Use of Date Fusion and Information Management for decision making

1. Defining An Operational Space for NGOs
Situational Awareness and Decision Making with a Data Fusion Tool
A Short Brief By
Larry Winter Roeder, Jr.
Former Policy Adviser On Disaster Management
US Department of State

2.  All NGOs need to become familiar with information and knowledge
management as a decision-making support skill set. The follow
information-management tool or Date Fusion matrix is an example.
 Ovals show classes of questions and answers are shown in a matrix.
 This approach greatly simplifies decision making on resources, when or
where to deploy and who best to send by defining the Operational Space
in which an NGO might operate.
 Sample questions are provided in Ovals. Others could be used.
 Once the operational space is defined, the job isn’t over. Questions on
available resources, talents and other issues will also limit the space
under a wide variety of circumstances.
 Keep in mind that even if circumstances might prohibit an NGO from
working in a specific situation or country, that might not prevent it from
supporting others which can. For example, an American NGO expert in a
disease might not be able to enter Iran; but could fund an different NGO
that can.

3. How does the NGO Decide Who to Help, Who is Most at Risk
Land
Animals Disease
YES
Operating
Area
NO
Maybe
Conflict
Disasters
Security
One NGO Can’t Help Everyone

4. Situation Awareness: A Continual Iterative Process using
Data Fusion Techniques
To define the basic operating space, many filtering questions need to
be asked, some dealing with laws and visa restrictions, some are
political, some are science based or skills based. All of these things
can be graphed.
Using interlocking graphs, the
Imagery answers to these questions can
Terrain Elevation Data
be “fused” using GIS software to
Geodetic Data
Resources and Talents
present a true situational
Topographic Data awareness. The following are
Aeronautical Data just samples used to stimulate
Laws and Regulations discussion.
Situational awareness provides the basis for
providing professional advice on which NGO
resources should be deployed before and
Operating Space
after a disaster, or in risk reduction.

5. Choosing Nations -- First Filter
Never, e.g. North Korea, or perhaps a particular
province or region. (without significant change.
Note: Decisions to Possible, e,g, The goal of a matrix
limit operations are Sudan is to put the right
not necessarily NGO in the right crisis
politically based. at the right time. If
Operating an NGO is the wrong
More often, they are
Area fit, it should not
skill based.
intervene.
First choose the nations the NGO will not work inside without significant
changes, e.g. North Korea.. Next choose countries which under special
circumstances, the NGO might operate, like Sudan. This leaves the rest
of the world. (Operating Area,). An NGO is willing to operate in any of
these nations, except as further filtered by the rest of the questions.

6. Second Filter – What if the NGO only Handles Animals?
First choose animals the NGO is
not skilled to protect, e.g. insects
or fish (even in countries the NGO
Animals Not
otherwise might operate in.
Protected
Next choose animals which under
special circumstances, the NGO Animals Might
might protect, due to modest skills. Be Protected
This leaves the rest of the animals. (Operating
Area). The NGO will protect all of these
species, except as filtered out by other
questions, e.g. even if an animal would other Operating
wise be helped, there is no support from NGO Area:
in a country the NGO can’t otherwise operate Primary Animals
inside of.
This slide is orientated towards an animal welfare NGO; but the topic might be people, or in the
case of an NGO that protects cultural items, perhaps Museums, works of art, etc. The logic is the
same

7. Third Filter – Which Disasters Does NGO Deal With?
Choose disaster types NGO is not
skilled in or as policy doesn’t work Prohibited Disasters
in, e.g. oil spills, nuclear, civil war or
near hemorrhagic fever -- even in an
otherwise OK geography.
Choose disasters which under
special circumstances, NGO might Possible Disasters
handle, e.g. drought, even if not
top skill set.
Operating
Area Disasters
NGO works in
This leaves the rest. (Operating Area). As an example, an animal welfare
NGO might protect any animal in these disasters, except as otherwise
filtered out . In that situation, even if a species would other wise be helped
in a specific geography , the NGO will not intervene, whereas other animal
welfare NGO’s might.

8. Fourth Filter – What Diseases or Injuries Will NGO Treat?
Choose types of diseases or
Animal or Humans Not
injuries NGO not skilled to
Protected
deal with, (even in countries
NGO operates in.
Choose diseases or Animals or Humans Might
injuries which under Be Protected
special circumstances,
NGO might handle.
Operating
Area
This leaves the rest of the diseases or injuries. (Operating Area). NGO will
handle any of these, except as filtered out by other questions. For example,
even if rabies or broken bones might be handled ordinarily, they won’t be in
a prohibited country or circumstance.

9. Fifth Filter – Levels of Acceptable Conflict
First choose types of
Prohibited Conflict
conflict that are not
Status
acceptable for NGO
operations, e.g. open
warfare.
Problematic Conflict
Next choose types of
conflict where NGO
might operate, e.g.
peacekeeping like Operating
Afghanistan. Area
This leaves the rest of the types of conflicts. (Operating Area). In
other words, whereas some NGOs will operate in combat zones, others
limit themselves to peacekeeping operations where there is more
control, whereas others are not skilled in such activities at all; but
might handle political demonstrations

10. Sixth Filter – Levels of Acceptable Security Risk
First choose types of
security risks that are not Prohibited Security
acceptable for the NGO’s Status
operations, e.g. targeting of
NGO’s by insurgents.
Problematic Security
Next choose types of
security risks where the
NGO might operate,
e.g. high crime. Operating
Area
This leaves normal security – low crime, low risks of targeting of NGO’s.
(Operating Area). Every NGO will have an acceptable level of risk, which
needs to be defined. Keep in mind a well defined security package may
mitigate against the risk.

11.  There are many questions which could be
asked, some as simple as those dealing with
costs. Costs of Operations is certainly a
filtering questions. If an NGO can’t afford to
travel to a crisis, that would prohibit an
operation unless supplementary funding
were found. On the other hand, the NGO
might also supplement a indigenous NGO
with the right skill sets.