Sahana Eden ASP - Lower Silesia

[rafal.j...@gmail.com]

It seems that we have everything to attempt to implement the (Sahana) Eden ASP system in Lower Silesia:

1. February 24-28 Dominic and Jakub will work on setting up the first instance of the system for Polend
2 March 4-6 Rafał G. and Rafał K. will establish with TRATWA.ORG which process will be the most beneficial to run first in the system.
3. The next week is an attempt to configure the system in order to store the identified process.

[rafal.j...@gmail.com]

We received an email list of requirements from two organizations (TRATWA and Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Ziemi Lądeckiej) working on the flood. I will try to put it together ASAP, but I am sending you the emails below for your review. 

TRATWA - Application Creation Guidelines

Flood Support

Application Purpose The application aims to collect and manage data from people who need support after the flood and to coordinate aid activities. It should be easy to use, clear and functional.

Collected Data 1. **Personal Information** - Name - Address - Phone number - Decision number - Percentage of building damage 2. **Needs Reported by Users** - Material needs (e.g. food, clothing, construction materials) - Financial needs - Need for volunteer help (what tasks need to be done) - Need for legal support - Need for health support

Application Functionalities 1. **Map with Pins** - Map with the ability to add pins in locations that require help. - Users can add photos of objects indicating damage or need for support. 2. **Help Reporting System** - Option to report that help has been sent or that actions are available in a given area. - Users can mark places where help has already arrived. 3. **Data Management Panel** - Intuitive interface for viewing and managing collected data. - Ability to filter user needs by type of support.

Additional Functionalities - **Notifications**: Informing users about new support opportunities, available help and actions implemented in their area. -
User Profile**: Option to create a profile in which users can manage their data and report needs. - **Volunteer Support**: Information about available tasks for volunteers and the ability to register for specific actions. ### Summary The application should be a simple tool that will enable quick response and help for people affected by the flood. It is crucial that the interface is transparent and the collected data is easy to enter and process. Ultimately, the goal is to effectively organize aid activities and facilitate communication between people in need of support and volunteers and aid organizations.

Yours sincerely,

Konrad Czerkas
Director of Business Cooperation and Humanitarian Actions
tel. 516061693

Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Ziemi Lądek

Hi,
I'll start by saying that I don't understand IT/programming topics etc. at all, so my description is completely unprofessional, but I think we need the perspective of the end user, so I'll try to help in this matter :)

Well, I think that what's most needed now is:

an application mapping needs
I see it like this:
- it would be best if we could work on a map of the area (a commune or two communes - Stronie and Lądek), on which we could easily mark places where help is needed (it would be good if, for example, the type of help could be marked with colors, e.g. red marker - renovation, yellow - cleaning work on the property, blue - support with purchasing equipment, green - help needed in handling administrative matters, etc.) additionally, it would be good to have the option of marking - "task completed", "In progress", "to be completed", "partially completed".
- each point should be expandable so that the specifics of the work can be described - e.g. "electrician needed", "large group of volunteers needed", "consultation with a specialist necessary", etc.
- it would be good to list two groups of needs separately: "to buy (obtain)" and "to make/perform"
- we can add photos of places to the map (then we can estimate more quickly what and who we need to complete the task) - i.e. a function for adding photos is needed
- a database of assistance provided would also be useful (I don't know how to solve the issue of personal data here) - i.e. I go to a given address or name and see that a given family received a fridge, washing machine and help with plastering, they also asked for a new stove but didn't receive it, etc.
- for the needs of the organization, it would be useful to create a statistical database on its own - i.e. if I mark a task as "done", the system immediately counts the number of families that received help (be specific - e.g. renovation help) - and I can see this data at any time in the "statistics" tab. Such a system would make the process of acquiring sponsors and donors much easier for us.

