Linking Communities and Technology in the Indian Ocean Region

The report details a six-week online dialogue involving 155 participants from 118 organisations, primarily from Southeast and South Asia. It examines the tension between technocratic 'top-down' approaches and community-based 'bottom-up' strategies for disaster preparedness. Key findings highlight that over-reliance on high-tech sensors often overlooks the 'first mile'—the social elements and community needs essential for effective warning response. The document also identifies systemic barriers, including a lack of sub-national government resources, reliance on unsustainable volunteerism, and the failure to address socio-economic vulnerabilities such as poverty and gender inequality in risk knowledge dissemination.

• There is a perceived imbalance in Early Warning Systems where technology is prioritised over people, with most literature focusing on sensor and detection elements rather than community needs.
• The 'last mile' concept is criticised for representing a top-down approach; instead, a 'first mile' approach is proposed, which starts with the users to define their needs and expectations.
• Sub-national government levels lack the financial and human capacity to manage disaster risk management tasks assigned by national governments, leading to inconsistent progress across different districts and municipalities.
• Community-based disaster risk management is heavily dependent on volunteerism, which is threatened by low staff retention due to a lack of financial support for operational logistics.
• Socio-economic factors, including poverty, marginalisation, and gender inequities, create significant barriers to accessing risk knowledge and participating in early warning processes.
• There is a notable polarisation and competition between government agencies, which favour top-down technology and standard operating procedures, and NGOs, which focus on bottom-up community preparedness.

APA

Paul, D., Larsen, R. K., Thomalla, F., Kanji, F., Ahmed, A. K., & Ravesloot, B. (2009). Linking Communities and Technology in the Indian Ocean Region. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/linking-communities-technology-indian-ocean.pdf

Chicago

Paul, Delia, Rasmus Klocker Larsen, Frank Thomalla, Fareedali Kanji, Atiq Kainan Ahmed, and Bruce Ravesloot. Linking Communities and Technology in the Indian Ocean Region. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2009. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/linking-communities-technology-indian-ocean.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Paul |first1=Delia |last2=Larsen |first2=Rasmus Klocker |last3=Thomalla |first3=Frank |last4=Kanji |first4=Fareedali |last5=Ahmed |first5=Atiq Kainan |last6=Ravesloot |first6=Bruce |title=Linking Communities and Technology in the Indian Ocean Region |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2009 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/linking-communities-technology-indian-ocean.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{paul2009linking, author = {Paul, Delia and Larsen, Rasmus Klocker and Thomalla, Frank and Kanji, Fareedali and Ahmed, Atiq Kainan and Ravesloot, Bruce}, title = {{Linking Communities and Technology in the Indian Ocean Region}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Sustainable-livelihoods/linking-communities-technology-indian-ocean.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }