Sharing geographic data:

Govt to boost disaster response capacity

The Government is working to improve its disaster response capacity by sharing geographic data, say experts. “Ensuring that organisations (national authorities and partners) all use the same geographic data is essential,” Deputy Surveyor-General of the Survey Department Shyamalie Perera, told IRIN.“Sharing digital data will help national authorities and humanitarian organisations exchange data, thereby improving the effectiveness of the humanitarian response for disaster management purposes,” she said.

When disasters occur, resulting in damage to housing, infrastructure, and services, tracking displaced people; distributing food and water; and coordinating the work of humanitarian organisations are key to the Government and its partners’ ability to better respond, say experts.

In September, the Survey Department and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) signed an agreement on digital data dissemination, effectively allowing organisations to use Government geographic data for disaster management.The data is now available on a UN Humanitarian Community Webportal free to users of ArcGIS software, a geographic information system using maps and geographic information.Previously such data, which includes administrative boundaries, population levels and detailed information on transport and water systems in the 65,000sqkm island, had to be purchased from the Survey Department, resulting in delays.

The data is invaluable in establishing baseline information for preliminary reporting, aid workers say. According to the Open Data for Resilience Initiative, which aims at reducing the impact of disasters by empowering decision-makers with better information, data is often collected and shared haphazardly across ministries, aid agencies, organisations and the private sector, while it is unavailable to decision-makers and at-risk populations.