Snapchat may have had intentions in mind for their new feature Snap Maps, but few predicted just how vital it would become during the recent devastation of Hurricane Harvey. While the hurricane turned tropical storm wreaked havoc throughout the Gulf and eastern Texas, users watching on Snapchat were given a first hand look at the devastation in relatively real time, beyond even the capabilities of some of the most entrenched reporters and journalists of the day. But the featured proved useful in other capacities, by providing updated information on locations set up to help those in need as well as areas affected most heavily by the storm.

 

The app has been useful previously during natural disasters. The company reported late last week that they received between 250,000 and 300,000 submissions to the public stream ‘Our Story’ during the destruction and aftermath in Houston. For an event of it’s kind, this is some of the highest traffic experienced on the instant picture sharing based social media platform.

 

When Snapchat first announced the launch of Snap Maps the quelled response from the industry, and the public, seemed to be a combination of bewilderment and reasonable skepticism. The new feature gave users the ability to pinpoint their friends and followers’ exact locations down to a building or street corner while also identifying other hot spots based on the amount of Snaps being submitted to the public profile of a given area. While it is a way to see where your fellow Snapers are hanging out, it also shows people where you are at any given time and for some that crossed a line being an invasion of their privacy.

 

A real-time map feature utilizes green yellow and red highlights to indicate concentrations of submissions and public posts. By simply pinching two fingers out (like zooming out on an image) the user can scroll to this new feature. Snapchat has created it’s own map interface, and by utilizing a phone’s geological location they believe they’ve provided more means to bring users closer together.

 

Many questioned the necessity of the new feature, and pessimists were quick to point out how predators could utilize the service to spy on potential victims, especially following disasters such as Hurricane Harvey and now Irma. At the same time, there is plenty of good that has been displayed by the map feature in the wake of disaster.

Moving past the ethical questions yet to be answered about the service, during the storm and subsequent flooding in Houston, Snap Maps became a wealth of information for civilians in need of help, volunteers attempting to help and for those located outside the devastation looking for a glimpse of what was happening.

 

During the flooding and the days proceeding the worst of the storm, Snap Maps was a way for viewers around the country to get an inside unadulterated look at the devastation and destruction caused by the catastrophic storm. It also provided those in the area with information on local relieve hubs areas to impacted the most by the devastation and places of refuge for those who needed help. With Snapchat’s time and location stamps, and the fact that snaps cannot be uploaded retroactively, the images and videos carry genuine authenticity.

 

With traditional forms of communication damaged in storms as devastating as Katrina, Sandy, Harvey and now Irma retrieving information out of areas in distress can prove tougher than anticipated. Snapchat offers an alternative channel of information. Hurricane Irma a category five storm, one of the strongest recorded in history, has already devastated the Caribbean and is making landfall off the Gulf Coast of Florida over the past weekend. Snap Maps may once again become a beacon of hope for those in need and a source of information for those who wish to help.