- Disaster responder and information management officer for the United Nationsedit
The paper is aimed at humanitarian practitioners and leaders who would like to gain a general knowledge about Generative AI or would like to gain insight on trending strategies for mainstreaming these tools within their organization. By... more
The paper is aimed at humanitarian practitioners and leaders who would like to gain a general knowledge about Generative AI or would like to gain insight on trending strategies for mainstreaming these tools within their organization. By providing main topics of concern and recommendations, the authors laid out the landscape of capabilities and potential pathways for safe and responsible adoption of Generative AI.
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A modern framework that can be used to better articulate job descriptions, filter & select candidates, identify team gaps, identify training needs and facilitate performance reviews all in relations to Humanitarian Information Managers. A... more
A modern framework that can be used to better articulate job descriptions, filter & select candidates, identify team gaps, identify training needs and facilitate performance reviews all in relations to Humanitarian Information Managers. A few hard decisions and you will be much happier for it!
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Have you ever thought about how much it costs when you collect humanitarian data? Are the costs worth it? Perhaps we should be estimating those costs upfront. This guidance document helps to unpack that question, outline the... more
Have you ever thought about how much it costs when you collect humanitarian data? Are the costs worth it? Perhaps we should be estimating those costs upfront. This guidance document helps to unpack that question, outline the constructions/attributes that affect cost and provide a simple template for quickly calculating collection costs.
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A paper studying how Artificial Intelligence has been applied to UAVs/drones in the past few years, how new approaches are being trialled, and what may be on the near-term horizon.
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AI systems with prevalent biases, security risks, and consent issues can undermine the role of humanitarian actors in disaster contexts by leaving aid recipients at further risk of vulnerability. The report proceeds in five sections: (a)... more
AI systems with prevalent biases, security risks, and consent issues can undermine the role of humanitarian actors in disaster contexts by leaving aid recipients at further risk of vulnerability. The report proceeds in five sections: (a) examples of AI systems that are used for vulnerable populations (b) analysis of different forms of bias pertaining to AI systems, (c) evaluation of security risks, (d) examination of issues of consent over data collection, and finally (e) AI principles and recommendations specific to vulnerable people in the humanitarian field.
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Exploring the topic of quantum computing to find out what is real, what is hype, what is possible, and what impacts it may have on the humanitarian sector.
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Conversational agents and personal assistants are now more commonplace in a digital citizen’s daily life. 2018 had an estimated global population of about 7.7 billion people. Facebook, a prominent social media platform, had 1.47 billion... more
Conversational agents and personal assistants are now more commonplace in a digital citizen’s daily life. 2018 had an estimated global population of about 7.7 billion people. Facebook, a prominent social media platform, had 1.47 billion daily users that same year. Users could interact with over 300,000 unique chatbots on Facebook Messenger by May 2018, an increase from the 100,000 chatbots reported by Facebook in April 2017. Twitter estimated 139 million users by the end of June 2019 with 5 per cent of the estimated Twitter population comprised of automated accounts. Advancing technology is making it difficult to label such interactions as with a human or machine.
Organizations would be remiss to ignore the potentials of conversational agents given the increasing number of people accessing mobile devices and the rising global interest in artificial intelligence (AI). Consumer enterprises and local governments have acknowledged the benefits of using conversational agents to interact with their customers and constituents. However, non-profit and non-governmental organizations have not experienced the same chatbot growth as other sectors. This paper does not recommend all organizations embrace this growing trend, but explores why a conversational agent is of interest for humanitarian purposes. It also introduces points of consideration for those interested in implementing this tool.
Organizations would be remiss to ignore the potentials of conversational agents given the increasing number of people accessing mobile devices and the rising global interest in artificial intelligence (AI). Consumer enterprises and local governments have acknowledged the benefits of using conversational agents to interact with their customers and constituents. However, non-profit and non-governmental organizations have not experienced the same chatbot growth as other sectors. This paper does not recommend all organizations embrace this growing trend, but explores why a conversational agent is of interest for humanitarian purposes. It also introduces points of consideration for those interested in implementing this tool.
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Will taking cybersecurity seriously become one of the biggest and most important challenges the humanitarian sector faces in the coming decades?
