fatal journeys (team 621) lessons learned h4dip stanford 2016

FATAL JOURNEYSi m p ro v i n g d a t a o n m i s s i n g a n d p e r i s h e d re f u g e e s

Te a m 6 2 1

MS ’17 CS

A N T O NA P O S T O L A T O S

MS ’17 Statistics

L E N N YB R O N N E R

BS ’17 MS&E

A S A DK H A L I Q

MS ’17 CS

Q U E N T I N P E R R O T

88INTERVIEWS

Improving Data on Missing and Perished Refugees

US Department of StateBureau of Population, Refugees, and

Migration

Policy51%

Data19%

Action29%

Lack of data on refugee flows, particularly the missing and

perished, was preventing efficient policy & strategy

decisions and limiting resource allocation

A missing link between key stakeholders limits

identification of perished refugees, preventing human & legal closure for families

WAYFINDING1 HONING

DOWN2 OUR SOLUTION3 NEXT

STEPS4

WAYFINDING

1

CENTRAL DATA STORE

W A Y F I N D I N G

Combine on-the-ground data collected by existing organizations in Europe

LARGE NGOSHUMANITARIAN FLEET

FIRST RESPONDER NGOS

COAST GUARD

LARGE NGOSHUMANITARIAN FLEET

FIRST RESPONDER NGOS

COAST GUARD

LARGE NGOSHUMANITARIAN FLEET

FIRST RESPONDER NGOS

COAST GUARD

Data isn’t really being collected

Organizations don’t have the bandwidth to do so

Even if they did, they’re reluctant to share it

Data does not

exist

Data does not

exist

Data needs to be

generated

Data does not

exist

Data needs to be

generated

Orgs can’t know who is leaving and

traveling

Data does not

exist

Data needs to be

generated

Orgs can’t know who is leaving and

traveling

Collect data from

smugglers

Data does not

exist

Data needs to be

generated

Orgs can’t know who is leaving and

traveling

Collect data from

smugglers

“Don’t do that. Don’t work with smugglers. If you talk to them, then don’t tell anyone you talked to me about this.

Just don’t do it. You will go to jail.”

- One of our mentors

Data does not

exist

Data needs to be

generated

Orgs can’t know who is leaving and

traveling

Collect data from

smugglers

Collect data from refugees

I N S I G H T S - C E N T R A L D A T A S T O R E

Detailed data on refugee movements, doesn’t really exist; so we’d need to generate it ourselves

Only smugglers and refugees themselves have exact knowledge of refugee movements — so we’d

need to source it there

Detailed data on refugee movements, doesn’t really exist; so we’d need to generate it ourselves

Only smugglers and refugees themselves have exact knowledge of refugee movements — so we’d

need to source it there

I N S I G H T S - C E N T R A L D A T A S T O R E

“People arriving in Greece, everyone was using WhatsApp — the refugees, their

families, the smugglers, everyone. They were always in touch.”

- NGO Volunteer, Lesvos, Greece

WHATSAPP MVP

W A Y F I N D I N G

WHATSAPP MVP

W A Y F I N D I N G

WhatsApp BotRefugees use it when they’re departingShare data on who’s leaving and whenEnables faster first response

Khartoum

Sebha

Agadez

Tamanrasset

GhatGatroun

Faya-Largeau

Nyala

Cairo

AlexandriaBenghaziSalloum

Tripoli

Ghadames

Niamey

Tazerbo

Dirkou

NIGERIA

MALI

WEST AFRICA

ERITREA

SOMALIA

SOUTH SUDAN

SUDANCHAD

EGYPT

LIBYAALGERIA

TUNISIA

NIGER

ETHIOPIA

SYRIA

PALESTINEZawiya

LampedusaMALTA

Sicily

ITALY

Source: IOM, IFRC

Addis Ababa

N’Djamena

TunisAlgiers

Damascus

Abuja

Legend

AFFECTED COUNTRYTransit/Relevant

CitiesSmuggling HubMain RouteSecondary

Route

Red Cross Hub and

Lang.

Sea Route

Khartoum

Sebha

Agadez

Tamanrasset

GhatGatroun

Faya-Largeau

Nyala

Cairo

AlexandriaBenghaziSalloum

Tripoli

Ghadames

Niamey

Tazerbo

Dirkou

NIGERIA

MALI

WEST AFRICA

ERITREA

SOMALIA

SOUTH SUDAN

SUDANCHAD

EGYPT

LIBYAALGERIA

TUNISIA

NIGER

ETHIOPIA

SYRIA

PALESTINEZawiya

LampedusaMALTA

Sicily

ITALY

Source: IOM, IFRC

Addis Ababa

N’Djamena

TunisAlgiers

Damascus

Abuja

Legend

AFFECTED COUNTRYTransit/Relevant

CitiesSmuggling HubMain RouteSecondary

Route

Red Cross Hub and

Lang.

