A leader in the field of telemedicine, Dr. Peter Killcommons has worked to extend the use of telemedicine around the globe and has traveled to more than 50 countries. Outside of his role as president of Medweb, Dr. Peter (Pete) Killcommons contributes to several charitable organizations, including the American Red Cross.
In addition to its work with blood donations and national disaster relief, the American Red Cross is working to improve maps of remote areas around the world. Through the Missing Maps project, the Red Cross is partnering with other humanitarian organizations to map people in remote areas, thereby enhancing the ability of community leaders and relief organizations to deliver assistance during emergencies and natural disasters. Over the last two years, more than 16,000 volunteers have helped put 20 million people on the map.
Missing Maps benefits from the help of Facebook, which has shared its population density data with the Red Cross in an effort to put 200 million more individuals on the map. By using satellite imagery and computer imaging, Facebook obtains the most accurate population estimates possible, which Missing Maps can use to prepare for natural disasters in vulnerable countries such as Haiti and Sri Lanka. The Missing Maps project has already used Facebook data to map more than 2,000,000 people in Malawi.