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We explored the features, pros & cons and uses cases for three workspace types in the humanitarian sector: (1) physical / social spaces, (2) online collaboration, and (3) individual workspaces. All three are not always an option, but... more
We explored the features, pros & cons and uses cases for three workspace types in the humanitarian sector: (1) physical / social spaces, (2) online collaboration, and (3) individual workspaces. All three are not always an option, but perhaps we should ensure that providing them is a priority (when appropriate)?
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A literature review around the possibility of leveraging blockchain to make technological/data-related solutions more secure and thus improving data protection in the humanitarian sector.
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A detailed research into the various information / information sources, tools and services available to humanitarians when trying to develop situational awareness.
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A look at the longer-term trends in disaster response by comparing two Caribbean earthquakes that occurred in capital cities nearly 100 years apart.
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The concept of gathering feedback directly from affected populations about their experiences with aid agencies has been around for several years. As has the concept of using a technical platform in order to scale this feedback to as many... more
The concept of gathering feedback directly from affected populations about their experiences with aid agencies has been around for several years. As has the concept of using a technical platform in order to scale this feedback to as many affected as possible.
This paper outlines research findings, potential challenges, and potential solutions for such a solution. Two main areas were considered: Artificial Intelligence and Customer Reaction Buttons.
This paper outlines research findings, potential challenges, and potential solutions for such a solution. Two main areas were considered: Artificial Intelligence and Customer Reaction Buttons.
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Blockchain for the Humanitarian Sector: Future opportunities explores blockchain technology and its potential application to the humanitarian sector. It provides a primer on blockchain technology, and it highlights applications in the... more
Blockchain for the Humanitarian Sector: Future opportunities explores blockchain technology and its potential application to the humanitarian sector. It provides a primer on blockchain technology, and it highlights applications in the humanitarian sector, potential use cases and recommendations for implementation. This is meant to serve as guidance for potential use within the humanitarian community, and it outlines future areas of research and exploration.
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Failure is very much a taboo topic, but is critical for learning purposes. Few are willing to talk or share. This report aimed to study why people failure, how they handle failure, how their organization perceives failure, and how... more
Failure is very much a taboo topic, but is critical for learning purposes. Few are willing to talk or share. This report aimed to study why people failure, how they handle failure, how their organization perceives failure, and how failure could be more accepted.
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As the widespread proliferation of technology changes how communities engage and respond to crisis, new mechanisms, such as Digital Response Networks (DRNs), emerge with the potential to facilitate collaboration and situational awareness... more
As the widespread proliferation of technology changes how communities engage and respond to crisis, new mechanisms, such as Digital Response Networks (DRNs), emerge with the potential to facilitate collaboration and situational awareness between responders and local communities. DRNs are social networks of physical responders (e.g. local government, authorities, emergency responders, communities) and digital responders i.e. Volunteer & Technical Communities (V&TCs) 1 connected through a central hub. They are often considered a network-of-networks. This guide will step you through creating a localized DRN by describing a) the purpose and required capability of a DRN, b) considerations before creating a DRN, and c) how to setup and sustain the DRN hub and larger network.
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This paper aims to explore the idea of humanitarian organisations creating an innovation space. It will discuss the role of social innovation within the context of humanitarian response as well as how organisations can build a positive... more
This paper aims to explore the idea of humanitarian organisations creating an innovation space. It will discuss the role of social innovation within the context of humanitarian response as well as how organisations can build a positive ecosystem for entrepreneurs. It should serve as a guidance document for humanitarian organisations to set up their own version of an entrepreneurial innovation space to enable innovative collaborations.
This paper provides an overview of the concept and is in no means comprehensive and one-size-fitsall. Each organisation must decide how to adapt this concept to its own organisation and continue to do further research and analysis on each part of the implementation. The proposed model of the Humanitarian Entrepreneurial Incubator (HEI) is a partnership between humanitarian organisations and humanitarian entrepreneurs where organisations host entrepreneurs within their office and provide resources and insight to them as they develop an innovative product or service related to humanitarian response. The HEI is just one model and approach, but there are alternatives that are outlined in this
paper.
