Even in the initial stage of an emergency, a large amount of secondary 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 steps:
Collect existing assessments and other secondary data
Compile all relevant sources of information (documents, websites, datasets, etc.) into a shared location, such as shared Dropbox or Box folders. This will be an ongoing process as more information sources are found. For a list of potential sources, see the Global WASH Cluster list of key WASH sources in below Key Guidance and Tools.
Create an assessment / secondary data registry
Read the sources (this can be done by a team of person), enter relevant information into your SDR tool and tag the information accordingly. Compile entered data into a single database. Clean the compiled secondary data to ensure data has been entered and tagged correctly.
Analyse the secondary data according to your pre-defined tags and analysis questions. Identify gaps where no assessment has taken place yet, or only incomplete ones.
Share Secondary Data Review findings
Draft an SDR report (you can use the GWC SDR Report template, see Key Guidance and Tools below); this can be either a formal report that is shared widely with WASH partners or a simple, informal running list of key findings and information gaps that is used internally within the WASH Coordination platform.