Speaking for myself, I couldn’t do this work due to the heavy dependency on time the crowdmap required through updating. Too sedate and slow, like a lumbering alligator. You’re essentially partaking in an engaged version of the prevailing UK press orthodoxy which is to remain indoors much of the time and work on stuff coming in whether it be from the locality or the PA wire.

Were you to do this with greater efficiency I’d hire a few people to get out there on the ground rather than rely on SMS updates. Have these individuals comb an area and constantly update you via mobile or a tablet or whatever. Since it’s only a few days work I don’t think you’d spend all that much on paying a few competant people to augment a prospective future mapping.

As you imply…getting the word out is imperitive – why not try to spread word to get people to subscribe via SMS for updates? Store the numbers and broadcast to them at the next strike.

I’ve pontificated on this blog about the power of the Internet for media, there was a fun discussion on this very blog: The WWTDD effect.

All your improvement points tend towards the technical – of course there’ll be rough curves to sand. Google took years to attend the aesthetics and technical finesse it today possesses.

I’m bias because I think journalism has declined in tandem with old fashioned roaming, picture-taking and writing which – before my time – flourished with thousands of freelance non-paparazzo hacks making a living. Scaled back greatly now, in my view to the detriment of quality.

Though heavily marginalized or doing reportage mainly as a labour of love thing rather than as a living there are still able workers out there who’d jump at the chance to monitor and report something like a Tube strike for a few days.

Yes you can count on the public and radio traffic reports to an extent; but do consider that your officebound staff may find it prudent to get some people great at speedily relaying info outside working for your outfit – London is huge so I’d divide the areas of concern into zones…assign one person to a zone or something. Just some thoughts.

Pete, editor at Dirty Garnet.