Review of Secondary Sources

What is it?

A review of secondary sources means collecting information that already exists, usually in the form of written reports, documents or data from other organizations, local government authorities and social institutions. This exercise enables you to gain an overall picture of the community.

The secondary sources should not be restricted to documents only about the community itself but should include all external sources of information that may be useful to the EVCA. This may include risk maps and information on climate change and changes in land use that may affect river runoff, infrastructure plans, maps of a river basin, etc.

Use it to…

Get an overview of the situation based on the work already done by others.

Cross-check information gathered by other means.

Get a broad perspective of the challenges facing the community and a history of what has been done so far to address them, including information that cannot be gathered at the community level (e.g. about infrequent hazards or evolving risks such as climate change).

Contribute to the community baseline data.

Collecting information on a wider geographical scale to review the physical environment and landscape in which the community is situated and understand how external factors like upstream dams, uphill deforestation, flat coastal plains or slow flowing rivers through valleys or cities may be part of the general ‘risk landscape’ to consider in the EVCA and subsequent risk reduction planning.

Learn how to do a review of secondary sources

A step-by-step guide to conducting secondary source review

Review of Secondary Sources

Transect walk

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