Platform Development Consultant – Humanitarian Information Dashboard
1. OVERVIEW
This document outlines the creation of a “Humanitarian Information Dashboard” intended to track and analyze information received from data streams during humanitarian emergencies. The platform monitors, aggregates and visualizes feedback from affected communities to give humanitarian responders an unprecedented level of insight into the ever-changing dynamics of community information needs and thus make informed decisions that save lives.
This project aims to address the issues of information validity and overload in a crisis situation: not to create yet another information channel but rather to allow responders to harness the power of the already existing information channels to analyze, categorize and use the information provided to fill the gaps in information needs during emergencies. A more consistent understanding of the evolving information needs of an affected population leads directly to a related understanding of the programmatic needs of these populations. This in turn enables prompt identification of emerging risks, and therefore delivers a more effective and accountable response. This application will support the work of both local media and international responders by linking the two groups and facilitating the cross-fertilization of information over time.
As no one information management tool currently exists to address the challenges identified above, Internews proposes the creation of a “Humanitarian Information Dashboard” that will simplify and automate the management of information flows from various sources. The Dashboard will be similar in function to the Twitter management dashboard “TweetDeck”, enabling information to be viewed by source (i.e. not only social media but also SMS, voice messages, messaging apps, audio etc.) and topic (i.e. food, water, shelter, security etc.). The Dashboard will be a “smart” system that becomes more sophisticated through increased user interaction and the enrichment of the system’s tagged vocabulary and word associations.
To do this, the project will assess existing tools and technologies and create a platform to aggregate the information outputs of those communication channels. As SMS, IVR, mobile and wireless networks are increasingly utilized in the field of humanitarian response, Internews aims to deliver a system that can combine these information streams into a single aggregated dashboard while enabling an unprecedented level of insight, accessibility and understanding of community information needs.
2. BACKGROUND
In humanitarian disasters people affected by the unfolding tragedy need more than physical necessities: They also have an urgent need for information. In the wake of crises, from earthquakes to armed conflicts, survival can depend on knowing the answers to questions such as: Is it safe to go back home? What is the extent of the damage? Should I stay with my family or go for help? Is there a source of clean water? Where is the nearest health facility? A lack of accurate and timely information in humanitarian crises quickly results in the spread of rumor and misinformation that exacerbates fear, panic and mistrust, and can hamper the effectiveness of response efforts leading to further suffering and the loss of lives.
In recent years the international humanitarian community has placed increasing emphasis on the importance of communicating directly with communities during disaster response, and has begun to recognize and embrace the crucial role that local media can play in providing life-saving information in times of crisis, as well as their role in facilitating dialogue between the humanitarian actors and aid recipients. Additionally, the widespread adoption of personal mobile devices enables new and innovative channels through which to provide information to and gather information from the communities affected.
Emergency response coordinators have not yet established the capacity to consistently manage and process the large flux of information made available through mobile phones, social media and other new technologies, or to translate this flux into meaningful assistance to affected communities. Whilst it is relatively easy to track the dissemination of messages by official sources and mainstream media, sophisticated tools designed to gather and make sense of these new streams of media and information are lacking.
Internews understands that in the information realm, one size does not fit all communities. Our program approach is informed by pioneering research into “information ecosystems” that seeks to understand information flows and trust networks at the community level, to identify gaps, and to respond to the specific information needs of affected communities. Using trusted media channels and technology, Internews’ teams on the ground are at the forefront of developing best practices in humanitarian communication efforts.
Internews has the potential to deploy the Dashboard to its country programs and/or project partners in multiple countries, as a tool for strategic programmatic decision making based on the analysis the tool provides. Over the past 30 years, working with local partners such as universities, public broadcasters and other nonprofit organizations, Internews has supported the development of 4,800 media outlets worldwide including radio and television stations, newspapers and online news sites; and mentored and trained over 80,000 media professionals worldwide. Currently, Internews has projects in over 40 countries and offices in over 25. Many of these projects are being implemented in humanitarian emergency contexts, including Iraq, Ukraine, Afghanistan, South Sudan, West Bank and Gaza.
3. JUSTIFICATION
The main aim of the development of the dashboard:
- Monitor, aggregate and display information from multiple streams of information during an emergency humanitarian situation.
- Provide real-time data analysis to address the issues of information validity and overload in a crisis situation.
- Rank and prioritize information based on human and machine learning.
- Facilitate informed dialog between humanitarian responders and affected communities.
4. OBJECTIVES
Development of the dashboard for:
- Better disseminations and understanding of humanitarian information to and from responders and affected communities.
- Prioritization and improved visibility of important information flowing from big data.
- Build (or build upon) an open-source development community.
5. KEY AUDIENCES
The primary users of the Dashboard will be key decision makers, humanitarian and communication specialists and local media.
6. PROJECT SCOPE
The scope will involve the development of a series of modular components to feed data from a variety of web-based, mobile and offline streams into a dashboard user-interface.
MODULE 1: SMS – Several SMS systems should be able to feed into the Dashboard – RapidPro, FrontlineSMS/FrontlineCloud and Clickatell. SMS can be sent to the Dashboard, get tagged and categorized, and be sent back as bulk or individual SMS.
