most activities were stopped and shops were closed (only the supermarket, the grocery shop and the main shops could stay open). This led to a number of problems, mainly because it took a couple of months for most activities and shops to reopen and start operating again, leading to major economic problems. As a result of lifting the ban, many people became infected with the virus, which led to an overload in hospitals. Therefore, many patients could not be cared for causing a high death-rate. To support people in need of urgent help, a group of computer technicians founded this platform.
What worked well and could be recommended to others?
Like the TerremotoCentroItalia platform, the Covid-help-platform has proven itself. The platform is easy and intuitive to access, as there are only a few sections which are clearly separated and easy to understand. To minimise the risk of disinformation and the spread of fake news, the "Fake News" section identifies false information. Additionally, the information provided on the platform has been verified before it is published. The idea of dividing the warning by region has proven helpful in making it easier for people to find the information they need and to create specific maps for the region they are interested in. One highly beneficial aspect of the platform is the dissemination of official information about what to do in certain situations and what has happened.
What limitations were identified?
There were two main problems with the platform: the occurance of fake news and disinformation, and the overly strict rules for accessibility of the platform.
Which social media and crowdsourcing technologies were used?
Which social media platforms were used?
Which hashtags or keywords were used?
#covid19, #coronavirus
Additional Links
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