Speed Evidence Project

WHAT IS THE HUMANITARIAN NEED?

Affected communities often find themselves in an information vacuum, where rumour and counter-rumour are all they have to make the life saving and supporting decisions for them and their families.

Incomplete, inaccurate or out-dated data often hinders the ability of aid actors to deliver effective, contextualised responses.

WHAT IS THE INNOVATIVE SOLUTION?

The Speed Evidence Project combines existing technologies to create an open source platform that collects information from various sources (staff, communities, social media), validates and analyses the information, and then allows aid workers to visualise this information in multiple ways to enable delivery of more effective, contextualised responses and for disaster affected communities to be part of a robust two-way communication system from the immediate aftermath of a disaster.

Added Value:
This project will create a platform that will enable frontline responders as well as key decision-makers based remotely to have immediate access to a situation analysis and other evidence to facilitate formulation of response strategies, design relevant programming and engage meaningfully with stakeholders.

WHAT ARE THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES?

A functional prototype platform integrating the 3 key technologies (Ushahidi, FrontlineSMS, FieldTask) created and deployed successfully in 2 trials/simulations

• Improve two-way communication by providing the best possible relevant information to disaster-affected communities using the most appropriate media and channels for their context
• Enhance the services and support available to disaster affected communities through enabling evidence based decision making and targeting, through empowering the communities by informing them of these services, and most importantly, enabling communities to have a say in the quality and coverage of the services provided.