Of course, for our current needs, such an application would be based on the topic of renovation assistance, but I think it would also be adaptable to other situations - for example, in a crisis, it could show places that cannot be reached by regular car, places where food or medicines need to be delivered urgently... On such a map, you can also mark evacuation locations, as well as a resource base (I go in and see who has an excavator, who has a loader, who offers accommodation for 10 people, and who for 100, etc.)

I hope that something useful can be extracted from my chaotic statement ;)
regards
Paulina

--
Best regards

Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Ziemi Lądek

[Dominic König]

Hi Rafal--

this sounds familiar - we've been doing something similar in the Ahrtal
disaster.

Critically, this only worked where the population had access to internet and
end-devices - which left several large blind spots. Moreover, those who had
internet access and power etc, had completely different needs than those in the
most affected areas.

So, how do we solve that?

My proposal back at the time was to support canvassing teams instead of
directly connecting the affected people - which basically means that the data
aren't crowdsourced, but collected by properly equipped and pre-trained NGO
personnel, who regularly take a drive into the area. Rather than depending on
IT infrastructure on-site, they would bring their equipment and then process
the collected information off-site at HQ.

The obvious advantage is that it would mean fewer end-users, a mostly
streamlined process, and proper priorities. Plus: you can target them
specifically to the blind spots, as well as disadvantaged demographics (such as
elderly or disabled persons), hence reducing data bias.

What do you think?

Dominic

onsdag 26 februari 2025 16:20:38 CET skrev rafal.j...@gmail.com:
> We received an email list of requirements from two organizations (TRATWA
> and Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Ziemi Lądeckiej) working on the flood. I will
> try to put it together ASAP, but I am sending you the emails below for your
> review.
>

> *TRATWA - Application Creation Guidelines*

> *Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Ziemi Lądek*

> --
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> 3df0n%40googlegroups.com.

[Dominic König]

onsdag 26 februari 2025 17:00:25 CET skrev du:
> Critically, this only worked where the population had access to internet and
> end-devices - which left several large blind spots. Moreover, those who had
> internet access and power etc, had completely different needs than those in
> the most affected areas.

In fact...those who had working internet and electricity, usually also had
safe accommodation, usable roads and access to supplies and services - and the
overall impact of helping them was only marginally better than what help they
could organize themselves. It became also apparent, that those who were
shouting the loudest for help online were those who least needed it.

The tricky part were those areas, where people couldn't actually help
themselves because they were either cut off road-wise, or didn't have
connectivity (internet coverage was sparse, and electricity unreliable), or
lacked access to essential supplies and services (e.g. medicines and health
services), and were therefore incapacitated - or simply too busy and tired -
to communicate their needs.

Hence the idea to actually send people instead of a data portal.

A canvassing team can not only ask the right questions, they can also see for
themselves and balance the implicit/inevitable bias of a public data portal.

Dominic

[Dominic König]

P.S.

@Armin Retterath:
Maybe you want to join this discussion? Can you or your team help GIS-wise
here?

@Rafal:
I shall recycle the template we used in the Ahrtal, and adjust it a little for
TRATWA - but I will then need more developers to take on the details, in
particular the GIS requirements.

Dominic

[armin.r...@gmail.com]

@dominic

i will have a look at the demands, but i need some time. in my opinion the template from the Ahrtal flood has most needed functionality.

the system is still online and we may use it to show the existing processes and workflows.

armin 

[rafal.j...@gmail.com]

Sounds great. We'll work out the details tomorrow at the meeting with Jakube. We'll establish what we have and what you would need for the meeting with TRATWA.

[rafal.j...@gmail.com]

Hi

It was a very long weekend during which a lot happened, and I learned a lot about the current situation in the Kłodzko Valley and the functioning of the Tratwa organization and its cooperation with others.

I think it's worth dividing our activities with Tratwa into two parts: one concerning immediate needs and the other long-term cooperation.

