Humanitarian Academy

Information management

Information Management and Humanitarian Mapping

P-codes, KoboToolbox, dashboards and maps: turn data into decisions while protecting people.

  • 3 days · 18 hours
  • 3 levels · 3 certificates
  • 2 scenarios
  • Verifiable certificate
Start the course
  • Free, unlimited access
  • 3 one-day modules
  • 2 scenarios and 9 quiz questions
  • 3 graded case studies and 3 exams
  • Certificate in your name, verifiable online

What you will learn

  • Organise the information cycle: needs, collection, processing, analysis, dissemination.
  • Use reference data and common tools (KoboToolbox, Excel, HDX, QGIS) to produce reliable products.
  • Design clear dashboards and maps, while protecting personal and sensitive data.

Course information

Level
Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced (one certificate per level)
Study time
18 hours over 3 days (lessons, case studies, exercises)
Format
Online, at your own pace, free and unlimited access
Assessment
Per level: graded case study + 20-question exam (30 to 40 min, pass marks 70%, 75% and 80%)
Credential
Named, numbered certificate of achievement, verifiable online (QR code)
Reference frameworks
OCHA · OCHA · IASC / JIAF

💼 Monitoring, evaluation and data jobs

Put this course into practice: the latest jobs in this field.

See all 179 Monitoring, evaluation and data jobs →

Prepare for the written test and interviewA model written test in this field, interview questions with sample answers and the STAR method.See the model test →

A 3-level certification pathway

Progress from Beginner to Advanced. Each level ends with a graded case study and a timed exam, and leads to its own verifiable certificate.

Level 1Beginner

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 70% to pass

Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Understand the role of information management in a response.
  • Use place codes (P-codes) and common data formats.
  • Design a simple data collection form.
  1. Day1Data: from information needs to a clean databaseThe information management cycle · Reference data · Mobile data collection and quality · Cleaning data · Start from decisions: the information needs matrix and the secondary data review · Reference data in practice: P-codes, CODs and lookup tables · Designing, testing and deploying a mobile data collection form · Full example: a multi-sector assessment from raw dataset to clean dataset · Structuring and documenting the dataset: rules, data dictionary and daily checks · Common mistakes, the donor perspective and adapting to the context · Interview questions and key references Scenario: The assessment database
  2. Graded case study : The registration form Displacement site · 20 questions including a case study · 70% to pass
Level 2Intermediate

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 75% to pass

Intermediate certificate · Opens after the Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Build a clean database and a dashboard that supports decisions.
  • Produce a simple thematic map and a consolidated 4W.
  • Apply personal data protection rules.
  1. Day2Analysis, dashboards, maps and data protectionAnalysing and presenting · Humanitarian mapping · Data protection and data responsibility · The data analysis plan: weighting, confidence intervals and publication rules · The 4W and consolidating people reached without double counting · Producing dashboards and maps that support decision-making · Full example: a shelter cluster's monthly product, from the 4W to the map · Protecting data day to day: life cycle, anonymisation and statistical disclosure control · Common mistakes, donor expectations and adapting to the context · Interview questions and key references Scenario: The map that reveals too much
  2. Graded case study : The cluster dashboard National Education cluster · 20 questions including a case study · 75% to pass
Level 3Advanced

Exam: 20 questions · 40 min · 80% to pass

Advanced certificate · Opens after the Intermediate certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Design an information system for a cluster or programme.
  • Assess data quality and bias, and communicate their limits.
  • Manage risks linked to sensitive data (impact assessment, responsible sharing).
  1. Day3Advanced module Humanitarian information systems and responsible dataDesigning an information system · Quality, bias and limitations · Responsible data · Architecture of an information system for a cluster or a programme · Assessing data quality: method and assessment grid · Bias, limitations and confidence levels: identifying and communicating them · Governing data responsibility across a response · Full example: building a protection cluster's information system in eight weeks · Design mistakes, donor and auditor expectations, adapting to the context · Interview questions and key references
  2. Graded case study : Sensitive data and decisions Protection response in a conflict zone · 20 questions including a case study · 80% to pass

Who is it for?

Information management (IM) assistants and officers, MEAL staff, cluster coordinators, programme officers who produce dashboards and maps.

The certificate

With at least 70% correct answers in the final assessment, you receive a certificate in your name, with a unique code that recruiters can verify on Humanitaires Jobs. A free Humanitarian Network account is required.

Key concepts

The vocabulary you need to master for this course and the exam.

P-code
A unique code for a place or administrative unit.
HXL
Standard hashtags added to tables to exchange data.
Choropleth map
A map that shows rates or proportions by area.
Weighting
Correcting selection probabilities to obtain representative estimates.
Data cleaning
Documented correction of errors, duplicates and outliers.
Least privilege
Access limited to what each person needs.
DTM
IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix.
Data responsibility
Safe, ethical and effective management of data throughout its life cycle.

References and recommended reading

The official texts and sector reference works on which the course is based.

  1. OCHA (2024). Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX) and Centre for Humanitarian Data. data.humdata.org
  2. OCHA (2023). HXL standard (Humanitarian Exchange Language). hxlstandard.org
  3. IASC / JIAF (2023). Joint Intersectoral Analysis Framework (JIAF 2.0). www.jiaf.info
  4. IASC (2023). Operational Guidance on Data Responsibility in Humanitarian Action. interagencystandingcommittee.org