Information is critical to emergency response and recovery, yet maintaining the flow of information between agencies, with partners, and to the wider public, is extremely challenging under emergency conditions. The importance of information for emergency responders and those affected by events must not be underestimated.

Effective information management depends on the appropriate preparatory measures being in place to build situational awareness and on developing a Common Recognised Information Picture (CRIP) at the local, sub-national and national levels (if appropriate). Such measures will need to support:

• Transmitting and collating potentially high volumes of information from multiple sources
• Assessing collated information to ensure its relevance, accuracy, timeliness, accessibility, interpretability and transparency
• Translating available information into appropriate information products; for example, briefing the Strategic Co-ordinating Group or national groups, or releasing it to the media for public information

Particular challenges that may need to be addressed in collating, assessing, validating and disseminating information under emergency conditions may include:

• Information management procedures varying between agencies
• Perspectives on the event or situation differing
• Mistakes and misunderstandings occurring under pressure
• Overloaded communications