First, a few words about Tratwa. It is an organization that has been operating for 20 years and was one of the main players during the flood crises in 1997 and the humanitarian crisis related to the war in Ukraine. I visited their base, which is located in an old railway depot in Wrocław. I reviewed documents and films about their activities, which helped hundreds of thousands of people. Their experience in direct work with refugees and floods is immense. People on-site work directly with those in need, providing food and basic care, as well as managing volunteers and solving all kinds of problems. On their own initiative, they are working on creating corps in every Polish city that would have a plan in case of a crisis.

In a broader perspective, Tratwa is currently in serious talks with the government and Orlen Polska about creating crisis corps in all voivodeships. These would be groups of people who know each other well, cooperate, and train for a crisis. In this context, there is a chance for funding so that corps members have their system, know it very well, and can use it in case of a crisis. This is a larger topic that will have many stages, but the first one is already planned. It involves presenting a demo of a mobile application for corps members, which will work offline. Rafał K. has taken on the task of preparing the appropriate demo for Tratwa so that in talks with Orlen and the government, it will be easier to present how future structures should operate. We imagine that such a mobile application could be part of a larger crisis management system based on Sahana Eden.

To enable Tratwa members to start working with Sahana Eden and get convinced of this solution, we decided that it would be best to support the upcoming spring construction boom in the Kłodzko Valley. A large influx of volunteers, building materials, and tools is expected. Tratwa received an order from the municipality to coordinate these activities. Currently, with lower work intensity in winter, they do everything on Google Excel sheets. They have separate sheets for residents and their needs, volunteers and their arrival dates, and building materials and equipment. At the beginning of the week, I will get access to these sheets without personal data. They need to control which volunteers took what equipment, where they went, and what was done. It's about effective resource management, identifying bottlenecks, and avoiding logistical chaos. I reviewed the sheet with residents, and they really have well-cataloged all places, names, addresses, and contacts, with information about events and the most urgent needs. They also collect information from other organizations they cooperate with, based on decisions issued by the municipality. A person with a decision comes to Tratwa, and based on it, it is known at what level the person is affected and whether at all. They are far advanced in analyzing the situation in their area and are oriented towards what needs to be done. Excel is no longer sufficient, so this is a perfect moment to switch to a system and get to know the tool. As soon as I get the Excels, I will pass the information to you.

How should we approach the configuration of Sahana Eden in this situation? The demo I showed them was well received (especially the search engine, smartphone access, and customizable reports). Based on it, we will try to identify which part we can use. Is the method such that it was just a demo, and it's better to build from scratch? Maybe we should catch up at the beginning of the week and determine how many people we need for this project? Dominik, will you be able to help us start?

Rafal

[Dominic König]

Hi Rafal--

söndag 9 mars 2025 20:02:39 CET skrev rafal.j...@gmail.com:
> How should we approach the configuration of Sahana Eden in this situation?
> The demo I showed them was well received (especially the search engine,
> smartphone access, and customizable reports). Based on it, we will try to
> identify which part we can use. Is the method such that it was just a demo,
> and it's better to build from scratch? Maybe we should catch up at the
> beginning of the week and determine how many people we need for this
> project? Dominik, will you be able to help us start?

Yes, I think I can help you to get started. I would suggest as follows:

1) As a primary line of support, I could give your developer team some
introduction/training how to build applications with Eden. We can do this in a
draft application template, which you can then use as basis for your
implementation.

2) As a secondary line of support, we could together develop a "blueprint" for
a TRATWA flood relief coordination application. A blueprint is a collection of
user stories, high-level information architecture, process and workflow
descriptions, and some technical conditions for potential use-cases - which
then forms the basis for the development of technical requirements and
specifications. It is a living document, meant to be added to as you go.

(In fact, we may need the blueprint before we can work on a draft template)

From there, your team should be in a position to develop suitable applications
both within and around Eden. I would help you on the way to the first draft,
and then I hope your team can take it from there.

