Overview
This page outlines the recommended best practices in the management, storage and dissemination of datasets, information products, and associated files at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). These best practices were defined based on inputs from several country and regional offices as well as best practices from other UN agencies.
The purpose of the following is to provide a set of clear procedures and data structures that can support the varied uses of datasets within OCHA. In order to be considered, a given practice must help OCHA meet the following criteria:
- Predictability of data filing: new staff should be able to easily locate a given dataset
- Archiving: out of date data sets are retained, but do not clutter the file system
- Ease of update to map products: updating data sets should not break documents that link to them
- Off-site duplication of data: when ‘official’ backup systems are not in place, it must be easy to synchronize data to other locations
- Flexibility to work quickly: during emergency responses, data management must support the need to work quickly while maintaining sufficient order in the filing system to allow new staff to easily assume their duties
- Interoperability: the file formats and data structures must support data sharing with other members of the humanitarian community
- Fulfill mandated roles: OCHA has been mandated to be the guardian of the Common Operational Datasets. Any best practice must allow OCHA to fulfill that duty.
- Respect data confidentiality and security: data management strategies must ensure, to the extent practical, that sensitive data are kept secure
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