ACTION

INTELLIGENCE FOR LOW RESOURCE SETTINGS 1

Social development and humanitarian assistance activities are, when looked at closely, are complex webs of linked Actors carrying out overlapping Actions simultaneously at all levels of society in different locations. Because of the different layers and levels of data, this complex social context has been difficult to analyze---until now. Modern research methods and analytic tools now make it possible to create a standard code to identify, and analyze in specific detail the elements that make up this social complexity. AI creates realistic socio- cultural information for evidence-based decision making.

The Action Intelligence Framework

Action Intelligence (AI) is a research and analytic process for assisting governments and partner organizations make sense of complex social contexts. AI helps identify and analyze who is doing what, where and when to reveal trends and hidden patterns of the social world.

The need for a different type of data

Action Intelligence offers a research standard that allows for cross-sector and diverse socio-cultural datasets to be integrated and analyzed.

Documents Datasets

AAAPT ontology
Internet Forms & Surveys

Socio- cultural tagging

Visual Analytics

Data Collection
Data Collection Countries have information in the form of documents or existing datasets. This starting point can always be extended through access to online sources or through the use of other collection instruments. Organizing data collection is the first element of any Action Intelligence engagement.
April 2013

Classi&ication and Tagging

Classification AI extracts uses a social science standard to classify qualitative data - Actors, Actions and Artifacts in Place and Time (AAAPT). Computer tools can automate or greatly speed-up the extraction and classification stage. Collection and classification together make up the IfH Qualitative Monitoring Instrument. Tagging

Making Sense
Visual Analytics

Tagging is the process of adding attributes to the Actors, Actions and Artifacts and the links between them. It is at this stage that specific needs of a country can be addressed (e.g. tagging Actions by sector or by funding level). AI uses socio-cultural tagging to detect patterns that help answer questions about Complex Social Change.
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AI uses visual analytics to see the complex stories the data is waiting to reveal. By using the AI integrated standard and freely available (GIS, Social Network Analysis, Content Analysis, Charts, Timelines etc.) tools the dynamic links between time, place, actors and actions can be made visible, analyzed and communicated.

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Applying Action Intelligence to the real world

Malawi Climate Change Adaptation
The Government of Malawi1 with support from International Partners has implemented the first two stages (data collection, classification and tagging) of the Action Intelligence Framework. This has resulted in an organized qualitative dataset2 to support consultants and country analysts preparing two national strategic plans. Six high-risk districts have also had individual Climate Action Intelligence profiles prepared.

Figure 1 - Visual Output of 'Action' by location, Malawi Dataset

Knowledge Dissemination and Innovation in Health

The first two steps of the Action Intelligence Framework have been bundled as a Qualitative Monitoring Instrument. An on-going effort to provide real-time monitoring of the uptake of new concepts is being trialled. This involves the automated monitoring of news feeds, social media, published reports and other sources for the uptake of targeted concepts, and importantly identifying the Actors involved with the uptake and which countries are involved.

Figure 2 Qualitative Monitoring Instrument, the uptake issues related to Climate Change and Health.

Ethiopia The Green Economy

The Government of Ethiopia3 with support from International Partners is implementing the first African Climate Resilient Green Economy Strategy a 20-year plan to shift the economy to a carbon neutral stance. As part of this effort, a Federal CRGE Registry is being set up to track and monitor candidate projects (for emissions monitoring). The Registry will be based on the Action Intelligence Framework and IfH continues to provide guidance and support to the planning of this national project.
1 2

Through the Environmental Affairs Department in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

The dataset consists of over 400 severe weather events from the last 40 years, over 190 projects, programmes and initiatives, over 250 institutions, 100 key individuals and over 80 key documents organized and classified by sector, socio-cultural lenses and financial metadata.
3

Through the Ethiopian Environmental Protection Agency

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Kenya Case Study Water Distressed Areas and Early Warning

The Action Intelligence Framework was applied as a proof-of-concept to four water- distressed areas in Kenya. 4 Various participants in the project were trained in analysis and the use of qualitative methods. A media monitoring service was set-up and the pilot project was able to demonstrate early-warning signals for the recent Horn-of-Africa drought and consequent cross-border food-distressed refugee movements

Figure 3 Understanding who is involved with doing what in relation to water access in the Lake Turkana area of Kenya. Merged visuals: networks and maps using free or low-cost tools that can be rapidly leverage in low resource settings.

Congo The Cassava Story: Food Security and Climate Change

The Government of the Republic of Congo requested assistance in understanding the substantial risks posed to food security as a result of climate change. With the support of International Partners, the Action Intelligence Framework was applied to Cassava as the entry-point into the Food Security Challenge. The output of this effort was a comprehensive study and report presented back to the Government.

