Conflict prevention and early warning

 

 

Summary

 

"Although the central analytical capacity will always be human, ICT can assist in building early warning systems."

 

Excerpt from The Role of ICT in Preventing, Responding to and Recovering from Conflict, published by the ICT4Peace Foundation.

 

"With growing access to new technologies and channels of communication, such as new media and mobile phones, an increasing number of hitherto marginalized, compelling accounts of violence are being recorded for posterity. These accounts can contribute to increased awareness on genocide and crimes against humanity. ICTs can be used to build lasting peace through: providing information, helping people access information, improving decision making, reducing scarcity, supporting relationships and helping people understand each other ICTs can aid these tactics in many ways – high quality citizen journalism and low-cost technologies have helped in processes of transitional justice, accountability, truth seeking and reconciliation alongside other initiatives, including those by government."

 

Excerpt from ICTs for the Prevention of Mass Atrocity Crimes, published by the ICT4Peace Foundation. 

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Resources

 

Scroll down for more information on the following resources: 

 

• CEWARN

• Crisis Mappers

• The Emergency Preparedness Integration Center (EPIC)

• Eyes on Darfur 

• Frontline SMS

• Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS)

• Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System (GIVAS)

• Humantarian Sensor Web (HSW)

• Humanitarian Early Warning Service (HEWSWeb) 

• INA-TEWS: Indonesia Tsunami Early Warning System

• InSTEDD RIFF

• OCHA Early Warning Unit

• Rwanda Genocide Archive

• Rwanda Project of the Center for International Development and Conflict Management

• Satellite Sentinel Project

• Social Media Exchange (SMEx)

• The Swedish Program for ICTs in Developing Regions (SPIDER  

• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's (SIPRI) "Early Warning Indicators for Preventive Policy" 

• Swift River

• Swiss Peace 

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Crisis Prevention and Peace Building Area 

• UN Global Pulse 

• Ushadidi

• West African Network for Peacebuilding: Early Warning and Early Response and WARN

• Witness

• Other resources 

Please also look at the ICT initiatives catalogued in the ICTs in Disaster Preparedness, Mitigation and Adaptation in this wiki.

 

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CEWARN

http://www.cewarn.org

 

Sub-regional mechanism that undertakes conflict early warning and response, fostering cooperation among relevant stakeholders so as to respond to potential and actual violent conflicts in the IGAD region and contributing to the peaceful settlement of disputes in the sub region.

 

Crisis Mappers

http://www.crisismappers.net

 

Leveraging mobile platforms, computational linguistics, geospatial technologies, and visual analytics to power effective early warning for rapid response to complex humanitarian emergencies.  

 

The Emergency Preparedness Integration Center (EPIC)

http://www.wfp.org/content/epic-emergency-preparedness-integration-centre

 

Integrates operational information into a single tool to support humanitarian preparedness and resonse throigh improved information and communication. 

 

Eyes on Darfur

http://www.eyesondarfur.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frontline SMS

http://www.frontlinesms.com

 

FrontlineSMS is the first text messaging system created exclusively to address communication barriers for grassroots non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in developing countries. By leveraging basic tools already available to most NGOs (computers and mobile phones) FrontlineSMS enables instantaneous two-way communication on a large scale. 

 

Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS)

http://www.gdacs.org

 

 

The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System provides near real-time alerts about natural disasters around the world and tools to facilitate response coordination, including media monitoring, map catalogues and Virtual On-Site Operations Coordination Centre.

 

Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System (GIVAS)

http://www.voicesofthevulnerable.net

 

GIVAS stands for Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System. Why do we need another new system, for what purpose and what will it look like once operational? The rationale for this initiative is based on two realizations : global crises have been changing, becoming more complex and interconnected. But we are not adequately equipped to respond, operating with 20th century tools and thinking in the new Millennium. 

 

Humanitarian Sensor Web (HSW)

http://wn.com/ICCM_2009__The_Humanitarian_Sensor_Web

 

Platform that enables humanitarians in the field to map humanitarian infrastructure and events of interest in real time to  improve situational awareness. Also a data collection platform that builds global datasets of critical information before and during crisis- but especially before. 

