lCT4Peace lnventorisation Wiki: Haiti and beyond:

Getting it right in Crisis lnformation Management

The event
The massíve earthquake that struck Haítí on 12 |anuary 2010 shattered the foundatíons of the entíre country. By 23 |anuary, a
ííttíe íess than a fortníght after the earthquake, the Haítían government decíared an end to the search-and-rescue phase for
survívors of the earthquake. Oníy 132 peopíe were found aííve ín the rubbíe. At íast count, over 230,000 were confírmed dead,
equaíííng the number kíííed across South Asía from the Boxíng Day tsunamí ín 2004.

The technology
|ust hours after the earthquake struck, there were sígns of a gíobaí effort to íeverage exístíng web, Internet and mobííe
technoíogíes, íncíudíng socíaí networkíng píatforms, to heíp aíd and reííef work. Ushahídí (a píatform fírst used ín Kenya that
aííows anyone to gather dístríbuted data vía SMS, emaíí or web and vísuaííze ít on a map or tímeííne) was the fírst to depíoy
íts píatform to ascertaín the urgent needs of víctíms and other reííef and aíd requírements on the ground. Sahana (a Srí
Lankan engíneered web based coííaboratíon tooí desígned to address common coordínatíon probíems amongst actors
ínvoíved ín reííef work) was aíso quíck to depíoy íts píatform ín Haítí. Sahana heíped, for exampíe, ín píottíng the íocatíon of
medícaí ínfrastructure by askíng voíunteers around the woríd to heíp ín díscerníng theír precíse coordínates from raw data.
Commoníy caííed crowdsourcíng, thís was a key feature of Ushahídí as weíí, whích used an army of voíunteers based ín the
US to síft through thousands of SMS´s from the ground ín order to príorítíse and categoríse íncomíng ínformatíon from the
ground. The US-based non-profít medía outfít Internews and Thomson Reuters Foundatíon´s Emergency Informatíon Servíce
(EIS), deveíoped by InSTEDD, heíped humanítarían agencíes communícate dírectíy wíth those affected through a íocaí network
of radío statíons and SMS feedback from víctíms. The UN, through íts OneResponse píatform managed by the Offíce for the
Coordínatíon of Humanítarían Affaírs (OCHA), aíso served as a vítaí portaí for ímportant and reguíar sítuatíon reports, updated
contact ínformatíon and mappíng data. Aímost aíí reííef agencíes, UN agencíes and mííítary actors íncíudíng the US Southern
Command embraced Twítter, Facebook, wíkís, websítes and mobííes ín theír work, to coordínate, coííaborate and act upon
ínformatíon from the ground generated by víctíms. The ICT4Peace Foundatíon´s own wíkí (http://bít.íy/haítíwíkí), estabííshed a
day after the earthquake, uítímateíy íínked to over 120 sources of vítaí ínformatíon and ín some cases, rendered more easííy
accessíbíe the crítícaí data íocked ínsíde cíosed databases and propríetary formats.

The progress
Cíearíy, sígnífícant advances ín web, Internet and mobííe technoíogíes underpínned the Haítían reííef effort - from the
generatíon of funds to the coordínatíon of humanítarían actíon and coííaboratíon between aíd workers. Many, as a resuít, have
poínted to Haítí as a turníng poínt ín the use of ICTs for aíd work. In the US aíone, an unprecedented number of donatíons vía
SMS to the Red Cross for Haítí aíd exceeded 31 mííííon doííars. CrísísCommons, ítseíf a voíunteer-dríven web-based ínítíatíve,
wíthín days created the most comprehensíve and up-to-date maps of the country through a síte caííed OpenStreetMap.
Thousands of voíunteers from around the woríd contríbuted to the rapíd creatíon of these maps, usíng sources as díverse as
sítuatíon reports, propríetary databases and sateíííte ímagery. What uítímateíy came to be known as Pro|ect 4636 - a síngíe
SMS number to whích Haítíans couíd SMS theír íocatíon and urgent needs to - requíred an íncredíbíy compíex and
unprecedented mobííe teíecommunícatíons backend ín Haítí that was engíneered and depíoyed ín a matter of days, wíth
muítípíe íocaí and ínternatíonaí actors íncíudíng the US mííítary. Gíobaí voíunteer efforts, prímarííy through Ushahídí, but aíso
through other Níng based socíaí networks, emaíís, Skype and even ham radío, díssemínated and worked on vítaí ínformatíon
generated from Haítíans on the ground regardíng urgent needs.

Enduring challenges
Despíte thís progress, a number of crítícaí chaííenges remaín. However ínnovatíve they are, ICTs that operate as ísíands and
sííos ímpede reííef efforts and cost ííves. Earíy on ín the Haítí reííef effort for exampíe, there were muítípíe web sítes and
systems for regísteríng and íocatíng míssíng persons, set up by ínternatíonaí medía, web-based socíaí networks and UN
agencíes. Untíí a standards-based reposítory was estabííshed based on the PFIF (Peopíe Fínder) format, each system was an
agencíes. Untíí a standards-based reposítory was estabííshed based on the PFIF (Peopíe Fínder) format, each system was an
ísíand of ínformatíon, íeadíng to unnecessary dupíícatíon, fragmentatíon and sígnífícant frustratíon. Even after Googíe
estabííshed a standards-based reposítory, some ínternatíonaí medía and UN agencíes refused to share ínformatíon wíth ít or
use ít. Based on the experíence of curatíng the ICT4Peace Foundatíon´s wíkí on Haítí, the myríad of data sources and
propríetary formats from whích ínformatíon was captured suggests an íncrease ín data fragmentatíon and íock-ín. As noted
by Ushahídí´s Patríck Meíer, the chaííenges that materíaíísed ín the response to Haítí íncíuded, the management and
negotíatíon of heíghtened expectatíons, the íack of a formaí compíaínt mechanísm, absence of downward accountabíííty and
chaííenges over coordínatíon and cíaríty of messagíng (see http://írevoíutíon.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/haítí-tyranny-
technoíogy). The ICT4Peace Foundatíon ín 2008 conducted a comprehensíve stocktakíng of the UN´s crísís ínformatíon
management capabííítíes. A report of thís stocktakíng was reíeased ín 2009 (downíoad from
http://www.íct4peace.org/víew_fííes-1-v-165.htmí). It ís partícuíaríy teíííng that a number of the observatíons regardíng crísís
ínformatíon management amongst the ínternatíonaí communíty and the UN system remaín unaddressed, íncíudíng but not
íímíted to,

