This document summarizes an organization's experience generating evidence through media monitoring during the 2015 Nepal earthquake. Key points: - The organization (HERD) developed a framework to collect, understand, and synthesize evidence from media reports on a daily basis to inform government officials and stakeholders' emergency response. - Daily monitoring reports summarized issues like public health, rescue efforts, aid management, government actions, and public reactions. - Producing quick, comprehensive, and accessible data through open synthesis of evidence allowed for a more informed and effective emergency response and learning for future disasters.

1. Media Monitoring of
Nepal Earthquake
Our Experience in Generating
Evidence and Informing Policy

2. Nepal Earthquake
A Shocker …

3. When news/stories came
from all corners …

4. A mosaic of eagerness,
anxiety and confusion …
The
DIRECTION
Dilemma

5. Catalysing the
CHANGE
◦ Collecting fact/evidence
◦ Understanding and synthesizing
the evidence
◦ Communicating the evidence
effectively

6. WHAT TRIGGERED THE ACTION?
Emergency
response
from Day
Zero
Need for
quick and
reliable info
to feed in
response
actions
HERD team
developed a
framework
and started
media
monitoring
Daily synthesized media monitoring
reports for over a period of about one
month informing govt officials and wider
stakeholders on a daily basis

7. The Process …
An example of Evidence Collection:
Date Content Source Link
22-MayNew moms in Nepal facing uncertain
future
New York
Times
http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2015/05/22/ne
w-moms-in-nepal-facing-uncertain-futures-in-aftermath-of-
earthquake/
22-MayBeauty of Human Spirit! House/Barn
destroyed Jagat still insisted on sharing his
tea & buffalo milk.
Individual via
Twitter
22-MayPetition to Nepal Government to focus on
mental health problems
Change.org via
Twitter
https://www.change.org/p/government-of-nepal-do-more-to-
help-your-citizens-that-suffer-from-mental-health-problems
22-MayAdministering vaccines preemptively
required rather than as a response to an
outbreak - report from an assessment of
technical teams: Public Library of Science
(PLOS) Medicine Consulting Editor -
Lorenz von Seidlein with Nepali team
PLOS.org http://blogs.plos.org/speakingofmedicine/2015/05/21/nepal-
after-the-recent-earthquakes-reconstruction-and-vaccine-
preventable-enteric-diseases/
22-MayCan't sleep & still awake at 4am feeling
aftershocks 1 month after the Nepal
Earthquake
Individual via
Twitter
22-MayAnne Sanquini, a PhD student at Stanford,
is studying how to motivate people to take
precautionary action to protect their homes
and schools against earthquakes. On April
25, Sanquini found herself on the ground
during the devastating magnitude 7.8
earthquake in Nepal, the very situation she
has been researching and preparing for.
Standford
University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8qKz0IzQxU

8. The Process …
An example of Evidence Synthesis:
Media Monitoring Report of May 19
Synthesizing similar daily media monitoring reports, we
produced a summary report
Summary Report of Media Monitoring

9. Evidence we generated …
Public Health
Care
Emergency
health treatment,
drug supply,
epidemic
outbreak …
Rescue Efforts
Government,
local and
international
rescue team
efforts
Aid Management
Donations
received,
pledged by
foreign
countries…
Mgmt of Food,
Drugs and
Supplies
Distribution of
supplies
Govt Efforts
Quake relief fund
Rehabilitation
Cabinet decisions
Field inspections
Public Reactions
Mistrust
Support
Waiting for supplies
Hope for rehabilitation
Others
Sanitation
Economic Impact
Positives from Nepal Earthquake

10. The OUTCOME …
 Quick, Comprehensive,
Neutral and Accessible Data
 Quick and Informed
Response
 Better Learning, Better
Preparation

11. THE EMPHASIS On DATA …
 OPENNESS
 ACCESSIBILITY
 SYNTHESIS
 EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION

12. OUR EMBEDDED APPROACH
POLICYEVIDENCE PRACTICE

13. Remember, these days…
So, the #OpenData Movement demands:
 Need for more authentic and easily
available data
 Developing resource library for good
practice of utilizing Evidence for
Development

14. BIGTHANK YOU
Cheers to #OpenData Initiative…
HERD
Kathmandu, Nepal
www.herd.org.np
@HERDNepal