New%20technologies%20and%20disaster%20information%20resources

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New technologies and disaster information
resources

• Part 2. The right information, at the right
  time, the right way

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Disaster management a discipline hungry for
information

• A multidisciplinary and intersectoral activity.
• A wide variety of products and information
  resources.
• An appropriate information infrastructure -- more
  than just the physical component, a change in the
  way we work.

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The right information . . .
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Information Needs

• Relevant information
• Timely information
• Up-to-date information
• Consistent information

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Provide value added for users
DISASTERS
HURRICANES
EPIDEMIOLOGY
DAMAGES
HOMELESS
RELIEF
CONTACTS
EARTHQUAKES
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What gives value added to disaster information?

• A reliable source
• Speed
• Quality and relevance of content
• Organization
• A combination of resources
• Has a focus
• Its up-to-date
• Good design and easy to navigate

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What kind of information are we talking about?

• Risk reduction information
• hazards and the environment in which they coexist
• the elements -- physical and human -- at risk and
  the degree of vulnerability
• community awareness of their of risk and degree
  to which they accept this risk
• Wide variety of disciplines
• Past, present and future

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? Public Information
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? Technical and training material
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? Up-to-date information on disasters
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Evaluating a web site
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Some questions . . .

• What functions do you like to see on a web site?
• Normally, do you browse through a site or do you
  use the sites internal search engine?
• Name several things you expect to see on a web
  site.

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Criteria for evaluating a web site

• Authority
• Who is the author?
• What relationship to the topic does he/she have?
• Can you contact the author?
• Objectivity
• Is the objective of the site clear to you?
• Is the ownership clearly identified?
• Is the information impartial?

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Criteria

• Up-to-date
• When was the information generated?
• Has it been updated recently?
• Design
• Do the visual effects complement the information?
• Do you have options--to view just text or without
  frames?
• Does the site require plug-ins?

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What makes a good web site?

• Simplicity
• Graphics, fonts, colors
• Ease of navigation
• Avoid needless animation
• Reduce download time
• Good (and working!) links
• Up-to-date information
• Include meta tags
• A search engine
• Quality control

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A web site will fail if it does not offer a real
or perceived value to users.
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A lack of feedback does not necessarily signal
accpetance!
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Identify the consumers

• Who are you targeting with the information you
  generate?
• Who communicates with your organization to
  request information?
• The Internet is a two-way street

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Who are these information consumers?

• Disaster authorities or managers in an affected
  (or at risk) country
• The international community cooperation agencies
  and donors
• The national and local community
• who else?

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The right informationat the right time . . .
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In disaster situations, information is used for .
. .
Coordination of international assistance
Assessment of damages and needs
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The Internet has a role before, during and after
disasters

• Before (preparedness, mitigation, prevention)
  research and studies.
• During (response) assessment of damages and
  needs coordination of of aid
• After collection and analysis of data lessons
  learned institutional memory

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Between disasters.

• We have the luxury of time.

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During disasters,the key word is

• S P E E D !

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The disaster environment has inherent problems

• Competition
• Rumors
• Difficulty in updating information

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High demand for information

• Communication with information sources is
  hampered.
• Information is centralized
• Type of information required
• Acceptable response time

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Incoming traffic following Hurricane Mitch, 1998
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The reality during disasters . . .
We run like crazy . . .

• Then we change directions!

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The right information at the right time, the
right way . . .
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The right path . . .

• Support the creation of disaster information
  centers or services.
• Can be integrated into existing facilities.
• Critical for sustainability quality and
  institutional support.

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Information Infrastructure Components

• A culture of information
• Sufficient personnel
• Good coordination processes
• Good information products
• Work guidelines and standards
• Supportive institutional structure
• A minimum level of physical resources.

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Good coordination requires an open work
environment and cannot thrive in isolation.

• The Internet is an excellent tool for achieving
  this.

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In summary, what can we do to get the right
information to the right people at the right
time in the right way?
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What can we do?

• ? Make more agile and efficient the process of
  preparing information in electronic format and
  posting it on the Internet.
• ? Become better promoters of our electronic
  information products.

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? Avoid bottlenecks

• The technology exists . . .

. . . The challenge is getting the information to
those who need it.
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? Promote collaboration between information
teams and content experts
SUBJECT EXPERTS
DOCUMENTATION CENTERS
INFORMATICS
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• ? Strengthen our position and reputation as
  principal sources of disaster management
  information in the Caribbean.