This paper provides an overview of the concept and is in no means comprehensive and one-size-fitsall. Each organisation must decide how to adapt this concept to its own organisation and continue to do further research and analysis on each part of the implementation. The proposed model of the Humanitarian Entrepreneurial Incubator (HEI) is a partnership between humanitarian organisations and humanitarian entrepreneurs where organisations host entrepreneurs within their office and provide resources and insight to them as they develop an innovative product or service related to humanitarian response. The HEI is just one model and approach, but there are alternatives that are outlined in this
paper.
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This document is for formal humanitarian entities that are interested in collaborating with Volunteer & Technical Communities (V&TCs). It will best fit the needs of organizations that have had exposure to V&TCs and their work, and now... more
This document is for formal humanitarian entities that
are interested in collaborating with Volunteer & Technical Communities (V&TCs). It will best fit the needs of organizations that have had exposure to V&TCs and their work, and now seek practical advice on proceeding with a deployment. The guidance aims to ensure that actors understand the dynamics of working with V&TCs, better formulate requests and maximize the benefits of such collaboration.
are interested in collaborating with Volunteer & Technical Communities (V&TCs). It will best fit the needs of organizations that have had exposure to V&TCs and their work, and now seek practical advice on proceeding with a deployment. The guidance aims to ensure that actors understand the dynamics of working with V&TCs, better formulate requests and maximize the benefits of such collaboration.
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This guidance is intended for Volunteer and Technical Communities (V&TCs) and tech groups that have a desire to collaborate with Formal Humanitarian Organizations. We hope that it best fits the needs of V&TCs and tech groups that... more
This guidance is intended for Volunteer and Technical Communities (V&TCs) and tech groups that have a desire to collaborate with Formal Humanitarian Organizations. We hope that it best fits the needs of V&TCs and tech groups that currently seek practical advice on how to develop projects with formal humanitarian organizations or how to further strengthen pre-existing collaborative relationships. We hope that this Guidance helps V&TCs better understand the modus operandi of humanitarian organizations so that they may better formulate requests for partnerships and maximize the benefits of collaborative relationships.
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This is a report about what we need to know in the first weeks of a disaster. Taking into account how fundamental this issue is to all our efforts within information management in crisis situations, it is... more
This is a report about what we need to know in the first weeks of a disaster. Taking into account how fundamental this issue is to all our efforts within information management in crisis situations, it is surprising how little attention the issue has received to date.
Decision-‐‐making experts have been conducting years of research on how people make decisions in a variety of environments and what information, cues and biases people use when making a decision. But within the humanitarian community only limited attention has been given to this issue.
The report is descriptive rather than analytical and by providing a lot of details on how different groups organized and prioritized their information needs and typical decisions, we hope that others will continue to develop several additional layers of analysis on top and move research on this essential issue forward.
Decision-‐‐making experts have been conducting years of research on how people make decisions in a variety of environments and what information, cues and biases people use when making a decision. But within the humanitarian community only limited attention has been given to this issue.
The report is descriptive rather than analytical and by providing a lot of details on how different groups organized and prioritized their information needs and typical decisions, we hope that others will continue to develop several additional layers of analysis on top and move research on this essential issue forward.
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For nearly two decades, experts have been discussing the potentials and pitfalls of the ‘digital revolution.' The unrelenting development of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) has fundamentally altered the way that... more
For nearly two decades, experts have been discussing the potentials and pitfalls of the ‘digital revolution.' The unrelenting development of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) has fundamentally altered the way that individuals, businesses, organizations, and governments interact with each other.2 Furthermore, these developments have forced organizations to change internally so that they can be more reactive and adaptive to this constantly changing environment. This ‘organizational innovation’ has created several alternative models for organizational structure that are now used across communities, networks, businesses, and institutions.
In the field of humanitarian affairs, this trend has manifested in the emergence of Volunteer and Technical Communities (V&TCs) – networks of digital global citizens who have identified, and moved to fill, gaps in international crisis response. These digital communities harness ‘collective intelligence,’8 and utilize everything from radio broadcasts to social media, in order to exchange vital information during response to natural, environmental, or complex emergencies. These efforts have increasingly been able to augment the capabilities of those agencies which traditionally respond to significant humanitarian crises: United Nations agencies, national agencies, and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs).
This paper seeks to examine organizational innovation in both traditional humanitarian organizations and V&TCs, with a look at how they may come together on an ‘innovation co-operation’ project that would better support the development of both groups.
In the field of humanitarian affairs, this trend has manifested in the emergence of Volunteer and Technical Communities (V&TCs) – networks of digital global citizens who have identified, and moved to fill, gaps in international crisis response. These digital communities harness ‘collective intelligence,’8 and utilize everything from radio broadcasts to social media, in order to exchange vital information during response to natural, environmental, or complex emergencies. These efforts have increasingly been able to augment the capabilities of those agencies which traditionally respond to significant humanitarian crises: United Nations agencies, national agencies, and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs).
This paper seeks to examine organizational innovation in both traditional humanitarian organizations and V&TCs, with a look at how they may come together on an ‘innovation co-operation’ project that would better support the development of both groups.
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This guidance is intended for in-country responding entities that seek to share information in a way to empower the affected community. This guide will outline the rationale and guidance for establishing an information center targeted... more
This guidance is intended for in-country responding entities that seek to share information in a way to empower the affected community. This guide will outline the rationale and guidance for establishing an information center targeted towards assisting affected individuals, including those who have been injured and displaced. An Affected
Persons Information Center (APIC) is a publicly accessible space where affected persons can gather vital information and responders are able to conduct structured data collection. In an effort to augment traditional and established methods of information broadcasting, the APIC amalgamates the independent, yet complementary, channels of dissemination and collection.
Persons Information Center (APIC) is a publicly accessible space where affected persons can gather vital information and responders are able to conduct structured data collection. In an effort to augment traditional and established methods of information broadcasting, the APIC amalgamates the independent, yet complementary, channels of dissemination and collection.
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How could crowdfunding models be constructively applied to humanitarian crisis. An examination of different models, platforms, risk & trust all in the humanitarian context.
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The public is using Twitter for real-time information exchange and for expressing emotional support during a variety of crises, such as wildfires,1-3 earthquakes,4-6 floods,3,13 hurricanes,21 political protests,11, 25-27 mass... more
The public is using Twitter for real-time information exchange and for expressing emotional support during a variety of crises, such as wildfires,1-3 earthquakes,4-6 floods,3,13 hurricanes,21 political protests,11, 25-27 mass shootings,15, 17 and communicable-disease tracking.31 By encouraging proactive standardization of hashtags, emergency responders may be able to reduce a big-data challenge and better leverage crowdsourced information for operational planning and response.
When thinking about the importance, and potential sensitivity, of humanitarian data, where should the responsibility of keeping it safe lie? With the organization or with the individual humanitarian? Of course, it needs to be some... more
When thinking about the importance, and potential sensitivity, of humanitarian data, where should the responsibility of keeping it safe lie? With the organization or with the individual humanitarian? Of course, it needs to be some combination of both especially when field-based responders need to “get things done” (read: work around HQ-mandated restrictions). So, how can we find the right balance when attacks are ever increasing?
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A paper exploring the possibilities that Earth Observation data can play in the anticipatory action efforts in regards to climate-related humanitarian crises.
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The paper explores the evolution of (humanitarian) coding systems for geospatial boundaries and associated P-code attributes, discusses the barriers and experiences of professionals in the field, and ponders potential future directions... more
The paper explores the evolution of (humanitarian) coding systems for geospatial boundaries and associated P-code attributes, discusses the barriers and experiences of professionals in the field, and ponders potential future directions when considering emerging technologies.
With so many organizations using or developing their own unique identifiers, is it time for an inter-agency effort to design a universal adapter?
With so many organizations using or developing their own unique identifiers, is it time for an inter-agency effort to design a universal adapter?
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A paper that reflects on the current humanitarian principles, including their contradictions, in the context of the Information Age. The authors then make recommendations on how these principles could be expanded by including:... more
A paper that reflects on the current humanitarian principles, including their contradictions, in the context of the Information Age. The authors then make recommendations on how these principles could be expanded by including: Consistency, Maneuverability, Transparency, and Failure.
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When issuing a Digital ID, do we know how we are affecting the self-identities of those we aim to help in the humanitarian sector when? Most discussions to-date have been centered around the organization and the perceived benefits to the... more
When issuing a Digital ID, do we know how we are affecting the self-identities of those we aim to help in the humanitarian sector when? Most discussions to-date have been centered around the organization and the perceived benefits to the sector - efficiency, reduced duplication, eliminated fraud, etc., etc. This paper looks at the topic from the refugee's perspective and how it may affect their own self-identity.
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A paper that inventories Blockchain in the humanitarian sector, does a deep dive into six case studies, and provides recommendations on how to successfully implement a blockchain project in the sector.
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A decade after the 2011 Disaster Relief 2.0 report about the future of humanitarian information sharing, the authors contacted all the past interviewees to reflect on the paper, the status of the recommendations, and the state of... more
A decade after the 2011 Disaster Relief 2.0 report about the future of humanitarian information sharing, the authors contacted all the past interviewees to reflect on the paper, the status of the recommendations, and the state of information sharing in the humanitarian sector.
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This paper explores our need to consider disaster responders' physical safety when we are introducing new technology into volatile situations. Too often we are quite to run in a technological solution. But, have you thought about all the... more
This paper explores our need to consider disaster responders' physical safety when we are introducing new technology into volatile situations. Too often we are quite to run in a technological solution. But, have you thought about all the various factor that could impact a responders's physical safety now and into the future?
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This paper explores our need to consider children's physical safety when we are introducing new Edtech into displacement situations. Too often we are quite to run in a technological solution. But, have you thought about all the various... more
This paper explores our need to consider children's physical safety when we are introducing new Edtech into displacement situations. Too often we are quite to run in a technological solution. But, have you thought about all the various factor that could impact a child's physical safety now and into the future?
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The Ukraine crisis is giving us a front-row seat to the challenges surrounding mis & disinformation. And, Gantner has predicted that, by 2025, 25% of the world’s news and video content will be proven false. Is the humanitarian sector... more
The Ukraine crisis is giving us a front-row seat to the challenges surrounding mis & disinformation. And, Gantner has predicted that, by 2025, 25% of the world’s news and video content will be proven false. Is the humanitarian sector ready for the "infodemic" wave that is heading our direction?
The practical paper looks at the overall situation, reviews what has been done in the sector, provides recommendations, and outlines a list of available resources.
The practical paper looks at the overall situation, reviews what has been done in the sector, provides recommendations, and outlines a list of available resources.
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Guidance paper on how to lead and manage remote teams in the twenty first century. The paper includes general recommendations (for any team) as well as specific recommendations for those responding in the humanitarian sector.
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A short paper exploring the Doughnut Model of Economics, how it may relate to the humanitarian sector and how it is (or will be) enabled through technology.
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Is the No-Code environment ready for prime time and humanitarian crises? This paper explores the No-code movement, outlines its possibilities/limitations, highlights examples of use in disaster response, and provides several... more
Is the No-Code environment ready for prime time and humanitarian crises? This paper explores the No-code movement, outlines its possibilities/limitations, highlights examples of use in disaster response, and provides several recommendations for humanitarian organizations.
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Cyberbullying, unfortunately, exists in the Digital Humanitarian Response efforts. This paper aims to draw attention to the topic and provide recommendations to organizations/groups in order to prevent and compact cyberbullying.
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يهدف هذا الدليل الارشادي الى مساعدة المنظمات الانسانية والمعنيين بالشأن الاغاثي على فهم التنوع في البيانات الضخمة وكيفية توظيفها في عملياتهم الانسانية. يعرض الدليل مجموعة جديدة من الوسائل والتقنيات الحديثة التي شكلت ثورة في مجال العمليات... more
يهدف هذا الدليل الارشادي الى مساعدة المنظمات الانسانية والمعنيين بالشأن الاغاثي على فهم التنوع في البيانات الضخمة وكيفية توظيفها في عملياتهم الانسانية. يعرض الدليل مجموعة جديدة من الوسائل والتقنيات الحديثة التي شكلت ثورة في مجال العمليات الاغاثية منذ استخدامها في زلزال هايتي 2010. ونظرا لما تشكله البيانات الضخمة من اهمية كبرى وافتقار المراجع العربية لمثل هذا النوع من المواضيع وايضا كونه مجالا جديدا، فقد راينا ان نقدم هذا الدليل باللغة العربية آملين ان يشكل مفهوما جديدا لمساعدة مجتمعاتنا المتضررة من الكوارث والازمات الانسانية.