Sea Route

“I didn’t have a phone. I didn't talk to my family for three months.”

- Samuel, Eritrean Refugee

Khartoum

Sebha

Agadez

Tamanrasset

GhatGatroun

Faya-Largeau

Nyala

Cairo

AlexandriaBenghaziSalloum

Tripoli

Ghadames

Niamey

Tazerbo

Dirkou

NIGERIA

MALI

WEST AFRICA

ERITREA

SOMALIA

SOUTH SUDAN

SUDANCHAD

EGYPT

LIBYAALGERIA

TUNISIA

NIGER

ETHIOPIA

SYRIA

PALESTINEZawiya

LampedusaMALTA

Sicily

ITALY

Source: IOM, IFRC

Addis Ababa

N’Djamena

TunisAlgiers

Damascus

Abuja

Legend

AFFECTED COUNTRYTransit/Relevant

CitiesSmuggling HubMain RouteSecondary

Route

Red Cross Hub and

Lang.

Sea Route

“We had a translator, an Arabic speaker, on the boats — to help give instructions for refugees to come on board. Turned

out, most of them didn’t speak any Arabic at all.”

- Doctors Without Borders sea rescue

“People often lie about where they’re from — they’re scared they’ll be denied

asylum and sent back.”

- Researcher in Jordan

Huge differences in language, culture, resources, and norms along different refugee routes; so our

solution needs to be broadly applicable

Refugees are very wary of what data they share and with whom; so ideally, our solution would be as

simple as possible

I N S I G H T S - W H A T S A P P M V P

Generate data from refugees who are traveling

Generate data from refugees who are traveling with

minimal friction

First MMC

Notes for each Mission Model Canvas section are in the “slide notes” section

Key Partners Key Activities

Key Resources

Value Propositions Buy-in & Support Beneficiaries/Stakeholders

Deployment

Mission Budget / Costs Mission Achievement / Success Factors

UNHCR and on the ground NGOs for distribution and information

European Governments for information, access and accreditation

State Department for information and distribution

Governments of safe third-party states for on-the-ground information, including the Turkish government

Coast guard for some of the identification process

NGOs in the water (e.g. DWB) for some identification process

Hospitals/morgues for better information on missing people

Key suppliersAmazon Web Servers

What problem?For refugees and their families: (1) we consolidate information about missing persons across on-the-ground orgs and (2) develop means to identify perished persons.

Value?This will increase the chances of finding loved ones (part 1 only) or being able to determine that an individual has perished (part 1 and 2).

Asylum seekers and their families

State Department European governments

On-the-ground orgs collecting missing persons information (including hospitals)

At-sea orgs rescuing people

Access to existing resources: -missing persons databases-access to at-sea orgs

Better communication and cooperation between beneficiaries and partners

Existence of support for refugees

Convincing stakeholders of additional benefit of working with us

Buy-in to the shared information will be difficult to achieve. Instead, discover stakeholder problems and identify unique solutions enabling data collection and support

Relationship with refugees will be supplied by on the ground NGOs and the UNHCR

Relationship with State Department will be supplied through mentor

Buy-in, support, and accreditation from European Governments

Existing missing and deceased persons databases

Data on migration flows and information on on-the-ground situation

Data security for sensitive data

Accreditation for work in Europe

On the ground task force

Accessible database for both entities and people, with easy information placement and retrieval

Key partnerships with existing on the ground practitioners, integrating with existing practices

Potential set up by European governments

Indirectly achieving buy-in for adoption and data sharing by directly solving unique stakeholder problems

More effective resource management, more informed decision making, and greater humanitarian advocacy among partners

Not only lessen inefficiencies with data consolidation, but inform efforts in the field and ensure safer passage

Metrics: # of refugees found, # of families reunified, # of deceased or missing refugees identified

The budget comes from organizations that are on the ground (NGOs, UNHCR) but also from other beneficiaries such as the State

