The Lifelines CommunityData driven humanitarian

SUPER POWERS

Large impact with often small pool of resources.

Skilled translators able to convey complex concepts to a wide array of audiences.

Quick needs-assessment and project scoping skills to identify the right tools and datasets for each scenario.

Motivation

Data Driven Humanitarians are motivated to use data and technology in order to surface new insights that increase the impact of their and their colleagues’ work.

Goals

Integrating new technologies and data – like Earth observation – into disaster preparedness, response and recovery at national and international levels.

Evaluating the applicability of different satellite imagery and remote sensed data to specific contexts.

Collaborating with HQ and in-country experts to build capacity around technology across their organization.

Equipping decision makers at all levels of humanitarian response with the data and insights they need to make rapid, high-quality decisions and analyses

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Data Driven Humanitarians work on crisis risk reduction, response and recovery, working locally and globally in English and many other languages. They bring a focus on technology and data to how they carry out their work. They are driven by a commitment to reducing global suffering and a belief in the power of technological innovation to improve the work of humanitarians around the world. Driven to have a big impact, many are eager to learn new ways of harnessing data from Social Impact Scientists.

“As a humanitarian, I see the potential of Earth observation to transform how we work—but the reality is, we’re often stretched too thin on resources to make it practical. High-resolution data would allow us to target aid more effectively and respond faster, but without funding and technical support, we’re left with incomplete solutions.”

They use earth observation to…

To get otherwise inaccessible insights into emergent crises, enabling them to anticipate and respond to disasters with greater precision; get real-time information to improve efficiency in resource allocation; support more informed decision-making in complex, dynamic environments.

Challenges

Lack of Resources

Data Driven Humanitarians are often short on time, resources and teammates. The requests for support they receive – or the needs they identify – are greater than the work they and their team (if they have one) can complete. Additionally, given the mixed understanding of the impacts of using Earth observation, they face challenges in advocating for more resources. In some larger NGOs, Data Driven Humanitarian are part of an organization-wide innovation or technology program, which can strengthen their work. In many others, they are lone actors, not situated within a broader country- or organization-wide structure.

Misunderstandings around the applications of Earth observation

While they have a strong understanding of the applications and limitations of Earth observation, many Data Driven Humanitarian have colleagues who don’t share this understanding. Their colleagues may not understand the diverse applications and impact Earth observation can have. Or, colleagues may appreciate the potential positive impact but have uneven understandings of the time required, technical complexity, and complex data landscape TSH’s must navigate to generate insights.

Inequitable or limited access to data and tools

Accessing the high-resolution imagery required for humanitarian responses can be a fragmented, expensive and inefficient process—and a shared common understanding is rare. Further, integrating geospatial data into existing workflows and systems is challenging, particularly in terms of standardizing data collection, storage and analysis methods within and across organizations. Finally, access to EO data and the necessary technical support varies greatly across different national societies and humanitarian organizations. This disparity can hinder the effective use of EO data in less resourced settings.

A mismatch between innovation around Earth observation and the fast-paced and critical contexts humanitarians work within

Most of the Earth observation tools and datasets that Data Driven Humanitarian use were not designed for humanitarian contexts which are often marked by low internet/electricity connectivity, varying needs in terms of speed, rapidly changing contexts, geographical focus areas that are not always prioritized, and political/cultural sensitivities. Humanitarians also need rapid access to frequently updated imagery – something that is often unavailable or expensive. Each disaster, country and context is unique as well. Humanitarians must navigate assumptions that models trained on data from one region can be universally applied without contextual adaptation, leading to inaccuracies in different settings.

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