Archives The GDIN Information Facilitator Working Group

Initiators Coordinator(s):

David Baxa RMS Email: baxa@vistait.com John Reitz APAN Email: jreitz@vic-info.org

Goal:

The GDIN web site was expected to have many useful databases, perhaps some disaster information, and certainly quick and easy access to the best disaster websites in the world, i.e. ReliefWeb, FEMA, Natural Resources, Canada, USAID, NOAA and USGS. But there may also be a need for a specific office that helps users get the information they need when other sources have failed, or when access to those offices is impractical. We called this the Information Facilitator Office. The Facilitator Service concept was retained after GDIN was incorporated, with the first service being the pilot project known as the Native American Network This working group was charged with reviewing designs for the GDIN Information Facilitator, though GDIN, through its members, would still work to facilitate information flow during the 2000-2001 time frame.  GDIN will stimulate better standards and procedures for sharing disaster information for all phases of disasters. A special emphasis is given to better use of technology and remote sensing; but some users may find it hard to use the Internet to obtain the right information in the right format on time. This could be because the Internet is hard to reach outside the capital, or is very expensive, as is the case in many disaster prone nations. It might also be because there are too many providers on the Internet, and it hard to find those with the special abilities needed to answer the users specific needs. The facilitator is intended to reduce these barriers -- though not replace national systems, which all users should use first. Models: The Working Group is not limited to any one model; but a possible model for an Information Facilitator Office was proposed at GDIN2000. This and other models will be evaluated. Such an office might be managed by a UN agency, or a private concern as a GDIN service. While the concept was agreeable to most of the conference, and there was support for GDIN to facilitate the flow of information this year in some manner, especially as an important disaster season may be about to occur, this specific proposal will need study in order to fully appreciate resource requirements and how the MOU system might operate. What are the obligations under an MOUs system? What parts of this function might be automated? Who can use the system and what disasters are to be covered? These factors and how the idea links to more traditional web structures will be explored by the working group. The Model Proposed at GDIN2000: Without prejudice to the outcome of discussions in the Working Group, a proposed structure and function of an information facilitator was discussed in detail at GDIN2000. The concept was proposed specifically to help disaster managers get the right information in the right format, even in situations where the Internet is not an option, which is often the case in disaster prone nations, even if major relief agencies or the capital has high speed telecommunications.

Deliverables presented at GDIN2004, Washington, DC. March 2004:

Plan for facilitator network for Native American Community linked to Canada and South Africa. Plan for Expedition to New Mexico in April, 2004 to see Pueblo Laquna, Pueblo Zia. Pueblo Zia, Pueblo San Juan and representatives of Pueblo Santo Domingo and Navajo in order to begin plans for network.

Deliverables delivered at GDIN2001, Canberra, Australia. March 2001:

A blueprint for a facilitator.

Initial Participants:

Larry Roeder, Executive Director, GDIN. Jim McLeod, Bureau of Indian Affairs Roland Johnson, Governor, Laguna Pueblo John Chris Ahmie, Chief Executive Officer, Laguna Enterprises Virgil Siow, Acting Emergency Management Coordinator Arthur F. Pierce, Commissioner of Public Safety, Oneida Indian Nation Joe Garcia, First Vice President, National Congress of American Indians David Baxa, President VISTA Technologies Dr Albert Simard, Director, Knowledge Management, Natural Resources, Canada Joseph Hesbrook, Tribal Liaison, FEMA Pierre-Alain Scheib, Director, Advisory Unit to the Secretary General of OECD

Reports and Links:

CD-ROM briefing on Native-American-Canada-South Africa plan available on request. Invitation to the First Mediterranean Conference on Satellite Observation of the Earth - Remote Sensing (316K .pdf) provided by Dr. Dusan Sakulski, Ph.D. GDIN Proposed Early Wanring/Response/Mitigation Service Proposal (284K WORD) GDIN Services Survey This survey (12K pdf) as been developed by the Information Facilitation Working Group, Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN). GDIN's (www.gdin.org) aim is to facilitate and to broker the flow of timely disaster information in the right format to the right people. GDIN's partners come from governments, industry, international organizations, NGO's and academia. Many are professional disaster managers. The purpose of this survey is help define how best to serve the disaster community, in other words, what should be our core services? Your assistance is essential. For questions, contact John Reitz, Laurie Johnson, or Larry Roeder. Dear Information Facilitator Working Group, Attached below please find a copy of the GDIN Information Facilitator Options paper which will provide the basis for discussions during the conference working group sessions. Additionally, as you are aware, there is background consultation forum discussion points for reference purposes as contributed by working group participants. (See attached 48K Word file: GDIN Information Facilator Role Options) For access to online forum: http://www7.itu.int/VirtualOSOCC/login.asp. If you have forgotten your user name and password, which should be your first and last name, with some exceptions, please use; User name: larry Password: roeder. Note to Larry and Jonathan, feel free to add to the GDIN working group web pages, noting it is a paper for discussion purposes. I would look forward to seeing most of you in Canberra next week! Best regards, Alta Haggarty, Information Facilitator Working Group Historical/ Ongoing Disaster Events Data Sharing in GDIN (236K Word Doc.) GDINmatrix (56K Excel Doc.) World Trade Center Disaster RMS Special Report (pdf)