Conferencing - it works everywhere

One of the lessons from Exercise Java Lava was the value of conference calls and Webcasts. With broadband connectivity over satellite, or with cell phones if operational in the zone, managers can conference as often as needed.

The ADRA Asia team used a proven and reliable service used for years by HumaniNet, www.shareitnow.com, from Encounter Collaborative. ShareItNow made it possible for regional managers in Bangkok as well as mangers in the U.S. to get updates. Robert Patton, exercise director, held a conference call every morning at 7 a.m. In an actual response, conference calls could be held frequently, with different groups on different calls - logistics, planning, security, etc.

I am convinced that conference calls and Webcasts should be planned and used to inform donors and supporters - almost certainly with powerful effect. Photos taken on the scene, taken the same day or hour, can be sent over Webcast. On-the-ground managers can then, in brief audio conference calls, can explain the situation to donors, NGO team members, and anyone else with an interest in the relief operation.

For more "lessons learned," see my articles in our ICT Features section, including "12 Reasons Why Relief Organizations Should Conduct Simulations."

Gregg Swanson

Exercise JavaLava – November 6 report

(Note: also see photos of the ADRA Asia simulation, October 29 – November 3)

The map display on the Airbus says I am 1000 km northeast of Tokyo, destination Portland Oregon USA, but it feels as though the ADRA Asia simulation – named "JavaLava" by the team – is still under way. And now, finally, there is time to blog.

The exercise ended late Wednesday night after an unforgettable day. The observer team, of which I'm a member, initiated an evacuation drill at 3:30 a.m. (that is a.m. as in "middle of the night"). Twenty hours later, the tireless team coordinator, Wendy Brightman, had sent the day's last Sitrep – over satellite – and was still discussing the day's events in the team quarters.

"Committed" does not completely describe the ADRA people. They are persistent, they are achievers, they are team players, and they love to solve tough problems. A practice alarm in the darkness and rain is no big deal – smiles, jokes, and back to bed. Cold water only? Hey, it's great to have running water. Power out? Routine in the places where they operate. Mosquitoes? We know them well and can order them out of the room.

On Sunday evening, when JavaLava began in earnest, the team removed beds from a ground floor room and within an hour had a fully functional operations center established. No time wasted there. The BGAN wireless network, provided by Telenor, was up and running (see photos on Flickr) and the team was online within minutes – in many cases, with better Internet access than in their home offices. Chris Jensen of ADRA Australia pointed out that "having the luxury of Internet access on the first day is new for us – and it is a huge advantage."

The NGO teams who responded to the tsunami almost two years ago did not have broadband for over two weeks, in some cases much longer. In the Yogyakarta earthquake in Java in May 2006, one relief manager wrote three weeks later that it would have been faster to "put all our email in a bottle and send it by sea."

(I can relate to that – the connectivity over the BGAN + wireless in the mountains was better than the wireless at Tokyo's Narita airport by far.)

The tech learning curve for the participants was sensational. Steve Glassey and I provided coaching and "help desk" assistance all week, mostly for minor tips: pointing the antenna, connecting to wireless, using Webmail, etc. Team members who had never touched a GPS unit or a satphone were using the systems confidently by Day Two.

Think about what that means for team preparedness. When the next disaster hits, these pros will be able to get online and focus on plan execution, at the outset, instead of wondering how to send and receive email from the scene.

Steve, a member of the observer team, noted that the very first Sitrep from the ADRA team included the latitude and longitude – "and that is excellent," he said. In too many responses, the authorities don't know where the teams and disaster victims are – especially when maps are poor and place names have multiple or difficult spellings.

Over the next month, I'll post more reports in the blog and in the HumaniNet ICT Features section, with perspectives from the ADRA team members. We plan articles on:

* The BGAN, or "Internet cafe in a backpack"
* The value of field simulations
* Web tools that relief NGOs should look at – *soon*.
* Volunteer tech augmentees – an idea whose time has come?

In team debriefings and at a post-simulation wrapup with ADRA Asia's Robert Patton and the observer team, dozens of valuable findings and intriguing ideas emerged. I had planned to write a daily blog posting, but the observer and training duties – mixed into an ambitious exercise scenario – meant that the blog had to wait until now. (And sleeping too)

If you have questions or comments, click on that little "comments" link below – it's easy – and be sure to tell us who you are.

On Friday morning, before departure, Gunung Gede (Mt. Gede) appeared through a light haze. It looked close and a bit ominous. By holding the simulation in the shadow of a volcano, the ADRA team not only achieved a degree of realism, in a relevant landscape and in a real village. They also signaled the seriousness of their mission and the importance of being ready. The 11 countries represented on this team (as well as the observers from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and the U.S.) will benefit. And so will – someday, probably soon – the people of the Asia region who will need their help.