When I first heard the news that an earthquake had struck southeastern Türkiye and northwest Syria in February 2023, I was filled with a deep sense of disbelief and sorrow. The shock was overwhelming, and all I could think about was how to help the people in the affected areas. Like many others in Türkiye, we quickly mobilized, sending supplies and whatever support we could. But even after the immediate actions, a part of me couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to do something more – something that drew on the skills, tools and resources I already had. Not just in the aftermath of the crisis, but in helping these communities rebuild for the long haul.

That’s when I turned to Open Supply Hub.

Using Supply Chain Data for Impact: A Post-Earthquake Response

At the time, I had been working with Open Supply Hub (OS Hub) for a while, and I knew that our open data could be useful beyond supply chain transparency – it could be a tool for solidarity and support. I started building a map that showed the production locations in the regions hit hardest by the earthquake. Alongside that, we created a resource page to help others understand the impact, locate partners in the area, and take action.

👉 Türkiye-Syria Earthquake Map & Resources – February 2023

The goal was simple: if a brand or organization had partners in the area, they could use this data to check on them, offer support, or adapt their operations. For civil society groups and funders, the map offered a way to identify facilities and workers who might have been affected and to respond accordingly.

Many brands that had uploaded their facility lists to Open Supply Hub were able to identify affected facilities using the overlap search tool, giving them the opportunity to offer direct support. Additionally, this map became a valuable resource for researchers examining the purchasing behaviors of brands – specifically, how they chose to support or, in some cases, neglect the affected production locations and their workers during and in the wake of the crisis.

Open Data in Action: Supporting Communities Through Crisis

What began as a deeply personal response soon grew into something much greater. Our team recognized the power of crisis-response mapping and how it could be leveraged to support communities during other emergencies. This insight led us to create similar resources for different crises, helping guide aid to where it was most urgently needed:

• Bangladesh Floods (August 2024): In the wake of widespread flooding, we mapped key production locations in the affected regions, enabling organizations to quickly direct resources and support to the areas where they would have the greatest impact.

• Los Angeles Wildfires (January 2025): As the wildfires ravaged the region, we tracked production sites in the affected zones, ensuring that partners had up-to-date information to support swift decision-making and maintain communication during a time of chaos.

• Myanmar Earthquake (March 2025): When the earthquake struck, we used our mapping tools to identify potentially impacted production locations. This information helped brands and other responders prioritize their efforts in the hardest-hit areas.

Why Open Supply Chain Data Matters

In any crisis, quick access to reliable information can make all the difference. Open Supply Hub provides a free and transparent database of global supply chain locations that anyone can use – whether you’re a brand checking on partners, a civil society organization planning a response, or a donor trying to assess needs on the ground.

Transparency isn’t just for the sake of transparency. It’s about creating real-world impact, which becomes most evident in moments of disruption, uncertainty, or disaster. These maps aren’t just visual tools. They represent a path toward faster response, stronger collaboration, and more impactful action.

Each facility listed represents people, jobs, and communities. By making supply chain data open and accessible, we aim to help others act quickly while staying grounded in reliable data.

What You Can Do

If you’re involved in global supply chains, we invite you to contribute your supply chain data to Open Supply Hub! By doing so, you’ll be able to easily access and cross-reference your data with the crisis maps we’ve put together. This will help you pinpoint critical intersections and the areas where support is most needed. 

But you don’t have to wait for us to build the maps! Anyone can create their own using our Draw Custom Area tool, making it possible to quickly visualize and respond to crises based on the area and/or data that matters to you. Our long-term vision is that efforts like these become community-driven and happen every day, supporting more informed decisions and advancing collective action across the supply chain ecosystem.

We also invite you to explore our resources: use the maps, share them with your network, or reach out if you have any ideas for new maps or features that could enhance our crisis response efforts!

Transparency is only valuable when it drives real change. Open and interoperable data becomes a crucial resource in times of crisis, like the devastating earthquake that impacted my home. It helps us stay informed and make timely decisions, ensuring that support reaches those who need it most, more quickly and efficiently.