DESCRIPTION /
  1. The Humanitarian Dashboard is anIASC tool designed to help Clusters and the Inter-cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) consolidate and visualise available data,develop a shared understanding and analysis of the humanitarian situation andmonitor the CAP throughout the year. The Dashboard should be updated frequently enough to reflect an evolving situation and to support the CAP cycle (at least ahead of the mid-year review and the next CAP cycle). It is produced by OCHA on behalf of the inter-cluster coordination group.
The Humanitarian Dashboard supports a coordinated approach to assessments. A coordinated approach to assessments involves the establishment of an assessment working group (AWG), the selection of key indicators, sectoral and geographic synchronization of assessments, reviewing available secondary information and identifying information gaps, and the joint analysis of shared assessment data.
  1. The Dashboard consists,at a minimum,of a two-page inter-sectoral analysis.They are required for all CAP documents and include:
  • 1st page:A brief crisis description, a breakdown of affected people and other key figures, a bar chart that visualises the number of people in needs, targeted and covered, and a succinct summary of the progress made towards the strategic objectives of the appeal. The layout and categories of the first page are rigid.
  • 2nd page: An analysis of the evolution of needs and an analysis of the response and gaps per cluster/sector. This second page is flexible enough so it can be adapted to each context.
In its full form, the Dashboard includes also sectoralanalysis pages. These arerecommended for dashboard updates in between the CAP and MYR developments:
  • They are produced by Cluster Coordinators on behalf of the clustermembers and provide a detailed overview of needs and gaps, by tracking caseloads and coverage per main activity as well as sectoral indicators against the cluster objectives as defined in the CAP (please see the Dashboard Matrix). Based on this data, clusters leads should facilitate and include an analysis on the evolution of the situation within the sector and progress to date.An online solution is under development to facilitate data management and maintenance.

PROCESS FOR 2012 /
  1. OCHA is responsible for supporting the HC, HCT and cluster leads by coordinating the process of establishing and maintaining the Humanitarian Dashboard. OCHA will reach out to cluster/sector leads for sectoral information. The latter are responsible for sharing data and analysis undertaken with their members.
  1. Cluster leadsare requested to update their sectoral analysis of the needs, response and operational priorities. Cluster Leads should:
  2. Promote consistency among cluster members in the collection, sharing and reporting of data, as well as on terminology usage (affected, reached, covered – see below);
  3. Log the cluster objectives and indicators from the CAP into the Dashboard Matrix andhighlight any changes that have occurred since the beginning of the CAP cycle;
  4. Log caseloads and number of people covered (per main activity), highlighting any changes that have occurred since the beginning of the CAP cycle;
  5. Facilitate an analysis of needs and the response, based on this data. Cluster Leads are encouraged to reserve 15 minutes at Cluster meetings to review/update their sectoral analysis with their members;
  6. Submit the agreed sectoral analysis to OCHA by the cut-off date.
  1. OCHA is requiredto compile an initial version of the Dashboard. OCHA should as part of the appeal process and particularly for MYR and for the upcoming CAP:
  2. Consolidate the Dashboard matrices provided by each cluster if they were used in-country.
  3. Produce a draft inter-sectoral analysis, based on thesectoral information. The bar chart will feature a best estimate of the number of people in need, covered and targeted to date.
  4. Share the compiled sectoral analyses and draft inter-sectoral analysis with the ICCG.
  5. Facilitate an inter-sectoral analysis of the situation during an inter-cluster coordination meeting. This should be done based on the sectoral analyses and the draft inter-sectoral analysis.
  6. Finalise the Dashboard based on the discussion and submit a completed version to the HC for sign-off. OCHA will publish the Dashboard, on behalf of the HC.
For more information refer to the annotations embedded in the Dashboard Matrix template.
TERMINOLOGY /
  1. Indicators: The indicators should relate to “needs” (the situation as per needs analysis in the CAP), outputs and outcomes (as per the response plan). The data should relate to gender and development dimensions, assessments planned/undertaken, and key operational challenges.
Caseloads: The ‘needs/coverage bar chart’ featured in the inter-sectoral overview of the matrix is designed to illustrate best estimates of people in need, targeted and covered by the cluster’s main activity(e.g. provision of potable water). It is one of the Dashboard’s main features and will probably require a discussion with partners on following key terms:
  • Affected people includes all people whose lives have been affected in some way by the crisis. Not all affected people are in need of humanitarian assistance.This figures can be used to define the overall number of people affected by the crisis.
  • People in need includes those affected people who require humanitarian assistance in some form. People in need represent a sub-group of affected people and may differ from sector to sector.
  • People targeted includes all people the cluster system is trying to assist. This will likely be a sub-group of people in need, as there are many actors providing assistance that do not participate in the cluster system (affected communities, national authorities, Red Cross/Red Crescent movement, and NGOs).
  • People reached includes those who have received some form of assistance from a cluster member. This figure says nothing about how long and how well this assistance covers the needs of the beneficiary. A more meaningful picture provides the estimate of people covered (pls. see below).
  • People covered indicates the number of people whose needs, defined by a humanitarian standard such as SPHERE, have been met. E.g. there is a significant difference between the two statements: 1000 people received water (people reached), or 1000 people received enough water to cover their needs (15 litres per day) for the next two weeks.

TIPS FOR OCHA COLLEAGUES / Compilation when using the sectoral pages of the Dashboard
  • Compile a ‘raw’ dashboard using the sectoralExcel worksheet in the Dashboard Matrix and filling in the inter-sectoral pages where possible. Share this raw dashboard with cluster leads partners and convene a coordination meeting to review the raw data and finalise the inter-sectoral overview page.
  • Finalise the dashboard by compiling the sectoral sheets (a quick way to do this: use directly the worksheets in the dashboard matrix, set the print area, open the print preview, select and copy-paste the pdf-screen shot into the inter-sectoral overview document - which is in Word format). Respect as much as possible the proposed data elements/categories and use concise language, ideally organised in bullet points.
  • The “bar chart” in the inter-sectoral analysis page can either be modified directly in the word document (go to the chart tools and click on ‘modify data’), or you can copy-paste it directly from the dashboard matrix. You may also be able to automatically link the figures from each sector worksheet to the inter-sectoral overview (first worksheet). Consult with a savvy IM colleague!
Clearance / Ownership
  • OCHA focal point: The Inter-Cluster Coordinator and the CAP focal point (when different) will be responsible for the Dashboard process, with the support of the information management unit.
  • Cluster leads are responsible for providing the information on the sector pages. This information should be reviewed and cleared by the cluster coordination mechanism.
  • The OCHA Head of Office (or as delegated by her/him) is responsible for facilitating the overall dashboard development process and production.
  • The Dashboard is issued in the name of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC). Where there is no HC present, the UN Resident Coordinator is responsible for the Dashboard.
Distribution
  • The Dashboard inter-sectoral analysis will be included in the CAP and Mid-Year Review.
  • Subsequent versions should be posted internally on OCHANET, and externally onOCHA online and ReliefWeb (tagged: assessments).
  • In cases where it is not appropriate to share the Dashboard with the broader public, it should be posted on OCHANET with a watermark (FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY).
Deadlines
  • Please consult the CAP guidance.
  • For Dashboards that are updated more regularly, the deadlines should be consulted with Cluster Lead partners.