Dept. and European Governments

Data capture and information retrieval

Opportunity cost for resources spent on potentially dead vs. living

Data capture hardware, servers, initial awareness and distribution

First MMC

Notes for each Mission Model Canvas section are in the “slide notes” section

Key Partners Key Activities

Key Resources

Value Propositions Buy-in & Support Beneficiaries/Stakeholders

Deployment

Mission Budget / Costs Mission Achievement / Success Factors

UNHCR and on the ground NGOs for distribution and information

European Governments for information, access and accreditation

State Department for information and distribution

Governments of safe third-party states for on-the-ground information, including the Turkish government

Coast guard for some of the identification process

NGOs in the water (e.g. DWB) for some identification process

Hospitals/morgues for better information on missing people

Key suppliersAmazon Web Servers

What problem?For refugees and their families: (1) we consolidate information about missing persons across on-the-ground orgs and (2) develop means to identify perished persons.

Value?This will increase the chances of finding loved ones (part 1 only) or being able to determine that an individual has perished (part 1 and 2).

Asylum seekers and their families

State Department European governments

On-the-ground orgs collecting missing persons information (including hospitals)

At-sea orgs rescuing people

Access to existing resources: -missing persons databases-access to at-sea orgs

Better communication and cooperation between beneficiaries and partners

Existence of support for refugees

Convincing stakeholders of additional benefit of working with us

Buy-in to the shared information will be difficult to achieve. Instead, discover stakeholder problems and identify unique solutions enabling data collection and support

Relationship with refugees will be supplied by on the ground NGOs and the UNHCR

Relationship with State Department will be supplied through mentor

Buy-in, support, and accreditation from European Governments

Existing missing and deceased persons databases

Data on migration flows and information on on-the-ground situation

Data security for sensitive data

Accreditation for work in Europe

On the ground task force

Accessible database for both entities and people, with easy information placement and retrieval

Key partnerships with existing on the ground practitioners, integrating with existing practices

Potential set up by European governments

Indirectly achieving buy-in for adoption and data sharing by directly solving unique stakeholder problems

More effective resource management, more informed decision making, and greater humanitarian advocacy among partners

Not only lessen inefficiencies with data consolidation, but inform efforts in the field and ensure safer passage

Metrics: # of refugees found, # of families reunified, # of deceased or missing refugees identified

The budget comes from organizations that are on the ground (NGOs, UNHCR) but also from other beneficiaries such as the State

Dept. and European Governments

Data capture and information retrieval

Opportunity cost for resources spent on potentially dead vs. living

Data capture hardware, servers, initial awareness and distribution

RE-EXAMINE OUR BENEFICIARIES

First MMC

Notes for each Mission Model Canvas section are in the “slide notes” section

Key Partners Key Activities

Key Resources

Value Propositions Buy-in & Support Beneficiaries/Stakeholders

Deployment

Mission Budget / Costs Mission Achievement / Success Factors

UNHCR and on the ground NGOs for distribution and information

European Governments for information, access and accreditation

State Department for information and distribution

Governments of safe third-party states for on-the-ground information, including the Turkish government

Coast guard for some of the identification process

NGOs in the water (e.g. DWB) for some identification process

Hospitals/morgues for better information on missing people

Key suppliersAmazon Web Servers

What problem?For refugees and their families: (1) we consolidate information about missing persons across on-the-ground orgs and (2) develop means to identify perished persons.

Value?This will increase the chances of finding loved ones (part 1 only) or being able to determine that an individual has perished (part 1 and 2).

Asylum seekers and their families

State Department European governments

On-the-ground orgs collecting missing persons information (including hospitals)

At-sea orgs rescuing people

Access to existing resources: -missing persons databases-access to at-sea orgs

Better communication and cooperation between beneficiaries and partners

Existence of support for refugees

Convincing stakeholders of additional benefit of working with us

Buy-in to the shared information will be difficult to achieve. Instead, discover stakeholder problems and identify unique solutions enabling data collection and support

Relationship with refugees will be supplied by on the ground NGOs and the UNHCR

Relationship with State Department will be supplied through mentor

Buy-in, support, and accreditation from European Governments

Existing missing and deceased persons databases

Data on migration flows and information on on-the-ground situation

Data security for sensitive data

Accreditation for work in Europe

On the ground task force

Accessible database for both entities and people, with easy information placement and retrieval

Key partnerships with existing on the ground practitioners, integrating with existing practices

Potential set up by European governments

Indirectly achieving buy-in for adoption and data sharing by directly solving unique stakeholder problems

More effective resource management, more informed decision making, and greater humanitarian advocacy among partners

Not only lessen inefficiencies with data consolidation, but inform efforts in the field and ensure safer passage

