The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading inter-governmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. It is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all and works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.
The Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) continually tracks and monitors displacement across countries allowing IOM to identify the locations to which IDPs have chosen to settle. The location and population of these IDPs are recorded and further in-depth assessments are conducted to identify the multi-sectorial needs of the displaced.
IOM is currently working on a global DTM out of their office in Geneva. The goal is to produce a monthly combined DTM for all countries, starting with camp status (the type of DTM usually shared on HDX), and about 25 columns (which they refer to as "indicators"). The global DTM will be HXL tagged. We've also begun discussions between UNHCR (Laurent Pitoiset) and IOM (Muhammad Rizki) to ensure that the HXL tags they use for refugee and migrant data are well-aligned, and each is interested in becoming a consumer of the other's data.
The initial overview and first analysis of the data structure of datasets have been moved into separate pages, so that this page contains the latest analysis (below).
Jump to Initial Overview
Jump to Data Structure - First Analysis
Jump to Data Structure - Second Analysis
Data Structure - Third Analysis
IOM suggested looking at baseline rather than site assessment data.
Yemen - IOM TFPM DTM Dataset (April 2016) - Baseline data
File: r9_TFPM_Master_List_Apr2016.xlsx
This is at an aggregated level and has multiple sheets with data split across two main sheets:
"IDP Location lvl" containing the single line header:
| Assessed Governorate | Assessed District | Site Name | Site Name A | Site PCode | Latitude | Longitude | Year of Displacement | Month of displacement (2015 - 2016) | Governorate of Orgin | District of Orgin | # Conflict IDP HHs | # Conflict IDP Individuals | # Natural Disaster IDP HHs | # Natural Disaster IDP Individuals | Total IDP HHs | Total IDP Individuals | Avg Family Size | Camps | Using Rented Accomodation | With Host Families Who are Relatives (no rent fee) | With Host Families Who are not Relatives (no rent fee) | Using Schools, Health Facilities, Religious Building | Using Private or Public Building | In Informal Settlement (Grouped Families) in Urban Areas | In Informal Settlement (Grouped Families) in Rural Areas | Out of Settlement (Isolated Families) | Main Need | Interview Date | Assessment Round | Source Of Info. |
"Returnees Location lvl" containing the single line header:
| Governorate | GovernoratePCode | DistrictEN | DistrictPCode | OfficialPlaceEN | OfficialPlaceArabic | PCode | Latitude | Longitude | Returnees Conflict HHs | Returnees Conflict Individuals | Returnees Disaster HHs | Returnees Disaster Individuals | Total Returnees HHs | Total Returnees Individuals | Source Of info. |
DTM Cameroon Round III - Baseline data
File: DTM_CMR_Baseline_Analysis_Round3_V3_ED_AA v4.xlsx
IOM DTM - Mosul crisis Baseline data
File: EmergencyTracking_DTM_IOM_IDPs_Dataset.xls
Libya - IOM DTM Dataset (June 2016) - Baseline data
File: rd4_DTM_Master_List_Jun2016.xlsx
This is at an aggregated level and has multiple sheets with the main one "1-DTM Round 4 Dataset" containing the two line header:
| Shabiya_Name_EN | Baladiya_ID | Baladiya_Name_EN | Baladiya_Name_AR | Lat | Long | is area assessed by DTM? (Y,N) | IDP Households | IDP Individuals | IDP households displaced in 2011 | Type of Displacement 2011 | Baladiya of Origin 2011 | IDP households displaced 2012- mid-2014 | Type of Displacement 2012- mid-2014 | Baladiya of Origin 2012- mid-2014 | IDP households displaced after mid-2014 | Type of Displacement after mid-2014 | Baladiya of Origin after mid-2014 | Migrant Individuals in Baladiya | Migrant Individuals in Detention Centers in Baladiya | Migrant Individuals crossing Baladiya | Returnee Households | Returnee Individuals | households displaced by general violence reasons | households displaced by special security reasons | households displaced by economic Reasons | Area have IDPs in Rented_House_Paid | Area have IDPs in Rented_House_NotPaid | Area have IDPs with Host community - relatives | Area have IDPs with Host community - non-relatives | Area have IDPs in schools | Area have IDPs in Public_Building | Area have IDPs Squatting | Area have IDPs in Unfinished_Building | Area have IDPs in Abandoned_Resorts | Area have IDPs in Collective_NonFormal settlements | Area have IDPs where shelter type is unknown |
| ADM2_Shabiya_Name_EN | ADM3_Baladiya_ID | ADM3_Baladiya_Name_EN | ADM3_Baladiya_Name_AR | Latitude | Longitude | Area assessed by DTM | IDPs In Baladiya_HH | IDPs In Baladiya_IND | IDPs In Baladiya HH_2011 | Origin Type 2011 | Origin 2011 | IDPs In Baladiya_HH 2011_2014 | Origin Type 2011_2014 | Origin 2011_2014 | IDPs_In_Baladiya_HH 2014+ | Origin Type 2014+ | Origin 2014+ | Migrants in Baladiya | Migrants in Detention Center | Crossing Migrants | Returnees HH | Returnees Ind | Displacement for violence | Displacement for Security | Displacement for Economic | Rented accommodation (self-pay) | Rented accommodation (paid by others) | Host families who are relatives | Host families who are not relatives | Schools | Other public buildings | Squatting on other people’s properties (e.g. in farms, flats, houses) | In unfinished buildings | In deserted resorts | In Informal Settings (e.g. tents, caravans, makeshift shelters) | Unknown |
Conclusion
Given the lack of any consistency between the DTM Master List spreadsheets, writing a one size fits all automated data checker and cleaner for all of them is challenging. It would involve placing a great deal of "intelligence" into the cleaning program with the possibility that errors are introduced during cleaning for example, by accidentally matching the wrong column heading when making an algorithm to match a very diverse range of names. It may be possible to write cleaners per country but the effort involved would be large.
A better approach is to try to encourage the different offices to use a similar template for their spreadsheets, as from this starting point, writing a cleaner would not be too onerous. If such a template were introduced, it could be HXLated from day one. How easy it would be to invent a template that covers the range of needs is debatable but it is likely to be much easier than trying to process greatly varying spreadsheet formats.
Appendix: IOM Global DTM information
The following files contain a data dictionary and partial sample for the in-progress global DTM, as supplied by IOM in Geneva.
This Google Sheet contains proposed HXL hashtags for the global DTM: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gifTnrz9A2fZ8Tuwg-EClsFvu4QEbC4OUtdgb61dXGs/edit?usp=sharing