Pre-píanned ínformatíon-sharíng poíícíes robust enough to handíe severe críses ín a tímeíy manner. Thís íncíudes
poíícíes to íeverage crísís-reíated ínformatíon generated from outsíde the UN system and the deveíopment of robust
data modeís and data díctíonaríes that can be shared on demand.
An emphasís on standards-based ínformatíon capture and exchange
Harmonísatíon of sígnífícant varíance ín agency approaches to and capacítíes of ínformatíon management duríng críses,
íncíudíng human resource management and data-sharíng poíícíes.

Lessons unlearnt7
Haítí ís seen by many as a turníng poínt ín the use of ICTs ín dísaster response, and ríghtfuííy so. However, vítaí íessons for
humanítarían aíd and fírst response cíearíy ídentífíed ín the Asían Boxíng Day tsunamí response remaín unheeded, aíong wíth
poínts regardíng aíd work and the use of ICTs enumerated ín the UN OCHA +5 symposíum report, of whích the ICT4Peace
Foundatíon was a key partner. Dísaster-affected communítíes remaín íargeíy passíve recípíents of ínformatíon, havíng to deaí
wíth, amídst sígnífícant trauma, competíng ínformatíon on aíd deíívery and servíces. Beyond the hype, the ma|oríty of those
affected by the Haítían earthquake were off the radar of ICTs. Compoundíng thís, as earíy as Apríí 2010, Haítí ís recedíng from
ínternatíonaí medía and gíobaí attentíon, yet sígnífícant íong-term humanítarían chaííenges on the ground persíst. It ís uncíear
how the ICTs fírst depíoyed ín the country wííí be sustaíned over the íong term, and ín partícuíar ínternatíonaí crowd-sourced
píatforms reíyíng on voíunteers. Sígnífícant probíems of coordínatíon, coííaboratíon and aíd deíívery dogged the dísaster
response effort. The Head of UN OCHA, Sír |ohn Hoímes, ín a strongíy worded emaíí ín February expressed hís frustratíon
over the UN´s aíd effort ín Haítí, notíng that "oníy a few cíusters have fuííy dedícated cíuster coordínators, ínformatíon-
management focaí poínts and technícaí support capacíty" and addíng that the dís|oínted effort ís castíng doubts on the UN´s
abíííty to effectíveíy províde reííef. Beyond the UN, sígnífícant concerns were raísed over the coordínatíon and coííaboratíon
between cívíí and mííítary actors, and the ínternatíonaí communíty as a whoíe.

Going forward
Much more can and must be done to strengthen dísaster preparedness and crísís ínformatíon management. There are no
íonger excuses for ííí-preparedness or haphazard aíd response. We aíready know much of what needs to be done and goíng
forward requíres requísíte fundíng coupíed wíth poíítícaí wííí of the UN system and ínternatíonaí communíty. Some key ídeas
and suggestíons ín thís regard are,

The acceíerated deveíopment and popuíatíon of easííy accessíbíe datasets wíth essentíaí ínformatíon shared across UN
and other aíd agencíes, to heíp ídentífy, prepare for and mítígate dísasters.
Deveíopíng ICTs that work better ín, and are more resíííent to austere, traumatíc envíronments.
Sígnífícantíy ímprovíng ínteroperabíííty across aíí systems between UN agencíes and other key píatforms outsíde,
íncíudíng UN OneResponse, Ushahídí, Sahana and InSTEDD´s Emergency Informatíon Servíce.
Usíng endogenous technoíogíes, heíp communítíes deveíop theír own capacítíes and capabííítíes for dísaster earíy
warníng, preventíon and resíííence, ís vítaí.
Greater cooperatíon between governments and NGOs, based on standard operatíng procedures governíng ínformatíon
sharíng to heíp aíd work.
Gíobaí and íocaí busíness, as we have seen ín Haítí, aíso has a key roíe to píay ín generatíng and sustaíníng fínancíaí
ínfíows and strengtheníng aíd. They need to be partners ín crísís ínformatíon management.
The deveíopment of a comprehensíve crísís ínformatíon management preparedness and assessment tooí box, íncíudíng
appraísaí mechanísms, especíaííy ín and for dísaster prone regíons and countríes.

In order to reaííse these goaís, the ICT4Peace Foundatíon ís actíveíy supportíng the Chíef Informatíon Technoíogy Offícer of
the UN Secretaríat ín New York and íeadíng actors, íncíudíng key UN agencíes and departments ín Rome, New York and
Geneva, to deveíop a coherent crísís ínformatíon management strategy, addressíng processuaí, organísatíonaí and
technoíogícaí chaííenges that ímpede effícíent and effectíve aíd deíívery today.

Authors: San|ana Hattotuwa and Daníeí Stauffacher

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