Figure 4 Applying the IfH 3x5 Socio-Cultural lens to Documents, Reports and other Artifacts using the Timeline Visual Analytic Tool.

The Influenza Case Study

An early application of some of the qualitative methods that form part of the Action Intelligence Framework involved a preliminary investigation into both the Avian and Swine flu outbreaks of the last decade. The study was able to demonstrate specific areas for investigation that could assist future integrated approaches to relationship between International Development and risks to Public Health (e.g. the impact of international development partners to support intensive farming over long periods, the impact of transport and infrastructure investments and the challenges of globalization).
4

The four areas targeted included: The Lumi river system in the Taita Taveta District; The Lake Turkana catchment area, straddling the Rift Valley and Eastern Provinces; The Shella Sand Dunes and associated water catchment on the Island of Lamu, Coastal Province; The Catchment Areas around Lake Victoria,

April 2013

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Senegal Coastal Erosion

The Senegalese Government, with support from IfH and International Partners, has gone through two rounds of in-country capacity building in applying the Action Intelligence Framework. They focused on six climate-related challenges (coastal erosion, water, desertification etc.) and delivered back to government an analysis and recommendations for each area. A third round of activity to build a more permanent Action Intelligence team is now under discussion.

Figure 5 Specific example of the value of applying Action Intelligence: Two Actors (with different sponsors) working with the same community at the same time in Republic of Congo(Brazzaville). Used as evidence to support the need for improved coordination mechanisms for both sponsoring organizations and executing organizations.

Lesotho Climate Response Coordination and Measuring Impact

The Government of Lesotho5, with support from International Partners, has requested assistance in applying the IfH Action Intelligence Framework to its Climate Change Adaptation challenges. This involves building local in-country capacity and supporting this team in learning the IA Framework while applying it to a complex set of inter-sector challenges. This on-going project will publish the qualitative dataset on a public web portal for other analysts and policy makers to access.

Figure 6 Snapshot of the Content Processing queue for the 400+ documents gathered as part of the Action Intelligence engagement with Lesotho.

Health Opinion Monitoring

The opinions of specific institutions (and individuals) with strong biass can influence policy decisions both positively and negatively (in terms of overall impact) on the population, on MDGs or other relevant indicators. A trial is underway currently to monitor, through content analysis based on the Action Intelligence Framework, the opinions and bias of Actors in the Public Health area and to assess whether it is possible to map the impact of those biass on Action.
5

Through the Lesotho Metrological Services, a Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources with support from the National University of Lesotho.

April 2013

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Implementing Action Intelligence in a Low Resource Setting

Since AI is as much a process as it is a set of tools, a necessary first step is to understand the key questions that a country is asking. In some contexts, a monitoring focus is important (e.g. what projects are being implemented by which actors), while in other contexts the sense-making focus is important (e.g. why are we repeating the same project every few years?). It is also important to assess the resources that the country is prepared to extend for implementing the AI process. Is it to be a one-off exercise to support a specific policy initiative? Will ongoing monitoring of action be critical for future decision-making or policy development? Is there a strong sense of wanting to build local sustainable capacity for AI or would a service subscription be more accessible?
Discovery and Design Phase

All Rapid Interventions using the Action Intelligence Framework start with a one-to-two week in-country discovery and design phase that covers the following activities: Key questions that need to be answered (of the data) The resource context (people, sustainability, scale, ownership etc.) Technology review (to understand local capacity and infrastructure realities). Rapid review of the key datasets, reports, survey results, information assets etc. that can be leveraged 1 to 3 day introductory workshop on the AI process.

Data Collection Phase

The length, duration and resources required for the data collection phase are dependent on the results of the previous phase. Typically, a local AI team works between 1 to 4 months to collect, extract and categorize data into an organized dataset. In some cases however, core datasets already exist and the focus then becomes how this data can be enhanced, extended or reutilized for richer analysis. Remote and local technical support is provided in the use of tools, updates to templates, the application of survey tools, specialist data manipulation for data from various datasets etc.
Analysis Phase

Analysis is a specialist skill and different countries bring different mixes of capability together to analyze and review insights. In some cases, existing leadership teams may want to use the data to support coordination and crosscutting decision-making, or policy makers may want to analyze the data. In some contexts, countries may decide to publish their dataset online. Depending on the choices previously made, countries will either build their own capacity to do analysis or they may request external analysis be carried out with the results being made available in a consumable format (e.g. interactive visualizations, synopsis, profiles etc.).
The Options

The options for implementation are focused on a balance between local capacities vs. external capacity for each step of the AI process: Data collection (local or remote team)

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Data organization and tagging (local or remote team) Analysis (local or remote team)

The choices depend on the mix of timing, technology capacity, human resource capacity and other internal factors.

April 2013

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