Humanitarian Data Exchange

OCHA

The Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) is an open-source platform for sharing data in crisis and humanitarian contexts.

Snapshot
Manufacturing & delivery
Performance & use
Research & standards
Feedback

Product description Brand name and product description

The Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) is an open repository where data can be uploaded and shared between organizations. It was designed to provide support in decision making in the context of humanitarian crises.

Target region(s) Target region for distribution/implementation (listed by country if specified)

Worldwide

Distributors/implementing organizations Organization(s) distributing/deploying this product directly to communities/individuals?"

HDX was designed and implemented by OCHA. In 2020, it had contributions from 279 organizations.

Market suggested retail price Price per unit or service price per usage/terms (USD). Subsidies noted.

Free (Open-source)

Competitive landscape Similar products available on the market. May not be a comprehensive listing.

Nethope, Catalogue for predictive models in the humanitarian sector, IATI

SDG targeted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted with this product/application/service

Goal 10: Reduced inequalities

Target user(s) Target user/consumer base (country, income segment)

Anyone working in the humanitarian sector and population affected by humanitarian crisis

Manufacturing/building method(s) Detail regarding solution production or construction method (instructions, mass production capacity, custom made,etc...)

HDX is open-source, and is implemented by the use of a software called CKAN for the back-end. All the code can be found on GitHub.

Product Intellectual Property Open source/IP protected (note patent)/trade secret/other?

Open-source

User Provision Model Where can the product be purchased/acquired by end users?

HDX can be visited

Distribution to date Number of units that have been deployed, downloads or users to date

In August 2020, HDX repository consisted of 17,639 datasets, from 253 locations and 1364 sources.

Fields marked are sourced values that have been evaluated by the manufacturer or a third party, all others are design specifications.

Areas of analysis

Disaster response, socioeconomic, migratory patterns, epidemiology, etc.

Data repository

Data acquisition methods

Anonymous cellular data, mobile app data collection, remote sensing, government census data, etc.

Import and export

Open source code (Y/N/Other)

Is the code of this application open?

Yes

Open source data (Y/N/Other)

Is the data from this application available?

Yes

Subscription required for data aquisition (Y/N)

Is this data available for publishing? Subscription service (payed), publicly available, open source

Additional organizations/companies used to publish or analyze the data? (Y/N)

What organizations/external resources is this product using to publish/analyze data (Worldpop, HDX, etc). Some companies/small organizations make use of existing companies infrastructure to upload their information to the cloud.

Yes

Third party (User) data access

How can new users (Gov, companies, individual, etc) access this data for own use (api, full data export/subsets,etc)

API

Design specifications Component and Operation overview including power, portability, facility requirements, preventative maintenance and user training requirements

HDX intends to aggregate information that is useful in humanitarian contexts, humanitarian data. HDX defines humanitarian data as follows:

data about the context in which a humanitarian crisis is occurring
data about the people affected by the crisis and their needs
data about the response by organisations and people seeking to help those who need assistance

HDX accepts data shared between organizations. The user of HDX needs to be part of an organization, and have the appropriate benefits, in order to be allowed to contribute data. Through HDX, it is possible create a new organization or ask to join an existing one.

The platform is open-source, and data is also open-source. However, there are three ways in which data can be shared in HDX: Public, Private, and By Request.

Product schematics Design and assembly illustrations

N/A

Technical support Technical support provided by

Contact for support can be found here.

Replacement components Availability of replacement components (in-country, by order,...)

N/A

Lifecycle Disposal and warranty

N/A

Manufacturer specified performance targets Designer / Manufacturer specified targets

To make humanitarian data accessible and easy to use for analysis.

Vetted performance Findings of manufacturer evaluations or independent testing centers

The UN has claimed that HDX has been a key enabler for aid agencies to be able to compare and contrast various needs crisis contexts and help enhance the responses.

In 2015, The New York Times used HDX data to report on the Ebola outbreak, showcasing the efforts to address the outbreak to the global audience.

