This post was written by Alis Wang
Palantir Technologies and the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) announced last month at the CGI Winter Meeting that the two will be launching a new CGI Commitment to Action, a collaboration that will use the Palantir platform to significantly improve disaster relief efforts. The collaboration is the first of its kind and started during Hurricane Sandy, when groups such as Direct Relief and Team Rubicon used Palantir to quickly bring aid to hurricane victims.
The Clinton Global Initiative was founded in 2005 by President Bill Clinton and has brought together political, business, and non-profit leaders from around the globe to solve the world’s most compelling problems. CGI has nine tracks for action: The Built Environment, Education and Workforce Development, Energy, Environmental Stewardship, Girls and Women, Global Health, Market-Based Approaches, Response and Resilience, and Technology. This will be the first time that CGI has worked closely with a tech company, bringing together individuals from diverse sectors such as disaster relief and the military to help vulnerable communities hit by disasters.
According to President Clinton, “Palantir’s CGI Commitment will empower analysts and responders to leverage information so they can make better decisions regarding the critical needs in the most vulnerable areas. This will expand on the recent work with Team Rubicon in the aftermath of Sandy. They [Palantir] did an astonishing thing for some very grateful people and I’m glad they were willing to help me here to try to do it for everybody in our country and eventually beyond our borders.” The Palantir software provides a technological solution to a serious problem—how to efficiently get disaster relief to the people who need it most when tragedy hits. Palantir can quickly analyze large amounts of data and identify aid needs, locate the nearest resources and rescue workers, and dispatch help to victims in a timely fashion.
What is especially exciting about the collaboration is the ability to integrate public data sources needed to quickly analyze and respond to disaster situations, including census information, FEMA Flood Zones and Evacuation Routes, electrical power status reports, and hospital locations. Palantir Mobile, which allows access to Palantir from a mobile device, will also be further developed to respond to needs in real time. Praescient looks forward to seeing all the good things that will come out of this exciting new collaboration!