The Information Management Team of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Dakar has launched?.
Data Manager Mar¨¨me Thiam and Web Analyst Elhadji Chamsidine "Chams" Mar¨¦na Man¨¦ tell us more about what¡¯s behind this innovative platform designed to provide simplified access to humanitarian data in West and Central Africa from 2017 to the present.
The conceptualization phase
The??was developed to make data easily accessible to all humanitarian partners at all times.
¡°Until now, internally, data was stored in a variety of ways and places, from individual computer folders to SharePoint sites, making it difficult to share with external partners in a consistent, coherent manner,¡± Mar¨¨me Thiam explains.
¡°Now, partners can access verified and validated data through a centralized, systematic, and agile structure, saving time and improving efficiency.¡±
Internally, the platform has also significantly enhanced operations with the region. Aggregated data is now easily accessible, making it smoother to prepare for meetings or create presentations.
¡°Tasks that used to take days can now be completed in just a few clicks,¡± says Ms. Thiam.
At a glance
DAVIS allows users to explore humanitarian data by theme (food security, education, funding, and more), type of crisis, timeframe, and countries/regions where OCHA has a presence.
The platform is available in English and French, and it is updated at least once a month and ad hoc as needed.
One of DAVIS¡¯ strongest assets is the ability to export selected data using filters, which simplifies data access for partners depending on its use.
In the past, data was shared only upon request for reports or presentations. Now, the primary responsibility of the team is to ensure that the data is reliable and accurately represented on the platform.
The team behind DAVIS
This platform is the result of the collective efforts of a whole team. ¡°We all have a specific role,¡± Thiam tells us.
¡°For instance, Chams is the technical focal point, while I focus on data collection and verification, but the reality is that over the years, we have collaborated with other colleagues without whom the platform simply wouldn¡¯t exist.¡±
If you would like to know more about DAVIS, you can reach out to mareme.thiam@un.org and?mane2@un.org.
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