Testing organizations Independent lab, academic research centers, etc.

Full list of testing organizations can be found here.

Safety Potential hazards / risks related to operation of this product

More information on data licenses and terms of service.

Complementary technical systems Performance of this product is improved with another technology (eg. Cookstoves and Wind-blocking skirts)

Humanitarian Exchange Language (HXL), is a language standard intended to make data interoperable between data sources and organizations. It is used in HDX.

Academic research Academic research related to the product (e.g. published papers in peer-reviewed journals)

Keßler, C., Hendrix, C., 2015, The Humanitarian eXchange Language: Coordinating Disaster Response with Semantic Web Technologies, The Semantic Web for all, 1 Jan. 2015 : 5 – 21.

Compliance with regulations Product certifications and standards referenced by designer/manufacturer

More information on data licenses and terms of service.

Evaluation methods Evaluation methods/protocols/guidelines referenced by designer or manufacturer.

Field trials

Other information

UN Radio – Saving lives with data: how the UN is developing digital tools for improved humanitarian aid
Capacity4Dev.eu – Q&A: The challenge of open data in humanitarian response
AcademyHealth – Sixth Annual Health Data Liberator Award Honors Work to Increase Use and Impact of Humanitarian Data
Devex – Opinion: Humanitarian world is full of data myths. Here are the most popular
Center for Data Innovation – 5 Q’s for Sarah Telford, Chief of Data Services at UNOCHA
Aidpreneur – Terms of Reference Podcast, with guest Sarah Telford
Devex – Solving the data conundrum: How to leverage tech and ‘big data’ for impact
Thomson Reuters Foundation – From displacement to death, UN data innovation aims to boost aid response
Huffington Post – Open data platform lets aid groups respond more efficiently to crises
UN News – UN Agencies boost partnership on visualization of food security data for Yemen
The Guardian – Data exchange helps humanitarians act fast and effectively
Fast Company – How the candy crush of data is saving lives in Nepal
Forbes – UN deploys new tech to make relief faster in Nepal
The Independent – Open Data: What is it and why are people so scared of it?

In context photographs (0)

You can use the form below to contribute a photo of this product.

In context files & documents (0)

Feedback from users, customers & distributors

Please let us know your experience in using this product through comments below.

Snapshot

Product description Brand name and product description

Target region(s) Target region for distribution/implementation (listed by country if specified)

Worldwide

Distributors/implementing organizations Organization(s) distributing/deploying this product directly to communities/individuals?"

HDX was designed and implemented by OCHA. In 2020, it had contributions from 279 organizations.

Market suggested retail price Price per unit or service price per usage/terms (USD). Subsidies noted.

Free (Open-source)

Competitive landscape Similar products available on the market. May not be a comprehensive listing.

Nethope, Catalogue for predictive models in the humanitarian sector, IATI

SDG targeted United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted with this product/application/service

Goal 10: Reduced inequalities

Target user(s) Target user/consumer base (country, income segment)

Anyone working in the humanitarian sector and population affected by humanitarian crisis

Manufacturing & delivery

Manufacturing/building method(s) Detail regarding solution production or construction method (instructions, mass production capacity, custom made,etc...)

HDX is open-source, and is implemented by the use of a software called CKAN for the back-end. All the code can be found on GitHub.

Product Intellectual Property Open source/IP protected (note patent)/trade secret/other?

Open-source

User Provision Model Where can the product be purchased/acquired by end users?

HDX can be visited

Distribution to date Number of units that have been deployed, downloads or users to date

In August 2020, HDX repository consisted of 17,639 datasets, from 253 locations and 1364 sources.

Performance & use

Fields marked are sourced values that have been evaluated by the manufacturer or a third party, all others are design specifications.

Areas of analysis

Disaster response, socioeconomic, migratory patterns, epidemiology, etc.

Data repository

Data acquisition methods

Anonymous cellular data, mobile app data collection, remote sensing, government census data, etc.

