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Availability of Baseline
Data for Disaster Risk
Management in Fiji
Workshop on Strengthening DIMS for Fiji
2-4 September 2009, Suva
Joe Chung
What is Baseline Data?
Information outside of disaster events about
settlements, living conditions, vital infrastructure, etc,
as well as hazards and vulnerability patterns.
Data compiled from many sources, such as health,
population and maps of key social infrastructure
such as health clinics, schools, water, roads, etc.
Data that must be readily accessible to assist
disaster assessments.
Data required for disaster risk reduction planning,
implementation and monitoring.
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Baseline data describes the situation
outside of a disaster event and helps us to
understand it better
Disaster
Assessment data
Baseline data
Disaster
Assessment data
Baseline data
Disaster
Assessment data
Baseline data
Baseline data is used to:
Provide relevant and up-to-date background
information to complement on-the-ground
assessments of disaster events to help
determine the needs;
Provide information regarding the pre-
disaster situation;
Support longer term analysis of disaster risks
and disaster preparedness activities;
Support disaster management policy
formulation and implementation.
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Sources of baseline data in Fiji
National surveys or mapping exercises
such as aerial photographs or GIS
Administrative records (i.e. usual
reporting systems) of government
ministries, departments or corporations.
Natural hazard analysis – eg studies of
flood risk areas and geological hazards
from Dept Mineral Resources, or records
of National Meteorological Office
Data Producers & Data Collators
Main primary data producers: Ministries of Education;
Health; Provincial Development and Multi-ethnic
Affairs, Primary Industries and Sugar, Works,
Transport and Public Utilities, Local Government,
Housing and Environment; Women, Social Welfare
and Housing; Lands; Industry, Tourism, Trade and
Communications, Bureau of Statistics, FEA, Telecom,
and Fiji Red Cross Society.
Main national data collating agency: Fiji Lands
Information System (FLIS) Support Centre through
the Fiji Land Information Council (FLIC).
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National Disaster Management
Office (NDMO)
NDMO has both a data collating role, through
its need to access baseline data, and a data
producing function through its responsibility
for coordinating disaster assessments in the
immediate post-disaster period.
NDMO is currently under-equipped to
perform either function adequately.
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Many ministries routinely collect
relevant information for DRM
How to (i) sort data
(ii) collate (iii) update
(iv) identify & assist
users?
How to get the right
data, for (different
types of) response
not all the data?
Education
Infrastructure
Agriculture
Provincial &
Rural
Development
Health
Baseline data
Regional & international
agencies
SOPAC: The main regional organisation with a
technical capacity for disaster risk management.
SPC, SPREP also have DRM relevant data
International agencies: Many regional and
international agencies are based in Fiji and provide
humanitarian assistance, including UN agencies
(UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA, UNDP, OCHA, ISDR), ADB,
World Bank, European Union, AusAID, NZAID,
Japanese Government and other bilateral agencies.
Generally, international agencies use or assist the use
of national DRM data, rather than produce it.
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DRM Management Issues
The capacity of NDMO to meet its responsibilities
NDMO remains under-resourced to carry out many
of its responsibilities, particularly in data
management.
Duplication of baseline databases without good
coordination Many Fiji government agencies have
established databases or GIS systems but these
systems were not being fully utilized. A whole range
of new research bodies have been created within
government, but the basic problem of data creation
and collection had not been solved.
How to develop NDMO
capacity?
What functions should NDMO
develop that will not duplicate the
capacity and functions of FLIS?
How can FLIS support NDMO in
maintaining and accessing baseline
data and coordinating with other key
ministries?
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THANK YOU