Coordinated Data Scramble

When disaster strikes, what is the best way to collect and make sense of the information? How do we transform the information overload of the 21st century into a solution that amplifies emergency response coordination and informs decision-making, rather than cluttering it?

The Coordinated Data Scramble helps to establish common situational awareness through procedures designed to improve data sharing in case of an emergency. It is about establishing a digital collaboration space to facilitate:

Community building and open collaboration – enabling open, immediate, and dynamic conversations during emergency response, using tools such as Skype and Slack.
Effective use of tools to support collaboration – such as Google Spreadsheets and Trello

CDS also calls for pre-emergency planning and collaboration to help to identify emergency situations:

Who are the decision makers?
What are the key questions that decision-makers need to answer?
What data (and analysis techniques) are needed to help clarify the answers to these questions?
What tools and techniques can be used to monitor the availability of information in real time and to improve access to this information?

When to use Coordinated Data Scramble?

Coordinated Data Scramble can be activated just before and just after an emergency event. To be most effective, it requires internet connectivity, but some components of the work could be done offline.

The CDS will be more effective if the work to determine who should be involved, what tools should be used, what should be the priority activities, etc. are done before an emergency.

Who to involve?

CDS is designed to be open and cooperative, therefore there is no fixed group of people who need to be involved. However, it will work more efficiently if it involves on-site and remote stakeholders, including representatives of all United Nations, NGOs, and local stakeholders.

Steps to complete a CDS

Step	Details	Advices
1. Identify a collaborative communication platform	A common communication platform will be needed to serve as the focal point for coordinating CDS activities.	Skype or Slack have proven to be immensely helpful in previous emergencies. Verify that in-country stakeholders are happy with the use. The chosen platform must allow the addition of multiple participants and allow instant communication, as well as keeping the chat history.
2. Create a group on the chosen platform	Form a group on the chosen platform and invite a few key in-country and remote stakeholders to join the chosen platform.	The idea is that: people are added to the platform/group by existing members, as their participation is beneficial to the process of improving data and information sharing.
3. Decide what other tools will be needed to facilitate collaboration.	Things to consider at this stage are: How to follow up on what has been discussed and shared? How will members know which group is? How do you stay focused on the most urgent and important tasks?	In previous emergencies, Google spreadsheets have been used to create a contact list with all members of the group and to produce "daily summaries" of key information that has been communicated during the day. Trello cards were used to track data needs, data analysis activities, and data availability.

Toolkit

Trello Board Template : This database has been pre-filled with twenty-five priority data sets and tasks to complete for each of these data sets. Please make a copy/upload the document for each new emergency.
Coordination Spreadsheet Template : This is a spreadsheet template that can be used to help summarize important information shared via instant messaging platforms. Make a copy/upload the document for each new emergency.

Resources

Presentation by the Data Subgroup of the Information Management Group (IMWG)
I scramble, you scramble, we all scramble for data - Blog by Andrej Verity
Who are the decision makers?
What are the key questions for decision makers?
DRAFT Dataset taxonomy - includes a draft list of over 230 datasets categorized using the MIRA framework (thanks to ACAPS for their significant contribution to the development of this framework), as well as a more detailed tentative list of twenty-five priority datasets that includes analytical guidelines on how to proceed. Work has also been initiated on disaster-specific practical guidance to provide analytical guidance specific to earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. All of this will be shared as soon as possible.
History of CDS
Example of an emergency Map Filter created to make maps easier to access, filtering them according to the key questions the map aims to document, or the key datasets displayed on the map.
Example of using data from the map filter to visualize key issues and key datasets shared daily during an emergency.

Haiti Case Study (Hurricane Matthew)

A digital collaboration space has been set up to facilitate the coordinated data scramble for the humanitarian response to Hurricane Matthew, and to assist in the production of the Haiti Flash Appeal. The following tools were used:

Skype was used for instant messaging

A google spreadsheet was used for the compilation:

o daily summaries of conversations

o a contact list of participants

o Collaborative key datasets

A Trello Board has been established to manage the flow of coordinated data scramble.

There were three digital coordinators dedicated to maintaining these tools and keeping the focus on producing the Haiti Flash Appeal.

Representatives from HDX (for curating public datasets) and HumanitarianResponse.info (for curating products) were on skype, to ensure that all data and products were properly curated. The diagram below shows the flow of Coordinated Data Scramble from Skype chats, to data sharing on HDX, to information kept on the Trello board.

The Hurricane Matthew Map Filter was created to improve access to emergency maps, and map analysis was created to show in near real time which datasets and information needs were being met through the sharing maps.

An information visualization shared through the Hurricane Matthew Skype group (link to come)