from the horizon

I’m posting a paper which I prepared for a ISCRAM (Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management) Workshop in China which I am going to this week.

ABSTRACT
Databases are an important tool for International Non Government Organizations (INGOs) to use for disaster management. However they are only a component of a larger information system, and must correspond to the useful information which people can collect practically. Determining how a database records information is an important consideration. Flexible data entry allows the user to enter more detailed information and respond to changing circumstances. However fixed options simplify the data entry process and allow information to be analyzed more easily. All stakeholders must be involved to implement a database, and their feedback is vital for the continued improvement of the system. INGO head offices need to support the development of software in field locations, as this is where the context is best understood. If this is done, databases have the potential to empower staff with information.

The ‘Tukul’ where I ran a training in Uganda

Keywords
Databases, disasters, developing countries, LDCs, software development, design requirements, participation.

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Billboard on the expressway between Islamabad and Peshawar. It seems more out of place than me. Laugh.

On my last weekend in Peshawar my friend Bakht, took me around the Old City in Peshawar. We walked around the narrow streets, past the stores selling gold, spices, tea, leather, metalwork, meat and a variety of plastic goods imported from China. The streets were filling with people, autorickshaws, donkeys, horse and carts, cars and a fragrance that told me where I was.

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Just in case people were thinking it was all fun and games in Pakistan, here is a post about the actual work I was doing.
I guess I could consider myself as somewhat of an IT missionary: Bringing my faith in technology, and its benefits, to far away lands.

I had developed a logistics database (called ProLogs) while I was in Banda Aceh (Indonesia), although it wasn’t fully implemented there before I left. My mission was to implement it in Pakistan. I knew that this was going to be hard from the start, although I was still surprised about how hard I found it. Read the rest of this entry »

I told Justine that I’d wear a hat to the office if she did.

She called my bluff. We wore the hats.

Sometimes it’s the crazy things that keep you sane.

Note: I’m slowly getting my Blog up to date. I’m post dating the entries, but so as not to confuse you: I’m not actually in Pakistan anymore, but I’ve still got heaps to write about!

For Jo’s last week in Pakistan, we decided to explore the Hunza Valley in the north of Pakistan.

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Just out of Islamabad is the archeological site of Taxila, dating from the 6th century BC to the 5th century AD. It is a reminder of Pakistan’s Buddhist history and geographical position as a cross roads between cultures. Alexander the Great passed through here in 326 BC, on his way to India.

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While I was staying in Peshawar I had a pleasant visit from a friend of mine from New Zealand, Andrew (aka Corb) and his girlfriend Kelly. They’ve been traveling overland from Bangkok, and were passing through Pakistan en route to Iran. So I insisted that they stay with me, as much as to help keep me sane out here, as out of hospitality. After 3 months on the road, I think it was quite nice for them to have a house to stay in, complete with cable TV, AC and cleaner, not to mention the visits to the American Club for western food (and drinks!), buffet dinners and the Red Cross Pilots Bar (Toga Party – enough said). It was interesting to have their reflections on the NGO lifestyle, and made me realize that we do actually have it pretty good here.

Making the most of their visit, we planned a day trip the Khyber Pass. No, not the road in Newmarket, but the historic route connecting Pakistan with Afghanistan. So a van, was hired, the troops were rallied (including a few extras), and we began our assault on the Khyber.

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Maybe I shouldn’t be putting this on my blog, there are much more interesting things I haven’t had the chance to write about yet, but I think that this is pretty interesting. I really don’t want to worry anyone, but I think that it adds a bit of insight into some opinions here.

Below is a translation from a local newspaper, which is fairly opposed to international NGOs. Before launching into it I would like to say a couple of things:

• I have not heard any confirmation of any of this.
• I have never felt that my security has ever been in danger here.
• There were similar sentiments in Banda Aceh, especially towards World Vision.
• Any organization which is preaching another religion has no business doing humanitarian work. They are missionaries and colonialist, not humanitarians. Faith based organizations can be ok, but they must respect the local religion/culture/traditions. Those who don’t are patronizing, destructive, and ultimately put my security in danger.

I hope that I don’t get in trouble for posting this. At the end of the day I think that security is tied very closely to information. The more information I have, the more secure I am. I think that this applies on a global, as well as a personal scale. I’m not talking about the CIA bugging your phone to catch terrorists, but I’m talking about people getting to know and understand people from all over the world. An ignorant person is a dangerous person. Although I was a little apprehensive about coming here, after meeting the people here, I feel safe.

Anyway … On with the show:

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One of my favourite things about Pakistan is the trucks, which are decorated to such fantastic detail. From my western perspective it doesn’t make any sense. So much cost and effort goes into decorating them, with bright colours, jingling chains, colourful hubcaps, windmills, streamers and other paraphernalia. And all these accessories must slow the trucks down, and make them rather hazardous. I’ve been told that the tradition dates back to the carts in villages, and it has developed from that. However, all I have to do is watch (and hear) one drive by and no further justification is required. They are so different, so diverse, such an expression on wheels. Truly beautiful.

So one day, Jo and I went off to investigate one of the workshops where all of this work was done.

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