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Implement
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Secondary Data Review
How will you do it?
Whether in the aftermath of a sudden onset or during a protracted crisis, a large amount of secondary existing data is usually available: pre-crisis water point databases, rapid assessment report, reports and database about previous crisis etc. This information was generally produced in an uncoordinated or disharmonised way, and is hardly usable as such to get a general overview of the needs and plan possible response. Implement a Secondary Data Review consists in gathering this information, summarizing it into small, relevant pieces, systematically entering and organizing those small pieces into a single location, and then interpreting and drawing meaning from the compiled information to inform decision making. This relevant information can be organized in the form of datasets, reports, assessments, emails, phone calls, meeting minutes, media and even conversations. Due to the large volume of information collected, having a single location that serves as a structured bank or database of information makes the subsequent analysis of this information much easier.
Ongoing analysis of your secondary data can initially support most of your coordination-related activities: developing Cluster strategies, understanding needs, determining caseloads, etc. Furthermore, SDRs will help determining information gaps, whether primary data needs to be collected, what questions to ask when collecting it, what geographic locations to visit, etc.
An SDR usually follows the below . This data, collected by actors such as national governments, NGOs, UN agencies, development organizations, etc., is often challenging to analyze and process because of their overwhelming amount, uneven quality and incomplete coverage. To make sense out of existing data, you need to implement a Secondary Data Review (SDR), which is defined as “a rigorous process of data collation, synthesis and analysis building on a desk study of all relevant data available (ACAPS 2014)”.
The objective of a SDR is two-fold. At the early stage of a sudden onset, the SDR helps you informing the initial response and feeding planning documents such as the Situational Analysis and Flash Appeal. Furthermore, the SDR helps you identifying information gaps that need to be addressed and designing adequately primary data collection, including methodology, indicators and coverage.
Throughout the crisis, the SDR should continue on a regular basis. It will either remain your most important source of data, or complement any primary data you collect to inform the response and feed key planning documents (HNO, HRP, Cluster Strategy, etc.). For this reason, the SDR should be considered a continuous and iterative process rather than a one-off activity. For more comprehensive guidance, please refer to ACAPS’ technical brief (2014) in the Key guidance and tools section.
A SDR generally follows those steps:
Collect existing assessments and other secondary data
Compile all relevant sources Locate, track and compile relevant pieces of information (documentsreports, websitesmaps, datasets, etc.) into a shared location, folder on a platform such as shared Dropbox or Box folders. This will be an ongoing process as more information sources are found. For Google Drive. For a list of potential sources, see the Global WASH Cluster GWC list of key WASH sources in below the Key Guidance guidance and Toolstools.
Create an assessment / secondary data registry
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