Data and Info Sharing with No Power or Internet? - Meet LDLN

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Data and Info Sharing with No Power or Internet? - Meet LDLN

There is an organization that I have wanted to introduce people to for a while.  It is a game changer, provided it can be applied more and baked into operations and various technologies. 

In disaster operations, the Internet is the predominate way to share data and information across people, organizations, and geographies--when it is available.  It is a critical failure point to inter-organizational and region-wide operations that need to share across wireless networks.  When access to the Internet is compromised, cascading effects occur such as having to reconcile what the latest data and information is. In fact, data and information sharing is often reduced to files on USB sticks that are physically traded.  Version control becomes essential, but hard to maintain.

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LaunchPAD - A New Exercise Delivery Tool + Q&A with the Founder

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LaunchPAD - A New Exercise Delivery Tool + Q&A with the Founder

I was recently able to sit down with Robert Burton, Founder and Managing Director of Preparedex, LLC.  The company recently launched a virtual exercise delivery platform called LaunchPAD.  There are very limited technology options to support preparedness exercises, so I was very excited to learn more about LaunchPAD, especially given my background putting together large-scale exercises for almost four years.  

LaunchPAD hones in on a very important issue, geographically...

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Curate Dashboards NOT Documents in Disasters

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Curate Dashboards NOT Documents in Disasters

The goal of any information or intelligence unit  in a disaster is to produce information useful for decision makers.  Information managers, though, curate and analyze information into static and overly-standardized reports that are hard to interact with and update with new and different data and information.  

Instead, information managers should focus on publishing information into dynamic dashboards that can be further manipulated by disaster decision makers at their convenience.  This is because decision makers may want to quickly...

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[APPLY NOW] Free Incubator for Disaster and Humanitarian Innovation!

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[APPLY NOW] Free Incubator for Disaster and Humanitarian Innovation!

I just got word of a great FREE coaching program at my master's alma matter.  If you have been considering an idea and want to work on it more with great mentors and support, this is a great program for you.  While the focus of the program is on developing a solution, you do not have to be technically oriented.  In fact, this program works for anyone motivated to solve a real problem in the disaster or humanitarian space.  Also, if your idea is disaster related, I might be one of the mentors you have access to as well.  Here are the specifics...

The Governance Lab at NYU's Wagner School of Public Service is searching for highly motivated and passionate individuals with good ideas but who may not know how to develop them without help! 

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Tech Trends for Digital Volunteerism - An Introduction

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Tech Trends for Digital Volunteerism - An Introduction

Recently, there has been a surge of groups and tools supporting digital volunteerism.  Digital volunteers are "a new breed of people willing and able to respond is emerging — ones with technical skills. These are digital humanitarians who, whether they can code or simply use a computer or mobile device, are saying "I want to help, so help me help!" They generally fall into two categories: 1) I have a technical skill [novice to advanced] that could help, or 2) I am not near the disaster and can't be there in person, but I want to help. They are not mutually exclusive." 

In the spirit of pushing this concept forward, I was recently asked to present on this topic to a number of non-profits that support disaster relief efforts.  Below is the presentation that outlines existing digital volunteer groups as well as some common tools.  There are of course many more tools, but this should provide a brief introduction.  

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Information Management & Sharing...the Right Way

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Information Management & Sharing...the Right Way

If you have ever responded to a disaster, you have likely made an infinite number of decisions and taken an infinite number of actions.  Information has informed these decisions and actions in some way.  However, had the information been delivered in the right way at the right time, you probably would have been more efficient and effective with your time.  Having the information in the right way allows you to spend more time mastering your objectives rather than mastering the art of data and information management.  

Situation Reports (SitReps) are a great example of information delivered in a more usable way.  However, SitReps were created in an era when paper documents reigned supreme and when that was the best way to convey information to a large group of people.  As technology becomes better and more data is available, though...

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How to Become a Digital Humanitarian?

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How to Become a Digital Humanitarian?

With the rise of Digital Humanitarianism, people are no longer restricted to donating money or showing up in person in order to support response and relief efforts.  They can support in new digital ways.  From wherever they have internet access, people help filter important tweets and imagery, help identify individuals in need and connect them with appropriate resources, or develop new technologies to support response operations.  

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Is ICS Organic or Mechanistic? [RESEARCH]

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Is ICS Organic or Mechanistic? [RESEARCH]

The incident command system is a staple in emergency operations.  If you are in emergency services or emergency management, you know ICS because it plays such a role in your operation.  It is the way in which we organize ourselves to manage the complexity and craziness with emergencies and disasters.  

In recent years, there has been some focused research discussing the relative merits and downsides of the system.  In fact, much of our ICS best practices have been based around our intuitive understanding of the system.  But more research is still needed to understand the many nuanced strengths and weaknesses of the system.   

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Disaster Information is Like Duct Tape

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Disaster Information is Like Duct Tape

You may be wondering what these two things have in common.  Believe it or not, they have a lot more in common than you think.

There is a lot of discussion these days regarding how information can help in disasters.  But is hard to pinpoint exactly how it can help.  This is a lot like duct tape.

You carry duct tape around, maybe in your car or in your basement.  It is there because one day you might need it.  It is such a versatile product that you must have it available just in case something happens.  

Information is similar in that ...

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2 EM Jobs and 1 EM Internship For You!

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2 EM Jobs and 1 EM Internship For You!

In the last two days I have received several entry-ish level job opportunities to list.  They are great opportunities in NYC with two great organizations: 1) Mount Sinai Hospital and 2) JetBlue.  Here they are:

1)  Administrative Manager for Emergency Management, Mount Sinai Hospital 

If selected for this opportunity you will be responsible for:

  • Assisting in the development, implementation and oversight of new preparedness initiatives and programs for Mount Sinai Health System 
  • Conducting research and analysis of guidance and policies to assist in preparedness efforts
  • Assuring regional responsibilities are fulfilled with regard to coordination of preparedness initiatives and / or event responses
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Technology Trends for Situational Awareness

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Technology Trends for Situational Awareness

I just had the great pleasure of giving a webinar on Technology Trends for Situational Awareness.  The webinar had some great discussion on macro technology trends as well as new and emerging technologies and concepts that can be applied to disaster work.  

I wanted to share this you all as well as I think it may be quite useful to a wider audience!  

I would also love your comments and feedback!

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Data.gov Launches Disaster-Specific Open Data Portal

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Data.gov Launches Disaster-Specific Open Data Portal

On Monday, Data.gov launched a disaster-specific open data portal.  This was an initiative first announced in at the White House Innovation for Disaster Response and Recovery Demo Day this past July.  Many other innovative apps, tools and initiatives were also demoed that day.  

The portal features a number apps, tools, and data relevant to disaster and is conceptually similar to what NYC did a couple years ago with its public safety data.  In total, 114 Federal data sets are already indexed in the portal

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UN OCHA Job and Internships

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UN OCHA Job and Internships

In the past few days, I have received information on a great job opportunity as well as several internships at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).  OCHA is the primary UN agency responsible for coordinating humanitarian relief efforts in a disaster.  

In recent years, there has been on a huge push to transform operations, so these positions have the potential to be very impactful.  I have also seen the work of the interns and they get a lot of visibility within the humanitarian community.  

Humanitarian Affairs Officer (P-3)

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To Make Better Decisions, Combine Datasets

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To Make Better Decisions, Combine Datasets

The Harvard Business Review just published this excellent article about decision making and data.  The key point it makes is that value and insights come from the ability to combine datasets.  Two thoughts emerge:

First, when purchasing and using technology, ensure that data can be shared in real-time (if not, at least exportable in a non-proprietary format!).  Otherwise, all you have is a fancy application that is good only for 

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