 

The Humanitarian Early Warning Service (HEWSWeb)

http://www.hewsweb.org/

 

Provides a “global multi-hazard watch to support humanitarian preparedness”; at present it covers only natural disasters and not complex emergencies, but it presents an interesting model for aggregating multiple information sources into an easy-to-use format.

 

INA-TEWS: Indonesia Tsunami Early Warning System

As reported in the Asia News Network, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday launched the Rp 1.4 trillion (US$133 million) Indonesia Tsunami Early Warning System (InaTEWS), despite inadequacies that may cause a significant time lapse in its forecast. As of October 2008, the system comprised of 116 broadband seismometers, 45 tidal gauges and 3 buoys. The government initially planned to operate 160 broadband seismometers, 500 accelerographs, 40 GPS units, 80 tidal gauges and 23 Dart buoys. More information on the system and its capabilities on Deutsche Welle here.

 

InSTEDD RIFF

http://instedd.org/technologies/riff/

 

Riff enables detection, prediction and response to health-related events (such as disease outbreaks or pandemics) through a collaborative environment that combines data exploration, integration, search and inferencing – providing more complex analysis and deeper insight. 

 

OCHA Early Warning Unit

http://ochaonline.un.org/webpage.asp?Page=966 

 

Collaborates with other UN bodies, international NGOs, think tanks, and regional organizations in order to aggregate information and monitor and assess trends and events world-wide that may give rise to humanitarian crises. The Unit monitors developments in around thirty countries and shares its information with country teams on the ground and its other partners. In addition, the Early Warning Unit has assembled a compendium of case studies that are made available to practitioners world-wide via the Internet Forum on Crisis Prevention. 

 

Rwanda Genocide Archive

http://www.genocidearchiverwanda.org.rw/index.php/Welcome_to_Genocide_Archive_Rwanda

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The site contains digitized photos, publications, archival documents, audio recordings and videos relating to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi enriched with synchronized transcripts, searchable index terms, and maps. Videos include testimonies of Genocide survivors and perpetrators, Gacaca Justice System court proceedings, and remembrance ceremonies.

 

Rwanda Project of the Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland at College Park

http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/rwanda/index.htm.

 

The project seeks to help advance reconciliation between Hutu and Tutsi; to assist in this effort, the scholars involved are developing an Africa-focused interactive tool to assist development managers, implementers, and architects in integrating ICT into peace building efforts. Building on an index of forty conflict drivers, the tool will provide a web-based multi-layered matrix linking ICT program results and lessons learned to reduce the conflict potential of each driver and identify strategies for conflict sensitive development. After undergoing an extensive period of prototype testing, the tool will be fully operational by the end of 2005.

 

The Satellite Sentinel Project for Genocide Prevention 

www.satsentinel.org 

 

 

The Satellite Sentinel Project -- initiated by George Clooney -- combines satellite imagery analysis and field reports with Google's Map Maker technology to deter the resumption of war between North and South Sudan. The project provides an early warning system to deter mass atrocities by focusing world attention and generating rapid responses on human rights and human security concerns. Also see the blog, http://thesentinelproject.org/

 

The Swedish Program for ICTs in Developing Regions (The SPIDER Program)

http://www.spidercenter.org/about-ict4d/ict-environment

 

Supporting developing countries in harnessing the benefits of ICTs for development and poverty alleviation through supporting ICT infrastructure, human capacity, ICT content and communication. 

 

Social Media Exchange (SMEx)

http://www.smex.org

 

Develops digital and social media tools to help reduce conflict and empower youth through media training and consulting to civil society and non-profit organisations in Lebanon and the Middle East. 

 

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) “Early Warning Indicators for Preventive Policy”

http://www.sipri.org/contents/it/ewi.html.

 

Launched in 2002, SIPRI’s project makes heavy use of the possibilities provided by new technology. As with the FAST system, the project seeks to break new ground by using a sophisticated quantitative methodology that is complemented by expert analysis. The former relies on the statistical analysis of a database comprising more than 1200 structural and event indicators culled from a wide range of different sources, including a monthly expert survey.  SIPRI is also developing an Integrating Fact Databases as part of its International Relations and Security Project, creating a federated system of databases at different geographical locations, accessible through a single user platform.

