Linus Bengtsson represented Flowminder at the 2014 Mobile World Congress (MWC), the world’s largest annual event for the mobile industry. At the conference, the MDEEP project was showcased, demonstrating how big data analytics and call data analysis could be used to mitigate and relieve the effects of devastating natural disasters.
In an interview at the MWC 2014, Dr. Bengtsson observed that “predicting displacement patterns before disaster strikes could have strong implications for capacity building in disaster preparedness and response, as well as needs assessment. ”This principle is encompassed by the "Mobile Data, Environmental Extremes and Population" project (MDEEP).
Aiming to strengthen the capacity of Bangladesh to respond to natural disasters, MDEEP builds on analytical techniques developed by Flowminder. The project brings together relevant Bangladeshi ministries, telecommunications industry leaders, and the research and disaster response communities to improve responses to future weather extremes. Flowminder continues to maintain partnership with the project, advising on displacement pattern analysis.