Every detail after a disaster matters, it helps first responders and aid organizations accurately measure the extent of the damage, identify urgent needs, and allocate resources. However, disaster relief efforts are only effective when the data is collected and analyzed efficiently.

Unfortunately, so many technical and infrastructure problems come with disasters such as power cuts, infrastructure damage, and communication outages. These problems can significantly impede disaster data collection, leading to delayed disaster relief efforts. But if aid workers use an offline form with a geolocation feature, they can continue collecting data uninterrupted, even in areas with power or communication outages.

Let’s explore Formplus offline forms and how to leverage them for disaster relief.

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Understanding Formplus Offline Forms

Formplus Offline forms are digital forms you can use without an internet connection. They have the same format and features as regular online forms but are designed to be accessible even in areas with limited or no internet connectivity.   

How Formplus Offline Forms Works

When creating an offline form with Formplus, the data is saved locally on the device and automatically syncs to your preferred cloud storage when there’s an internet connection. This enables aid workers to collect and report disaster details using their devices accurately e.g. a tablet or smartphone.

Benefits of Using Offline Forms in Disaster Relief Situations

• Reliable:  Aid workers can keep collecting data regardless of how bad the internet connection is.
• Accessible: Reach people in remote areas or those cut off from the internet. Everyone can be counted!
• Secure: All data collected with Formplus forms both online and offline are end-to-end encrypted, so the information is safe and protected from misuse.

Step-By-Step Guide on How to Create Offline Forms Using Formplus

• Sign in or sign up for a Formplus account
• Select create form
• Add your questions and customize the form design design
• Go to settings and toggle the offline mode feature.
• Share the form link or QR code with respondents
• Collect and analyze responses (responses will automatically be synced when respondents’ internet connection is back)

Leveraging Geolocation Forms in Disaster Relief

A geolocation form is a digital form that uses GPS technology to record respondents’ location. It can significantly help improve responses and resource allocation during disaster relief by gathering location-specific information.

Significance of Geolocation Forms in Disaster Response

• Enhanced Data Accuracy: Geolocation forms help pinpoint the exact geographic coordinates of incidents, enabling responders to locate affected areas precisely. For example, geolocation forms enable aid workers and residents to accurately report incidents with locations, allowing responders to quickly and accurately locate affected areas.
• Better Decision-Making: Geolocation data provides real-time insights into the geographical spread of disasters, helping first responders understand the scope of the disaster,  prioritize areas for intervention, and allocate resources effectively. For example, in scenarios such as an earthquake or flood, geo-location forms aid rescue teams in locating survivors by pinpointing their last known positions, speeding up rescue efforts.

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Practical Applications of Offline and Geolocation Forms in Disaster Relief

The following are examples of how you can leverage offline and geolocation forms for disaster relief and recovery efforts:

• Hurricane Hermine, 2016

In the aftermath of Hurricane Hermine’s devastation in Jacksonville, Florida, a major cell phone provider faced a critical challenge. They urgently needed a way to assess the condition of their cell towers, but the storm had knocked out communication infrastructure, making traditional data collection methods impossible.

Responding quickly, the provider partnered with a software company to build a mobile form for the disaster recovery effort. This form enabled technicians dispatched to each tower to report crucial information such as power availability, generator status, damage assessments, and any equipment malfunctions from their mobile devices, without internet access.

The information collected empowered managers with a clear understanding of the damage and allowed them to make informed decisions about response plans and resource allocation.

• Case Study- Earthquake Response in Remote Villages

You can use offline and geolocation forms to survey survivors’ needs and track the distribution of relief supplies. The offline features help ensure there’s uninterrupted data collection, while geolocation features provide precise mapping of affected areas, guiding rescue teams and ensuring aid reaches those most in need.

Tips for Effective Implementation

• Design Simple & Clear Forms: You are collecting data after a disaster that has impacted lives, the last thing you need is further stressing the victims. So, keep your form questions short and use simple language.
• Train Your Team: Ensure all responders and aid workers understand how to use offline and geolocation forms to accurately collect and record information from disaster victims and locations.
• Test Thoroughly: Make sure to preview your form before sharing it with the data collection team. Also, test the form in simulated scenarios to identify and fix any issues.
• Prioritize Data Privacy: Formplus helps you to securely collect, store, and backup respondent information. You can add a disclaimer on the intro page to ensure you are collecting information with informed consent and anonymize their data if they are sharing confidential information.
• Track & Analyze: Use the collected data to understand needs, assess disaster scope, and allocate disaster relief resources.

Challenges and Solutions

While enabling offline and geolocation features for disaster relief forms has so many advantages, here are some common limitations and how to mitigate them: 

• Connectivity Issues: Disasters often disrupt communication infrastructure, leading to poor or non-existent internet connectivity. This makes it pretty difficult to analyze data in real time. You can solve this by setting up a smart sync that allows the forms to automatically sync whenever a weak signal is detected, slowly uploading collected data.
• Data Synchronization: Non-synchronized data from offline devices to central databases can cause inconsistencies and impede effective decision-making. You can resolve this by setting up a smart sync.
• Device damage or loss: If you are working offline forms, the collected data is stored in the device’s local storage until there’s an internet connection, so if the device gets lost, you could lose important information. You can prevent this by creating a backup using multiple devices.
• Language barriers: Respondents may find it hard to share the disaster details if the form questions are written in a language that’s not widely spoken in that location.  So, design multi-lingual forms with languages commonly spoken in the affected region.

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Future Trends and Innovations

• IoT Sensors: Integration of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors in disaster-prone areas can provide real-time data on various parameters like temperature, humidity, and air quality, enhancing situational awareness for relief organizations.
• Blockchain for Data Security: Implementing blockchain technology for data collection ensures secure and tamper-proof data storage, ensuring relief operations information integrity.
• AI-driven Insights: leveraging artificial intelligence algorithms can help relief organizations seamlessly analyze the collected data to provide actionable insights, saving time and lives.

Conclusion

Using Formplus Offline and Geolocation forms helps disaster relief organizations and volunteers, accurately and efficiently collect data about disasters and allocate resources. This allows you to coordinate responses in disaster-affected areas and offer more targeted assistance.

Get started with Formplus to make your disaster relief and recovery effortless!