A presentation given at the 2012 ESRI User Conference on the Open Humanitarian Initiative.

1. Open Humanitarian Initiative
ESRI User Conference – July 2012

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8. https://syriatracker.crowdmap.com/
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9. Information is not being shared
Decisions are made based on experience,
not actual information
Information is outdated
before the map gets published
Information management capacity is
severely limited
Listen to the affected community?
Who are they?
What do they know about disasters? 9

10. Disaster response continues to be rated as “poor”
with the lack of information flow cited as one of the
main reasons
“The difficulties encountered in
“The response to the Haiti establishing an appropriate
Earthquake in 2010 was a system for collecting and
missed opportunity to analyzing data in order to provide
translate the quick setting up decision‐makers with information
of cluster coordination and the in a timely manner” were cited as
availability of substantial one of the main reasons of poor
resources into timely results” response
Earthquake in Haiti
Real Time Evaluation report
found that “the overall results “The information flow was massive
are considered to be both but with limited strategic usage (i.e.
‘scattered’ and ‘patchy’” decision making and prioritization)”
Floods in Pakistan
Disaster in Darfur
Having access to the right information seems to be one of the main factors that determines the
difference between life and death 10

11. Granular issues
• Lack of process standardization on how humanitarian data is
Process represented during data exchange
• Lack of access to the most current information required by
Technology responders to make fully informed decisions
• Lack of a common platform for securely sharing humanitarian
data
• Lack of capacity to share, manage, analyze and disseminate
Organization humanitarian data both at the national and international level
• Lack of willingness to share humanitarian information
Governance
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12. Open Humanitarian Initiative
STREAM1 - TECHNOLOGY STREAM2 - CAPACITY BUILDING
Main Objective: Main Objective:
• Improve information sharing between • Improve information management capacity both
humanitarian organizations within local and international humanitarian
organizations as well as within governments and
first responders in disaster prone countries 12

13. Six project areas in two streams
Project Deliverables Impact
1 • Interoperability: Data standards will be • Governments, NGOs and humanitarian
STREAM1 - TECHNOLOGY
defined to ensure consistent organizations will be able to move and
terminology and to enable data sharing share information between different
technical solutions
2 • Data Sharing Platform: A data sharing • Ensures data can be shared remotely
platform will combine, store and share between organizations and can be
humanitarian response data using the accessed from any location enabling
data standards schemas defined better decision making
3 • Visualization: An interface will be • Organizations and responders will be able
created where data can be processed, to visualize the required data in the ideal
analyzed and displayed in different format
formats such as graphs, tables, charts,
dashboards, maps etc…
4 • Capacity Building: Local disaster • People trained in using information
management authorities as well as management tools, such as the OHI
humanitarian organization staff will be platform, leading to better crisis
STREAM2 - CAPACITY
trained in the use of information information management
management tools, such as the OHI
platform
BUILDING
5 • Digital Volunteers: Local and global • Culture of information management
digital volunteer communities will be established, leading to an increase in
created, fostered and trained in the use responder capacity and data availability
of information management tools
6 • Research and Innovation: A culture of • Increase in the quality of the analysis
research and innovation established performed resulting in increased OHI tool
within the information management effectiveness
field in disaster prone regions 13

14. Bringing together a broad set of potential partners is a key success factor
Subset of potential partners Role within OHI
Global Technology Companies • Support with the design and
implementation of the data platform,
visualization and interoperability
• Provide the technology such as hosting
services and software
• Provide guidance and in-kind
development support
Academic Institutions
• Support with the research and
innovation approach
• Help with training and learning material
• Provide guidance and in-kind support
Humanitarian Institutions
• Support with the overall project
• Provide guidance and leadership
• Provide in-kind support
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15. You can take part in OHI and provide…
Technology
Expertise
Time
Training
Funding
Open data
Mentoring
Photo courtesy of Save the Children 15

16. Get involved as a digital volunteer…
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