Secondary Data Review: Sudden Onset Natural Disasters

In the immediate aftermath of a sudden onset disaster, also referred to as Phase I and II of assessments in an emergency, the humanitarian community and donors will need to make key decisions on how to respond. However, when such disasters occur, there is limited comprehensive information on its impact.

A Secondary Data Review (SDR) is a rigorous process of data collation, synthesis and analysis building on a desk study of all relevant information available from different sources such as the government, NGOs, UN agencies, media, social media, etc. An SDR builds on the logic that the severity of the crisis, the type, scope, scale of problems, and risks faced by the affected population can be estimated or projected with reasonable degree of accuracy by following a systematic and multi-disciplinary approach. An SDR is a meta–analysis used to inform preparedness measures and support strategic and operational decision making processes. It can further be used to design and inform detailed sector specific field assessments. An SDR can be updated regularly as more detailed data and information become available, strengthening situation awareness among humanitarian actors.

The aim of these guidelines is to describe the systematic development of an SDR during the initial days and weeks after a disaster. It is based on ACAPS’ experience in developing Secondary Data Reviews for a number of Sudden Onset Disasters over three years.