MODULE 2: IVR – The Dashboard will allow IVR systems to feed information. One system can be chosen from a range: Verboice, Freedom Fone, Souktel, Dimagi, etc. The administrator can listen to voice messages recorded, tag them by topic and category, and send voice messages back as a call to the sender. The tagging and categorization system should be accessible for any audio content, including radio programs and audio news reports fed into the system through RSS feeds.
MODULE 3:Instant Messaging Apps. For now, one app will feed information into the Dashboard: WhatsApp. Internews has seen an increased use of WhatsApp in developing countries. The administrator can tag information from a chat group, delete irrelevant information, and respond back if relevant.
MODULE 4: Social Media – For now, two social media platforms will be allowed to feed information into the Dashboard: Twitter and Facebook. The administrator can tag information from a specific hashtag, Twitter user, list or Facebook page, delete irrelevant information, and respond back if relevant.
MODULE 5: RSS Feeds – This module will aggregate information from websites with RSS feed capability. Administrators can see in real time stories related to the emergency response as they are published. This information can be categorized and tagged according to location and topic. The ability to bulk import a list of RSS feeds should also be available to the user.
MODULE 6: CSV, XLS and HDX uploads–This module will allow organizations already creating their own information systems to upload their data (specifically questions received from the population) in any format. This information can be categorized and tagged according to location and topic.
MODULE 7: FORMS – For organizations without access to the above channels, they can input data using a form (eg. Magpi, KoboToolbox). Many organizations are already sending content to be captured, tagged, categorized, and shared.
Each module can be deployed separately so the Dashboard can be customized per deployment. It can be used incrementally, starting with one module and adding more. The Dashboard will aggregate data received and allow several tasks to be performed:
TASK 1: AGGREGATION – Data can be aggregated according to channel, and the administrator will be able to see the sender, date and time in which the information was submitted (and location, when available). Administrators should be able to configure a preset dashboard around a central topic and accessible as a starting page for users (eg. Ebola in Liberia, IDPs in South Sudan).
TASK 2: TAGGING, CATEGORIZATION and FILTERING – Administrators can review and delete irrelevant information, tag data by location, and categorize information by topic. The administrator can filter information within categories or tags. The system will add a learning algorithm to allow the Dashboard to “learn” through more interaction, and filter content through machine (sentiment evaluation, codification, key influencers, semantic analysis, situational awareness) and human-assisted data analysis (content ratings, tagging, metadata edits).
TASK 3: ANALYSIS and REPORTS – Information will be automatically processed to produce analysis and reports displayed on the Dashboard. The administrator can look for trends as well as sudden changes in needs. This analysis will be visualized and made available as downloadable charts and maps, to be sent to relevant stakeholders.
7. DUTIES TO BE CARRIED OUT
- Work with the Internews Project Manager to refine the Requirements Statement document.
- Work with the Internews Project Manager to develop the Functional Specifications document.
- Meet relevant staff of the Internews Team to discuss their needs and their ideas about the Dashboard design
- Conduct an assessment – to be formulated in an Inception Report – of existing applications and open-source projects, frameworks and tools appropriate to the Dashboard.
- Suggesting UI challenges and solutions to the display of complex textual and visual information.
- Suggesting challenges and solutions to data analysis including semantic analysis, situational awareness, sentiment evaluation and machine tagging of content.
- Suggesting the considerations around data availability (eg. firehose/REST access, API limits), storage requirements, operating expenses (eg. cloud computing, AWS) and technical solutions for searching of historical and real-time data across each of the modules.
- Identifying availability of existing open-source tools and opportunities for collaboration. If relevant, suggest specific approaches to open-source the backend, frontend and generated data collectively or as individual components.
- Conduct background scoping and research works on at least 5-6 dashboard interfaces (some of which suggested by the Internews Project Manager) for research of similar nature and present their salient features and innovations
- Propose 2 to 3 approaches to achieve the aims and objectives of the Dashboard.
- Present preliminary budgets for each option.
- Gather and incorporate the Internews team feedback on the Inception Report.
- Provide iterative UI design prototypes for usability testing and comply with usability testing results in further development of prototypes if needed.
- Design and develop the Dashboard web application through an incremental development process starting with the dashboard framework and progressing through the modules and tasks listed in section 6 of this document.
- Host the code on a repository (eg. GitHub) and establish an issue tracking tool (eg. Trac).
- The application developers and UI designer will be encouraged to make use of their expertise and creativity to propose and implement relevant application enhancements.
- Prepare and present a budget for updating and maintaining the application server and software with on-going technical support on an annual basis.
- Provide a Guarantee of Works for a period of 3 months from the agreed completion date.
8. METHODOLOGY
Adoption of the Agile approach to deliver the modules and other tasks incrementally. The design of the user interface should be based on a Human-Centered Design approach that incorporates feedback and an iterative design process. The firm/consultant applying for this project will be requested to show their expertise with Agile methodologies and Human-Centered Design.
9. TIME SCHEDULE
The entire work should be completed before August 31stwith possible extension for additional modules pending additional incoming funding. A support period and Guarantee of Works for a period of 3 months should be given extending from the completion date. The development firm / consultant will present a work-plan and timeline based on which the Project Manager will supervise the work progress.
10. BUDGET
The entire design, development, support (3 months), hosting (12 months), licensing and associated expenses for the project is not to exceed $US100k.
11. FINAL DELIVERABLES
- Fully functional and open-source licensed Dashboard application.
- Detailed operational and setup guides for establishing the server and using and managing the Dashboard.
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