Information ecosystem assessment

An information ecosystem assessment encompasses both a review of the media and telecommunication infrastructures and people’s information and communication needs, alongside an analysis of the producers of information.

Multiple aspects must be considered to provide an all-round analysis of an information ecosystem, including possible weaknesses in the physical infrastructure and the power dynamics behind the media discourse and its effects on communities. 

The term “ecosystem” encapsulates the link between target communities different information sources and needs, and how information can flow within and amongst communities. Any impact on the ecosystem can have broader ramifications – from changes in the telecommunications regulatory frameworks to how a specific community group communicates remotely with humanitarian agencies.

As outlined by Internews, an information ecosystem assessment is a mapping exercise with eight key components for consideration:

1. Information needs – are the information needs of all groups being served?
2. Information landscape – what infrastructures are in place to support information production and flow?
3. Production and movement of information – who generates information and how does it move? 
4. Dynamic of access – what are the power structures in the environment and how can they affect how the information flows?
5. Use of information – what do people do with the information they receive?
6. Impact of information – what impact does this information have on the community?
7. Social trust – whose information do individuals trust? 
8. Influencers in the community – which voices are loudest or most influential?