Metrics: # of refugees found, # of families reunified, # of deceased or missing refugees identified

The budget comes from organizations that are on the ground (NGOs, UNHCR) but also from other beneficiaries such as the State

Dept. and European Governments

Data capture and information retrieval

Opportunity cost for resources spent on potentially dead vs. living

Data capture hardware, servers, initial awareness and distribution

RE-EXAMINE OUR BENEFICIARIESRE-EXAMINE OUR PROBLEM

Problem

Missing & Perished

PerishedAlive

Missing & Perished

PerishedAlive

Missing & Perished

PerishedAlive

Missing & Perished

Bodies Found

Bodies Missing

PerishedAlive

Missing & Perished

Bodies Found

Bodies Missing

HONINGDOWN

2

z

1990-2013: 35% of refugee

bodies in Europe

identified

4700+ dead refugees in the Mediterranean since the beginning

of 2016

200 000 refugees and refugees crossed the Mediterranean in

2015

FORENSICS AGENTS

“Every body coming into Italy is being DNA tested. Many in Greece. This is

expensive, and currently it isn’t getting us good results.”

- MOAS Official

“These tests are useless unless you have something to link the results back to. A

point of reference.”

- Head of Forensics, ICRC

REFUGEES’ FAMILY& COMMUNITY

Develop link between those with bodies and refugees’ families in order

to provide closure — all with less friction!

Generate data from refugees who are traveling with minimal friction

FORENSICS AGENTS

FAMILY & COMMUNITY

PIVOT

Less dependence on…Smartphones

BatteryLanguage

ConnectivityTrust

Incentives

Less dependence on…Smartphones

BatteryLanguage

ConnectivityTrust

Incentives

We needed the lowest fidelity way to test that we had honed down

correctly.

SHARPIE ON T-SHIRT

H O N I N G D O W N

SHARPIE ON T-SHIRT

H O N I N G D O W N

Essentially, a dogtag

Refugees write family member’s phone number on

their shirt

In case the worst happens, forensics agents receive

the body

Number acts as a bridge back to the family

“On a T-Shirt? Yes, I don’t mind putting this information — my name, phone

numbers, it’s fine. But I don’t want to wear that if I get to Europe.”

- Samuel, Eritrean Refugee

“T-shirts can fade, or come off, and they may not hold up for too long in water. The concept works, but the T-shirts may not.”

- Forensics expert

T-Shirts can be damaged or exchanged, we would need something more rigorous

Writing a number on your shirt could be irreversible; and refugees don’t always want to share this

information, so we need a more flexible solution to allow the refugee more control

I N S I G H T S - T - S H I R T M V P

Develop link between those with bodies and refugees’ families in order to provide closure

OURSOLUTION

3

WRISTBANDS O L U T I O N

WRISTBANDS O L U T I O N

Works very similarly to the T-Shirt

But much more robust - tamperproof and waterproof

Offers flexibility and control to the refugee

why this works and is good

Refugee’s Home

RC ChapterEmbarks

PerishForensics

NEXTSTEPS

4

PILOT

“T-Shirts can get lost, exchanged, or fade away — bracelets are much more robust.”

- Forensics Expert, US Army

Khartoum

Sebha

Agadez

Tamanrasset

GhatGatroun

Faya-Largeau

Nyala

Cairo

AlexandriaBenghaziSalloum

Tripoli

Ghadames

Niamey

Tazerbo

Dirkou

NIGERIA

MALI

WEST AFRICA

ERITREA

SOMALIA

SOUTH SUDAN

SUDANCHAD

EGYPT

LIBYAALGERIA

TUNISIA

NIGER

ETHIOPIA

SYRIA

PALESTINEZawiya

LampedusaMALTA

Sicily

ITALY

Source: IOM, IFRC

Addis Ababa

N’Djamena

TunisAlgiers

Damascus

Abuja

Legend

AFFECTED COUNTRYTransit/Relevant

CitiesSmuggling HubMain RouteSecondary

Route

Red Cross Hub and

Lang.

Sea Route

z

“How many bracelets can you give to us and when can you get them to us?”

- Turkish Red Crescent Official

“No problems — almost all refugees get information on crossing from Facebook

groups or informal networks like WhatsApp. So you can advertise there for

free.”

- Syrian Stringer/Fixer

DEFINING CLOSURE

N E X T S T E P S

There’s more than just a human and emotional aspect to closure

It’s also legal and logistical

We have to prove out our basic solution, and gain enough traction to make it viable

THANK YOU