easo: information handling tools and techniques for coi research

Information management and monitoring

Presentation at EASO Conference, 26th March 2014

Who we are

HURIDOCS: Malta26th March 2014

• HURIDOCS was founded in 1982• Secretariat in Geneva, active around

the world• Working with human rights

organisations on using information effectively

What is information management?


• Curate sources• Organise them according to

keywords, categories, other metadata• Retrieve content now and in the

future• Find information you are looking for• Share information with colleagues

Why should you care?


• Do not miss important developments• Be able to quickly retrieve

information when you need it• Handle more sources, provide richer

analysis, better-informed advice• Exchange information more

effectively as a team

Types of information


• Web: Standardised data formats, e.g. RSS, that can be retrieved using off-the-shelf tools

• Web: Other data formats (most websites)

• Social media (standardised, but often proprietary formats, e.g. Twitter)

• Files: PDF, doc, etc.

Strategies for individuals


• What sources do you need to capture?

• Which format are they in?• Do you need to organise information

flows in real time?• How important is it to retrieve

information at a later stage?

Strategies for individuals


Take the answers to these questions and some of the tools to build an information management system that works for you.

It is unlikely that any tool will solve all your problems. Combining tools effectively and knowing their limitations is likely to give you the best solution.

Tools for Individuals


• RSS readers (e.g. built-in to Thunderbird, Firefox)

• Pro: – Free of charge– Full control over privacy settings – Solutions for any operating system and

device

• Con: – Only RSS, no suggestions– Requires effort to have it on all devices

RSS in Firefox



• Feedly• Pro:

– Free of charge (basic version)– Very easy to use on multiple devices – Good integration of some external services

• Con: – Pro version incurs costs (45 USD/year)– Potential privacy issues, need to trust them

to stay in business

Feedly



• Google Alerts• Pro:

– Free of charge, updates on new items for queries

– Easy set up to get email reminders or RSS feed

• Con: – Privacy issues– Need to trust them to stay in business

Google Alerts



• Kimono• Pro:

– Powerful way to track changes in non-RSS sites

– Possible to build powerful applications on it

• Con: – Beta version, rough edges– Free while in beta, will cost– Not straight forward for all users

Kimono



• Storify• Pro:

– Very easy way to capture different social media sources

– Compelling public presentation

• Con: – Need to connect with social media

accounts, privacy implications– Is built for publishing, so the idea is it goes

public

Storify



• For document management:– Mendeley– Endnote– Zotero

Problem: No integrated solution available for web sources and documents and social media.

Strategies for groups


• What information do you need to exchange?

• What problems arise, if you do or do not exchange?

• Can you do this in a way that benefits all members of the group?

• Are you able and willing to invest?



Information management solutions for groups or organisations can be a challenge. They are best implemented in close consultation with members, so they feel ownership and see added value.

Yet, the benefits of a succesful implementation can be very high. Group members will work more effectively and have more of the fuel that drives their work – information. Newcomers will have an easier start.



• Unlike for individuals, there is a lack of off-the-shelf solutions

• A solution can be a creative sharing of solutions presented earlier

• Other solutions are often bespoke or customisations of document and record management systems

Tools for groups


• Casebox• OpenERP• Social Solutions• Mendeley

Examples


• SOVA Center – monitoring hate crimes in Russia

• Bespoke solution to automate crawling of websites

• Saves more than 10 hours of staff time every day

• Organisation can focus on analysis, instead of gathering

Examples - SOVA


Examples


• African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights

• Bespoke solution to gather state reports in a structured way

• Results visualised on the website using maps and tables

• Solution that benefits staff and public

Examples - ACHPR


Summary


• Information management can greatly benefit individuals and groups

• Excellent solutions for individuals exist, but are not integrated

• Solutions for groups often bespoke, but can generate great value

• Not an end in itself, should be closely tied to goals and people working on achieving them

Thank you for your attention!

Visit us: www.huridocs.org

Contact me: [email protected],

@whyfrycek

http://www.huridocs.org/

mailto:[email protected]

easo: information handling tools and techniques for coi research

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