CRS ICT4D Conference

Having a centralized repository for information on food security is essential, especially in times of crises.

Since 2012, Kimetrica has been developing a Food Security Data Warehouse providing online information and a framework for enhancing data management, accessibility, analysis and security of data. The first phase of the project was designed in collaboration with the USAID Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), for food security and early warning data.

The Warehouse will ultimately improve the ability of users to identify emerging crises sooner, determine levels of need with greater confidence, target affected populations more effectively, and deliver humanitarian assistance quickly, in a more cost-effective fashion. It is an important element in supporting analysis on poverty, food security, climate change and other issues. 

This interactive presentation will provide an overview of how an integrated database system-housed on cloud servers-can provide critical information to front line staff, partners, governments and project managers. We will discuss the opportunity cloud computing brings to data capture analysis and presentation, as well how simple phone based data capture tools can bring the power of server computing to your fingertips in the world's most remote locations.

The technology used to create the Warehouse is easily replicable and can be shared with partners to meet their own data needs.  It addresses many difficulties around price data management and analysis. It has built-in data quality control measures; a secure online data environment; data entry through manual online interface, or via spreadsheet upload;  provides online, and-”through easy download capabilities-”offline access to price data;  allows analysis of user-defined data sets which include multiple commodities, markets and countries; automated conversions to standard units and user-selected currencies; etc.

Currently the system provides access to price data on 109 commodities in 404 markets from partner institutions in 52 countries. We are in the process of integrating nutrition data, with crop production, cross-border trade, population, emergency needs and other data sets upcoming. Planned features include map-based representation of analyses, data collection from mobile devices linked to the data warehouse; and enhancements to automated online graphing and report production.