Data Against Natural Disasters : Establishing Effective Systems for Relief, Recovery, and Reconstruction

Data against natural disasters makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the conditions and actions necessary for establishing effective disaster management information systems. The volume's introductory chapters outline the data needs that arise at different stages in disaster response and explore the humanitarian community's efforts to discover more effective mechanisms. These overviews are preceded by an introduction that summarizes some of the key lessons one may derive from the six country (Guatemala, Haiti, Indonesia, Mozambique, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) case studies that constitute the rest of the volume. These six case studies examine country-level efforts to establish information management systems to coordinate disaster response. Not all of the attempts proved successful, but they included important technical and institutional innovations that are worthy of study. Collectively, they yield important lessons both for forward-thinking countries seeking ex ante disaster preparedness and for humanitarian responders hoping to implement good systems quickly after calamities have struck.