IASC Guidelines for Common Operational Datasets in Disaster Preparedness and Response, 2010

Numerous challenges in information management arise during a major disaster or conflict. An example of such a challenge is the accuracy of data collection for recording damage to housing, infrastructure, and services or tracking displaced populations, distributing massive influx of humanitarian supplies, and coordinating the work in and between clusters as well as dozens of agencies outside the cluster approach. Baseline and post disaster information is collected and controlled by many autonomous actors, including national authorities, many of whom may be working together for the first time. Developing and implementing a basic framework that improve the interoperability of data collected before, during and after an emergency are essential to building better response capacities.

These guidelines outline the common datasets needed to respond to humanitarian emergencies, as well as the governance model for the management of the data (i.e. accountabilities and responsibilities). Key terms are defined to gain an understanding of the guidelines, including technical standards that support data quality and interoperability.