Direct Relief has been analyzing anonymized data collected from mobile devices, principally through social media applications, to understand changing population densities in areas that have received a significant influx of refugees from Ukraine since the war began in February, 2022.
Seeing how people moved across the European Union in near real-time helped the team make a more accurate assessment on where to send its frontline staff and humanitarian aid including life-saving medication. It also helped to coordinate rescue missions with other organizations involved.