Preparing Assessment Forms

Preparing Assessment Forms

Originally uploaded by spangleddrongo

In this photo from Haiti I’m working with Carter Stone from the CDC preparing rapid assessment forms for the Trimble PDA. It’s about 2am and we’re pretty shattered.

What’s wrong with this photo (aside from my haircut)? Remember Iraq? I’ve probably helped develop and deploy about 4 different rapid assessment forms over the years and not one of them has survived a field deployment.

Watch this space for a description of how it Really Happens™ and some thoughts on how to make the workflow better. I’ve been promising this post for a couple of years, but it’s really nearly ready this time, and is Haiti Tested™

Flying into Haiti

Haiti flying

Originally uploaded by spangleddrongo

Hitching a ride is one of the critical skills of humanitarian disaster response teams.

On my way to Haiti

Currently sleep deprived and still jazzed in a hotel in Santo Domingo. I’m wondering what transport the UN is figuring out for me – it did seem funny to walk away from the airport at 2am this morning where some new journalist friends were offering me a seat on a bush leaving just then, or even a seat on a helicopter.

Emergency Information Service

The Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Emergency Information Service is starting to move ahead. Congrats to Monique Villa and Imogen Wall from TR and the iNSTEDD crew for making it happen. I’m glad to say that I had a very small role in helping move this forward, and, finger’s crossed, will have more to do with it in the future.