Accurate, easily accessible geographic information is crucial to good decision-making in humanitarian operations. The main aim of the Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) project is the development and implementation of a global database to store and exchange geospatial data for WFP and other actors in the humanitarian sector. The SDI, currently in development, is an efficient tool for storing, querying and manipulating large amounts of global geographic information and spatial data for analysis and visualization purposes.
The database will integrate and update data coming from multiple sources, providing each user with the latest datasets, thus avoiding duplications and mistakes. The data models will be shaped according to specific needs and demands of the user groups within the organization.
The data will be accessed through user-friendly web-based platforms (with the possibility of remote access), and it will be integrated into the automated dynamic web-based maps for operational support (Logistics Capacity Assessments, Contingency Plans, etc.)
These data will be available to GIS practitioners in-house (VAM, Emergency Preparedness and UNJLC) and, possibly, to partners. It will also provide a significant source of information for the Early Impact Analysis service, which is a parallel project undertaken by ITHACA.
Expected outputs
The expected output is a set of geographic and alphanumerical data structured in a geo-database, which is consistent, updated, standardized and easily accessible. The database structure will be chosen according to interoperability standards. The web platforms will enable complete software customization based on user demands. The database will also contain catalogues, search engines, data processing tools, map generating tools, user identification and security measures.
Method
The project development process has three components:
- Data infrastructure (how data and attributes are defined and stored);
- Data management (the technology to allow multiple users to query, retrieve, manipulate, edit and save data in a common repository);
- Services (what the users can get from the data repository).
The three components are defined through a process that encompasses the following five phases:
- Identification of requirements (how the user groups work, their location and data required)
- Proposal of solution (draft paper on technical aspects of the proposed solution)
- Trouble-shooting (identification of inconsistencies by user groups)
- Consolidation (agreement on final form)
- Development of prototype (ITHACA team implements the technical components)
Further developments
The European Union is also working toward the implementation of a European SDI. The project INSPIRE is in its fifth year of implementation and is about to accept WFP as the only external participant with which it will share experiences and exchange standards. Contacts with INSPIRE Thematic Working Group on Transport Networks (TWG TN) has been activated.