 

SwiftRiver

http://swift.ushahidi.com/

 

Open source platform that helps users manage real-time data. Enables the filtering and verification of real-time data from channels such as Twitter, SMS, Email and RSS feeds. Useful for organizations who need to sort their data by authority and accuracy, as opposed to popularity. Organizations include the media, emergency response groups, election monitors and more.

 

SwissPeace

http://www.swisspeace.org, as well as hosting the KOFF Center for Peacebuilding (to strengthen Switzerland’s capacity to address violent conflicts) and the Afghan Civil Society Forum, has also established Frühanalyse von Spannungen und Tatsachenermittlung (FAST) Internationalhttp://www.swisspeace.org/fast. FAST was created in 1998 for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) as an evolution fromearlier early warning systems developed in the wake of the crises in Rwanda and the Balkans. Today, FAST International is also supported by the Austrian, Canadian, Swedish and American governments’ respective development organizations. The system is focused on twenty countries or regions in Africa, Europe and Asia.

 

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Crisis Prevention and Peace Building Area

http://www.undp.org/bcpr/
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By serving as a repository for tools, methods, and experience, BCPR provides both technical knowledge and financial resources to support prevention and recovery efforts. Operating through some 100 country offices, the Bureau provides a bridge between the humanitarian agencies that handle immediate needs and the long-term development phase following recovery.  

 

UN Global Pulse

http://www.unglobalpulse.org/about

 

Monitoring system to better track the impact of compound crises on vulnerable populations. The Global Pulse initiative will work closely with Member States and other development partners to improve evidence-based decision-making and close the information gap between the onset of a global crisis and the availability of actionable information to protect the vulnerable.

 

Ushadidi

http://www.ushahidi.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Information collection, visualization and interactive mapping. A project that builds tools for democratizing information, increasing transparency and lowering the barriers for individuals to share their stories.The Ushahidi Crowd Map can become a tool for early warning as it allows you to collect information from cellphones, the news and the web, aggregatet he information into a single platform and visualize it on a map or a timeline. Can also be used to monitor elections, map crisis information and curate local resources. Also see 'How Ushahidi can become an Early Warning Platform.

 

West African Network for Peacebuilding: Early Warning and Early Response and WARN

http://www.wanep.org/wanep/ecowarn.html

 

Sub-regional peace and security observation system and monitoring tool for conflict prevention and decision-making.  

 

Witness 

http://www.witness.org

 

Video project that bears witness to genocide and related crimes against humanity around the world. Provides online updates from the field, eyewitness testimony, photographs, interactive maps and more.  

 

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Other Resources 

CDEREA- The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency Enhancing the effeciveness of ICTs for disaster management. See projects here.    Conflict Early Warning and Early Response  Patrick Meier’s blog on the theory and practice of conflict early warning and response. Seeks to forecast the outbreak of armed conflict, or, at minimum, to detect the early escalation of violence, with the objective of preventing the outbreak or the further escalation of violence in order to save lives.   Hancock, Lucy (2007), 'ICT for Early Warning and Disaster Preparedness' Presentation to the infoDev/ARD Workshop on Using ICT to support Rural Livelihoods, June 5, 2007, World Bank   Harvard Humanitarian Initiative: Crisis Mapping and Early Warning Aims to connect an active community of Crisis Mappers and to formalize the field of Crisis Mapping.   Lirne Asia ICT policy and regulation think-tank active across South-Asia.    Meier, Patrick (2008), ‘Upgrading the Role of ICT in Conflict Early Warning/Response’ Explaining how ICTs can play an effective and tactical role in bridging conflict early warning with early response.   UN Seminar for Preventing Genocide Examination and online database of how the international community can best prevent genocide.   Woocher, L. (2007), ‘Early Warning for the Prevention of Genocide and Mass Atrocities’  After sketching a basic conceptual framework for early warning, this paper discusses significant limitations of a leading genocide risk assessment model. The analysis suggests that the field may be further than is commonly acknowledged from developing effective early warning methods and mechanisms for the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities.