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                                 Senegalese children run as locusts spread in the capital Dakar August 2004. © IRIN
                                 have a strong understanding  will not publish it.   and maps are posted daily,
                                 of research methodologies                        received from  2,500  informa-
                                 and how these apply to asses-  Years ago, when we started   tion providers. ReliefWeb has
                                 sing different sources. Our  ReliefWeb, there was a   its own map centre with its own
                                 editors do not simply say: "I  funny cartoon that used to   cartographers. They produce
                                 find that interesting. Let's  be found on the web. There   maps and information gra-
                                 post it". The infoiiiiation  were two little dogs, one   phics. These are done locally in
                                 they acquire has to be part of  was sitting at the keyboard,   both Geneva and New York.
                                 an entire response plan for  the other one on the floor.   Our cartographers work closely
                                                                                                International
                                                                                          the
                                 the particular country or  The one at the keyboard   with
                                 area. If it is for a disaster, we  looks towards the one on the   Federation of the Red Cross
                                 have criteria to measure its  floor and says:  'On the  (IFRC). In fact, an IFRC situa-
                                 humanitarian impact. If it is a  Internet nobody knows you'-  tion report is often our "trigger"
                                 conflict, different criteria  re a dog.' This is a lesson.   to create a map. We make maps
                     T           apply. The standards we  On the internet, in the end,   for OCHA and for the humani-
                     kri l i   F  reliability, timeliness, trust-  For ReliefWeb, our authori-  our scope as we move into a
                                                                                  tarian relief community as a
                                 apply to source acquisition  the user has to ensure that
                                                                                  whole. We are now enlarging
                                 derive from our principles:  the information is credible.
                                                                                  'new' mapping response that
                                 worthiness, integrity, and  ty as a publisher rests on our
                                                                                   ensures updates of all relevant
                                 independence. How do you  ensuring our information is
                                                                                  situation reports and info-
                                 measure independence? One  trustworthy and therefore
                                                                                  graphics that frame key issues.
                                 way is to provide total  defensible.
                     RI M" F1I1   methods and criteria you use  Q: Do you know how   with the information they
                                                                                   The whole point of our service
                                 transparency about the
                                                                                   is to provide decisions-makers
                                 to acquire and assess infor-
                                                          many people are regularly
                                                                                  require to take informed
                                 mation before you publish it.  consulting Relief-web?
                                                                                  decisions.
                                 These are the criteria we
                                 apply to assess our sources.  The ReliefWeb site received
                                                                                   Q: You told me that you have
                                                          an average of   7   million page
                                 If we cannot defend the ori-
                     ,
                                 gin and nature of the source,  views a quarter during 2006
                                                                                   Does this imply that you
                                 we do not use it. If it is clear  and is viewed by up to
                                                                                   work non-stop here in
                                 that the reporting is biased or  400,000 individual users a   twenty-four hour coverage.
                                 otherwise unreliable-- we  month. Over 160 documents   Geneva?
                12 12007 Diva
                           wwwdivainternationaI.
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