Pioneering Data-Driven Humanitarian Aid

—- R, 2021/22 MSc Urban Informatics (UI) student with Placement at British Red Cross

R, a dedicated MSc UI student from King’s College London (KCL), undertook an internship with the Strategic Insight & Foresight team at the British Red Cross (BRC) during the academic year 2021/22. Under the guidance of the team, R was entrusted with the crucial task of assisting to develop the Resilience Index, a tool aimed at identifying local authorities in the UK that might be more vulnerable during challenging situations. Drawing upon the rigorous training and education they had received from MSc UI programme, the student was instrumental in the design and formulation of the Resilience Index.

The work with the British Red Cross not only showcases the practical application of the student’s academic knowledge, but also highlights the potential of data-driven strategies in shaping humanitarian interventions. Through the contributions, R has exemplified the essence of KCL’s educational ethos, demonstrating how academic knowledge can be channelled into meaningful real-world solutions.

The collaborative work of Resilience Index, though in its nascent stages, holds significant potential. It serves as a strategic roadmap, pinpointing areas of heightened vulnerability, optimising BRC’s resources planning to make sure they are judiciously allocated to regions most in need. R’s contributions to this project helped to deliver a transformative approach for the BRC. With the Resilience Index at their disposal, the BRC possess a clearer perspective on where to channel their resources and interventions. This refined approach promises more effective aid delivery, ensuring communities receive timely and appropriate support. R’s dedication to the project has further supported the team’s work on preparedness, contributing to its accelerated response time and enhanced its community outreach.

R’s placement with the Strategic Insight & Foresight team at the BRC marked a pivotal juncture in her journey as an emerging “data scientist”. This real-world project, centred around the Resilience Index, offered her invaluable insights into the intricacies of large-scale project management within a renowned organization. The supportive environment at the British Red Cross facilitated her growth, allowing them to navigate every stage, from data collection to the final presentation, with increasing proficiency.

Testimonials from the Placement line manager at BRC:

“Q1: Were there any challenges or changes during / post the project?

• Main challenge was allocating enough time to manage an intern alongside workload

• We ran into several issues with git on the intern’s machine. These were quite time consuming. More prior knowledge from interns in this area would have been beneficial.

“Q2: What value has the project brought to your organisation, at BRC?

• Added capacity to a team with limited resources

• R brought a level of academic rigour to our analysis, checking our calculations against the gold-standard methods at the time

“Q3: How do you comment on the support at BRC for students’ learning and practicing; what do you think the student gained from this valuable placement experience?

• Experience working on real-world project delivery (i.e., confronting hard programming decisions to ensure something is delivered, even if it is not ideal)

• Code architecture and R package design

“Q4: How was the experience overall, from the host organisation’s point of view?

• R was exceptional, exceeding our expectations

• They made real-world contributions to our code and delivery