So, my focus would be primarily on capacity building - while your team would
conduct the actual requirements management, coding, implementation, and
deployment - and hopefully (that's a proposal, not an obligation) contribute
some of that back to the Eden ASP project.

Effectively, your team would take the lead on Eden ASP in flood relief and
recovery support - that'd be my goal here.

---

One point to make here is though that I would want (and hence, strongly
encourage you) to make any such development reusable in an international
context.

For instance, we had an information request - just last week - from a group in
Botswana, which has also recently suffered extensive flooding, i.e. a very
similar context, and thus probably a need for very similar solutions.

It is therefore desirable, that all these groups use Eden ASP as a way to
connect, share their ideas, and collaborate on solutions - which of course
starts with this blueprint I mentioned above, and then ideally goes all the
way to reusable code, documentation and support.

So, if you contribute some of your work back to the Eden ASP project, we can
make this re-usable for others, who then again (ideally) contribute their bits
and pieces, and so forth - so that is how this project is supposed to work.

Dominic

[rafal.j...@gmail.com]

Hi Dominic, 

We are very pleased that you want to help us. We will be extremely happy if we can finally give something back. We are currently in the process of signing a letter of intent between Comtegra and Tratwa, which will streamline cooperation and give me more resources. I hope that by Thursday's morning meeting, I will have people available to work. From my perspective, the next steps are:

1. Analyzing the received Excel files, taking into account the roles and processes involved.
2. Mapping which modules are the closest (DVR, REQ, etc.).
3. Addressing the issue of translating the system into Polish (I saw this in one of the emails, but it needs to be set in motion).
4. Documenting events and knowledge (so that we can support others in the future). I would like to take on this part. My goal is to organize the materials in such a way that they can be used internationally for reusing code, documentation, and support. This is the true and main goal of the project, because TRARWA in Stronie Śląskie is already working very well, and the system is meant to be an aid, not a lifesaver (which is its normal purpose).

Rafal

[rafal.j...@gmail.com]

Hi, 

I received the columns from the Excel sheet they are working on.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hIpW3opKO2CjcQwBMhDiCoQvSqmbfIvXCYyJvityrGA/edit?usp=sharing

From my perspective, this Excel sheet is not very elaborate, and the tasks performed on it are quite simple. The "residents" tab holds information about decisions and assistance provided. The "orders" tab contains information about the work carried out by TRATWA volunteers.

Regarding roles, it mainly refers to coordinators. In the first step, it only mentions TRATWA coordinators, but I know that other organizations will be included in the next step. So, we have a division into organizations and their coordinators. Organizations manage their own "residents/decisions," and other organizations can see and add donated gifts.

Similarly with "Orders." Organizations and their coordinators manage orders. Other organizations and their coordinators can see what has been or is being ordered in this place.

So, the first goal we set is for several organizations to be able to cooperate within the framework of donated gifts and orders being carried out. By organization, we mean two NGOs, churches, a village community center, etc.

Rafal

[Dominic König]

Hi Rafal--

this particular case can be realized with DVR alone - we do something similar
in the MRCMS template (...which is also a multi-tenancy-enabled template, i.e.
designed to be used by multiple organisations under a lead organisation).

So I would suggest to focus on a DVR-based case management.

In any case, this is exactly what I was after in order to start a template, so
let's look into the details tomorrow in our call. I can introduce/explain DVR
a litte deeper when there's time left.

Dominic

P.S. "Coordinator" is actually already a specification of two roles, the other
being non-Coordinators ;) so you can differentiate the use-cases for each of
these - and doing that, you will quickly discover more roles.

> > 1. Analyzing the received Excel files, taking into account the roles
> > and processes involved.
> > 2. Mapping which modules are the closest (DVR, REQ, etc.).
> > 3. Addressing the issue of translating the system into Polish (I saw

> > this in one of the emails, but it needs to be set in motion).

> > 4. Documenting events and knowledge (so that we can support others in

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