Infographic by Wm. Pitzer for Knight Foundation.

Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake illustrated ways that new technologies can help in disaster relief.

A new report issued yesterday – on the quake’s second anniversary – provides the first in-depth study of mobile giving behind the successful “Text to Haiti” campaign. “Real Time Charitable Giving” tells the story behind where, how, and why people contributed more than $43 million dollars to the disaster relief efforts. Lee Rainie, director of Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, blogged about how the report found that contributions were often spur-of-the-moment decisions, and that donors as a group were often younger and more diverse.

Last year, Knight released a report that showed how relief workers used technologies like SMS texting platforms and crisis mapping in unprecedented ways to aid in the country’s recovery.

Specifically, “Lessons from Haiti: Media, Information System and Communities”, took a critical look at the role of communications in the crisis and recommended ways to improve the effectiveness of using media in future relief efforts.