DATA FUSION AND SENSE-MAKING - IDENTIFYING THE “SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH”

With the data collection processes in place, MOTF had to figure out a way to incorporate the data in the digital platforms that the task force was using. This took dedication and hard work by the personnel in the newly formed Data Fusion Centre (DFC). They started work at 0800 hrs to prepare for the first huddle of the day at 1000 hrs - which gave them only two hours to “close all the accounts” from the previous night and provide an updated situation picture.

The operational challenges of this task were daunting. The data came from multiple sources, with different time-stamps and sometimes in conflict with other data. Some were raw data while others had gone through some form of processing. As the centres had different operating times, there were time-lags in data processing and always people in transit. The various databases had to be synchronised, so the team had the arduous task of assessing all the data for reliability and accuracy. Lags and discrepancies had to be accounted for and loose ends reconciled in order to establish a “single source of truth” that would be useful for making decisions and formulating policy.

To meet the vital need to synchronise the databases, DFC had to have a good grasp of the various data cycles, a data cycle being the sequence that each unit of data goes through from the time it is generated to the time it is applied. As a central database, DFC had to fuse data from a large number of stakeholders and integrate more data cycles in order to provide an accurate and coherent situation picture. The different data cycles of DFC's partners had to be aligned with a single common reference point, and timestamped to indicate when the data was collated and represented.

It was gruelling work. The data had to be processed manually, and the team often worked into the wee hours of the morning, before starting a new day of work just a few hours later. But within two months, it had managed to develop an automated solution and dashboard which presented an overview of the entire COVID-19 medical operations. With this “single source of truth”, the various task groups in MOTF could now operate together seamlessly. This dashboard was also helpful to other task forces and agencies for their planning and operations. Whenever there were data discrepancies, DFC would seek clarification from the relevant agencies. This helped to uncover causal factors and derive corrective actions.