The collapse of traditional channels of communication in Haiti has again highlighted the role of social media and communications technologies in disaster relief and rescue operations, reports Jason Palmer of the BBC.

Inmarsat's chief executive Andrew Sukawaty explains to the BBC's Daniel Emery how his firm's satellite network is assisting in Haiti's rescue efforts

UK-based satellite communication firm Inmarsat’s chief executive Andrew Sukawaty says that Inmarsat is reallocating satellite time in the region to cope with the increase in data and voice communication.

Of these data communication, notably, BBC reports that Twitter messages have been a primary form of communication between rescue workers, people in Haiti, concerned relatives, and the world outside providing support and assistance to victims and their families. Twitter hashtags #relativesinHaiti and #rescumeHaiti are being used to track such conversations and to render help, while other social networks like Facebook have seen users collaborating to produce missing persons’ lists. Google has also come up with a live widget which allows users to search for and edit missing persons lists, proving again how Social Media and collaboration via social networks play a role in rendering help in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Click here to find out more about how Inmarsat’s satellite networks are assisting the rescue efforts in Haiti. [Video interview and news article]