F. SITUATION

Good situational awareness is key to an effective and accountable humanitarian response. To achieve this, we need to maximise our ability to make sense of the available information. Essential to this is good information management, assessment and analysis, which are interdependent processes that require careful planning and attention to context. We also need to be able to effectively communicate our knowledge to others.

The Situation chapter consists of four subchapters:

• Information Management (IM): This chapter includes information on how to scope and assess the information landscape, where to look for basic information during mobilisation and deployment, how to develop your overall IM strategy and set up your folder structure.

• Assessment and Analysis (A&A): This chapter includes basic principles of A&A and describes how to coordinate A&A internally through an A&A Cell and externally through an Assessment Working Group (AWG). It contains tips for collection of data, both secondary and primary data, processing of information and advice on how to conduct meaningful analysis.

• Reporting, IM products and analytical outputs: This chapter includes basic principles of reporting, information on standard UNDAC reports, typical IM products and analytical outputs.

• Media: This chapter includes information on how to work with media, how to work with OCHA/UNDAC Public Information Officers and basic principles for use of social media.