Thailand's flood-management strategies (or lack thereof) have had global consequences. Another Bangkok Post story says: "California-based Western Digital, the world's largest hard-disk drive (HDD) maker, expects its exports from Thailand will decrease by 40% this year due to the severe flooding...the company estimates a two-month production halt and then another four to six months to resume full operations."

"Employing 40,000 workers, the Thai unit accounts for 60% of the parent company's worldwide HDD sales." Sadly, a mere 20-30% rise in HDD prices for Hong Kong customers is a pittance compared to the price paid by Thailand's workers and their export sector. With a slow-moving disaster like a six-month flooding situation, technology in the form of crowdsourcing and data collated from on-the-ground firms could help a tech-savvy government determine its water-management. Sadly, this year, it didn't happen.

The question now is: will the Thai government take action once the floods recede, and integrate these examples of on-the-ground technology for next year's rainy season?