SYNOPSIS

Inside Disaster.com is an interactive educational website about the Haiti earthquake and humanitarian work.

The website is a companion to PTV’s three-part documentary series Inside Disaster, which follows the Red Cross humanitarian response to the January 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Inside Disaster.com combines content and themes from the documentary series with original material shot, photographed, and researched by our web team.

The goal of the site is to help users explore the complexities of humanitarian work in the 21st century, as well as the specific challenges and experiences that arose from the aftermath of the Haiti quake.  The material is organized into three sections:

• The Haiti Earthquake is the definitive interactive account of the January earthquake, the global humanitarian response to it, and the country’s reconstruction.

• Inside Humanitarianism focuses specifically on humanitarian work, the nuts and bolts of working in the field, and information on how to become an effective and accountable humanitarian donor.

• Inside the Documentary is where you can read about Inside Disaster, watch the trailer and behind-the-scenes clips, and learn about about the team behind the documentary.

The development phase of the Inside Disaster website launched the same day as the Haiti earthquake, and featured daily blogging, photography and web documentaries from Haiti by web producer Nicolas Jolliet.

Today, this “Phase I” blog has been renamed Haiti Today, and features updated reports from the country’s reconstruction, written by our Port-au-Prince correspondent, Emmanuel Midi.

You can read a detailed overview of the website here, or visit the project page for Inside the Haiti Earthquake, our first-person online simulation that allows users to experience the aftermath of the quake as a journalist, survivor, or aid worker.

Since our crew returned from Haiti in February 2010, the web content has featured footage from the upcoming Inside Disaster documentary series, as well on-the-ground updates from post-earthquake Haiti by fixer/ journalist Emmanuel Midi.

And this is just the beginning. Phase II of the Inside Disaster interactive website, launching in late 2010, will combine gripping photo, video and story-telling from the earthquake’s aftermath with cutting-edge research, debate, and visualization tools to serve the global audience of students, professionals and everyday citizens interested and engaged in the world of humanitarian aid.

The website will incorporate video, audio, text and stills from the Inside Disaster development site into a multimedia experience that includes maps, timelines, data visualization, and an interactive first-person experience. The website will be built around best practices in Web 2.0. accessibility, using open technologies, and complimented by a full social outreach campaign.

The completed website will have three major components: a definitive interactive account of the Haiti earthquake, its aftermath and the country’s recovery; a top-tier educational resource on humanitarian work with citable research, visualizations, and topical debates; and a striking showcase for the Inside Disaster documentary and the participants, filmmakers and funders behind it.

FORMAT

Interactive Website

CREDITS

Interactive Producer: Katie McKenna
Technical Lead: Spencer Saunders
Creative Lead: Kirk Clyne
Field Director, Videographer & Blogger: Nicolas Jolliet
Lead Researcher: Kyla Reid
Haiti Researcher: Claire-Helene Heese-Boutin
Social Media & Marketing Lead: Lyndsey Westfall
Field Reporter: Emmanuel Midi
Copy Editor & Fact-checker: Sarah Greene

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Nominated for 2010 Canadian New Media Award for BEST CROSS-PLATFORM PROJECT

RESPONSE