Import and export

Open source code (Y/N/Other)

Is the code of this application open?

Yes

Open source data (Y/N/Other)

Is the data from this application available?

Yes

Subscription required for data aquisition (Y/N)

Is this data available for publishing? Subscription service (payed), publicly available, open source

Additional organizations/companies used to publish or analyze the data? (Y/N)

Yes

Third party (User) data access

How can new users (Gov, companies, individual, etc) access this data for own use (api, full data export/subsets,etc)

API

Design specifications Component and Operation overview including power, portability, facility requirements, preventative maintenance and user training requirements

HDX intends to aggregate information that is useful in humanitarian contexts, humanitarian data. HDX defines humanitarian data as follows:

data about the context in which a humanitarian crisis is occurring
data about the people affected by the crisis and their needs
data about the response by organisations and people seeking to help those who need assistance

The platform is open-source, and data is also open-source. However, there are three ways in which data can be shared in HDX: Public, Private, and By Request.

Product schematics Design and assembly illustrations

N/A

Technical support Technical support provided by

Contact for support can be found here.

Replacement components Availability of replacement components (in-country, by order,...)

N/A

Lifecycle Disposal and warranty

N/A

Manufacturer specified performance targets Designer / Manufacturer specified targets

To make humanitarian data accessible and easy to use for analysis.

Vetted performance Findings of manufacturer evaluations or independent testing centers

The UN has claimed that HDX has been a key enabler for aid agencies to be able to compare and contrast various needs crisis contexts and help enhance the responses.

In 2015, The New York Times used HDX data to report on the Ebola outbreak, showcasing the efforts to address the outbreak to the global audience.

Testing organizations Independent lab, academic research centers, etc.

Full list of testing organizations can be found here.

Safety Potential hazards / risks related to operation of this product

More information on data licenses and terms of service.

Complementary technical systems Performance of this product is improved with another technology (eg. Cookstoves and Wind-blocking skirts)

Humanitarian Exchange Language (HXL), is a language standard intended to make data interoperable between data sources and organizations. It is used in HDX.

Research & standards

Academic research Academic research related to the product (e.g. published papers in peer-reviewed journals)

Keßler, C., Hendrix, C., 2015, The Humanitarian eXchange Language: Coordinating Disaster Response with Semantic Web Technologies, The Semantic Web for all, 1 Jan. 2015 : 5 – 21.

Compliance with regulations Product certifications and standards referenced by designer/manufacturer

More information on data licenses and terms of service.

Evaluation methods Evaluation methods/protocols/guidelines referenced by designer or manufacturer.

Field trials

Other information

UN Radio – Saving lives with data: how the UN is developing digital tools for improved humanitarian aid
Capacity4Dev.eu – Q&A: The challenge of open data in humanitarian response
AcademyHealth – Sixth Annual Health Data Liberator Award Honors Work to Increase Use and Impact of Humanitarian Data
Devex – Opinion: Humanitarian world is full of data myths. Here are the most popular
Center for Data Innovation – 5 Q’s for Sarah Telford, Chief of Data Services at UNOCHA
Aidpreneur – Terms of Reference Podcast, with guest Sarah Telford
Devex – Solving the data conundrum: How to leverage tech and ‘big data’ for impact
Thomson Reuters Foundation – From displacement to death, UN data innovation aims to boost aid response
Huffington Post – Open data platform lets aid groups respond more efficiently to crises
UN News – UN Agencies boost partnership on visualization of food security data for Yemen
The Guardian – Data exchange helps humanitarians act fast and effectively
Fast Company – How the candy crush of data is saving lives in Nepal
Forbes – UN deploys new tech to make relief faster in Nepal
The Independent – Open Data: What is it and why are people so scared of it?

Feedback

In context photographs (0)

You can use the form below to contribute a photo of this product.

In context files & documents (0)

Feedback from users, customers & distributors

Please let us know your experience in using this product through comments below.

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In context photographs (0)

In context files & documents (0)

Feedback from users, customers & distributors