The HIC provides support to humanitarian coordination in Iraq through a range of information products and services.

Products
Coordination Tools.  The HIC is responsible for maintaining a number of key coordination tools, including a Contact Database, Meeting Schedule, and the Who’s doing What Where (W3) Database.  The W3 database is a project tracking system that enables better coordination of humanitarian assistance.  To check whether your organisation is listed, take a look at the W3 database

Rapid Assessment.  The HIC is carrying out a baseline data survey to build a better picture of the humanitarian situation in Iraq.  The results of this survey will be made freely available for use by other organisations, and will support more detailed assessments by other agencies.  The HIC also maintains a database of existing assessments for reference by the community.  To find out more, visit the Rapid Assessment page.

Maps.  The HIC produces, prints and distributes a wide range of Cartographic and Thematic maps, as well as providing hard copies of Satellite Images relating to Iraq.  These map products are freely available via the website and at any HIC office.  To see the full range, visit the Map Centre.

Website.  The HIC website is a portal to a wide range of reference materials drawn from the entire humanitarian community.  The website deals in operational data, not publicity for individual organisations, in order to support the humanitarian effort.  If you would like to contribute to the website, please contact the Webmaster.

Services
Technical Support.  The HIC can provide technical support in key areas such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), database development, etc.  We are happy to help other organisations to improve their work in these areas, although we do not have separate funds and work in an advisory capacity only.  To find out more, please contact us.

Survey design.  The HIC can provide advice on survey design and implementation, particularly helping organisations to collect data in a systematic way that can be shared with the community.  Visit one of the HIC offices to find out more.

Information Access.  The HIC provides a portal for other organisations to present vital data to the rest of the humanitarian community.  We have sections for the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), UNOHCI Area Coordination Offices, NGO coordination bodies (such as the NCCI), key issues (such as the telecommunications network provided by WFP FITTEST), and other organisations.  Much of this information is not available anywhere else online.  If you want to contribute or find out more about our sources, contact the webmaster.

Data Archiving.  The HIC is developing a data infrastructure that will become a resource for the people of Iraq in the future.  By collecting and incorporating multiple datasets into this infrastructure (particularly spatial data), the HIC will contribute to the future administration of Iraq.  If you have data that you wish to invest in this infrastructure, contact Vincent Hubin, Hic Administrator.

Training.  A Training of Trainers (TOT) in Geographic Information Systems was conducted by the HIC for Iraqi trainees from the Ministry’s of Planning, Mines, Housing and Construction, Water and Sanitation and identified personnel from the HIC in November of 2003.  The training was a great success and provided Iraqi trainees with the latest skills in cutting edge GIS software. As Iraq begins to better utilize GIS in various sectors, this capacity will benefit the country in collection, management and analysis of spatial information.  Additionally, the trainees have the skills to pass this knowledge on colleagues in their respective Ministries, thus strengthening the use of geographic information in planning, monitoring, evaluation and decision-making processes. 

The Humanitarian Information Center for Iraq would like to officially thank the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) and specifically Mr. Makram Murad-al-shaikh for conducting a successful training of trainers in ArcGIS 8x software.  The donation of Mr. Makram Murad-al-shaikh’s time from ESRI, along with a comprehensive set of training materials is greatly appreciated by the HIC and more importantly the Iraqi trainees. This collaborative effort to build GIS capacity at the Iraqi Ministry level will hopefully be expanded to other organizations and provide the first step in re-building Iraq’s spatial infrastructure. Visit our photo gallery for pictures from ESRI Training in Amman.