Emergency Information Management and Telecommunications - Trainer's Guide - 1st Edition (Disaster Management Training Programme, 78 p.): PART 1: EMERGENCY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (2 hours): 35. Steps in building institutional memory capacity

Emergency Information Management and Telecommunications - Trainer's Guide - 1st Edition (Disaster Management Training Programme, 78 p.)

PART 1: EMERGENCY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (2 hours)

		(introduction...)
		3. Part 1: Learning objectives
		4. Emergency information management
		5. Emergency information management as a ''cycle''
		6. Identifying needs
		7. Identifying needs by phase
		8. Information needs for contingency planning
		9. Early warning information for complex emergencies
		10. Information needs for emergency response
		11. Information needs for rehabilitation and recovery activities
		12. What we sometimes assume
		13. What is often the real situation
		14. Information needs for mitigation activities
		15. Gathering data: choice of techniques and phases of disaster
		16. Choice of data gathering technique depends on:
		17. Managing data-gathering
		18. Establishing a baseline
		19. Common sources of baseline data
		20. Common sources of baseline data
		21. Quantitative vs. qualitative methods of data gathering
		22. Quantitative, statistical sampling techniques
		23. Qualitative data-gathering techniques
		24. Inter-agency approach to data gathering
		25. Tools for data-gathering
		26. Geographic Information Systems
		27. Presentation of GIS information
		28. Other tools for data-gathering
		29. Data analysis and information production
		30. Tools for data analysis and information production
		31. Information dissemination: management concerns
		32. Coordination structures and information dissemination
		33. Use of the media in information dissemination
		34. Institutional memory
		35. Steps in building institutional memory capacity

35. Steps in building institutional memory capacity

Figure

Briefly present the steps indicated on the overhead involved in building an institutional memory. Emphasize that the process requires a commitment by management and the resources to carry out that commitment.

1. Budgeting resources for development and maintenance
2. Designating staff (for gleaning, recording, storing, retrieving, disseminating experience)
3. Setting priorities, schedules for information gathering
4. Designing and training all staff in information retrieval procedures

Information Management Exercise(s):

At this point in the session you may want to hold a small group exercise to permit the participants to work with some of the concepts you have been presenting. Possibilities include any of the "Q&A" or Zenon Case Study exercises included in Part 1 of the training document. Particularly useful exercises include:

· Refugee malnutrition in Zenon
· Drowning in Zenon
· Information sharing in Zenon

You may decide to assign each group the same exercise, or assign different exercises to cover more of the material. Divide the plenary group into small groups (four to seven members each.) Ask each group to read the assigned exercise(s), generate answers and list them on a flip chart, and be prepared to report their results back to plenary.

Tell the small groups to appoint a facilitator (whose job is to ensure all members take part, watch the clock, and keep the discussion moving) and a reporter (whose job is to take notes on the flip chart and make the presentation to the plenary group.)

BREAK (30 minutes)

This is a good time to take a break.