Forward Vision
Water, water everywhere...
By Robin Hayden

People in the business often speak of information as if it were water. And water is a good metaphor for this age of information.

Some attributes: it's necessary for survival, it flows in streams, and it can be dammed, channeled or otherwise controlled. We can change it into other forms more relevant or more transportable. It's an absolute essential, but too much at the wrong time creates more problems than it solves. The purer the better.

We treasure it most when we have it least.

It is a leveraged commodity.

Control of information is control. Control of information is, implicitly, the control of everything that information does.

In response to the overwhelming amount and disparities in quality of public information, many organizations are developing new ways of filtering out those pieces not of interest or value, and synthesizing the rest into products useful for the furtherance of their missions. They are also finding ways of harnessing the power of information, of turning it into knowledge. Accomplishing this task often means hiring dedicated professionals.

In this issue, we share with you the efforts of some of these "information engineers" within the Center and its partnering organizations. Their role, loosely described, is in controlling and managing the flood of information pertaining to complex emergencies, humanitarian assistance, natural disaster response, peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions.

Specifically we cover the efforts of the staff of the Pacific Disaster Management Information Network, a program established within the Center of Excellence at its onset in 1995. This core group of research analysts, librarians by training, represents an early recognition of the importance of information sharing and management to the Center's mission.

Also featured are the information-related activities of the Pacific Disaster Center, located on the Hawaiian Island of Maui, and the Virtual Information Center, physically a group of analysts within the U.S. Pacific Command, but conceptually a virtual network that turns information from many sources into knowledge.

Did I mention that we are discussing open source, or public, information? The bottom line is that public information is the coin of the realm of humanitarian work.

Elsewhere throughout this issue: Peter Novick in "Cooperative Disaster Prevention and Response: Expanding the Universe of Assistance" gives us a closer look at how one nation interfaces with another on disaster planning and the benefits inherent in doing so when both have something to gain. Drs. Thomas Ditzler and Michael Kellar share unique cultural traits Americans should keep in mind when travelling abroad in an about-face on understanding other cultures in "Americaville." Dionisio Magsipoc highlights a disaster management resource in and for the region in "Disaster Management Capacity Building: The Asia Disaster Preparedness Center Paves the Way."

You may notice visual changes to The Liaison...Rand Uehara in "Aloha means hello but it also means goodbye" helps us to say goodbye to a special friend and colleague, Tess Black, art director, copy editor and inspiration. In her place we welcome Eric Papayoanou, the new face behind The Liaison's design. Tess has moved on to new challenges; we wish her all the greatest happiness in her endeavors.

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