Community update: Information management (June 2019): HDX data grid, data responsibility, blockchain, open data

Lauren Bateman
Lauren Bateman
Lauren Bateman is a PhD student in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering at the George Washington University, USA.
Colorful stripes

Photo: Marcin Ignac

Community updates provide brief highlights from expert practitioners about what they see as the key developments in a specific area, what resources they would recommend, and what to look out for in the coming months.

Key developments

HDX Data Grid

Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) has a new feature – HDX Data Grid – that helps find and fill gaps in data. This feature looks across data sets, not within individual data sets, to help users get an idea of how much data is available for a particular geographic region.

Data responsibility guidelines

UNOCHA, and the Center for Humanitarian Data, have released a working draft of data responsibility guidelines. These guidelines are meant to continue addressing challenges related to assessing and managing data risk, and are now within a six-month testing and consulting period to identify areas for revision.

Blockchain in the humanitarian sector

ODI has released a research report, commissioned by the Global Alliance for Humanitarian Innovation, that examines the current use of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies in the humanitarian sector. The report also offers recommendations regarding ethical, safety, and scaling challenging that this technology brings with it.

Recommended resources

Improving data literacy:

For organizations wishing to expand their data culture through modular short learning sessions:

Open data:

For a stocktaking and overview of the current state of open data:

Keep an eye out for...

On June 24-28, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative will be organizing a workshop on Remote Sensing for Humanitarian Programs.
PHAP community updates are written by members of the association and other practitioners in their personal capacity. The views expressed belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of PHAP or any other organizations with which the author is associated.