{"id":582000,"date":"2026-03-18T16:21:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T16:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/?post_type=blog&p=582000"},"modified":"2026-03-19T20:26:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T20:26:14","slug":"from-top-down-systems-to-a-local-national-mesh","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/blog\/articles\/from-top-down-systems-to-a-local-national-mesh","title":{"rendered":"From Top-Down Systems to a Local\u2013National Mesh"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article is part of the Rethinking Humanitarian Action with a Geographic Approach<\/strong><\/a> blog series.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

The bottom has dropped out from under the humanitarian sector. The logic of what follows hasn\u2019t changed since then, only the urgency. This current crisis makes one thing clearer than ever: Future humanitarianism must be more locally and nationally owned, and more accountable to the people it serves.<\/p>\n\n

Humanitarianism Needed a Shake-Up (Just Not Like This)<\/h2>\n\n

Read through the excellent commentary emerging on the humanitarian funding crisis. You can\u2019t miss the underlying notion. In some ways, we\u2019ve brought this upon ourselves.<\/p>\n\n

We\u2019ve danced around reforming the humanitarian sector for years. But to quote Lars Peter Nissen in the Trumanitarian<\/em> episode titled, \u201cShaken Not Stirred\u201d,<\/a> we\u2019ve merely stirred it. What it really needs? A fundamental shake-up that reduces its vulnerability to the whims of major donors and creates an improved, more resilient, and more accountable system.<\/p>\n\n

Future humanitarianism will hinge on building up human resilience to shocks in a more effective, efficient, and accountable manner. It is always worth asking ourselves: are we as effective as we could be? Are we delivering what needs delivering? Most importantly, who gets to decide on these questions?<\/p>\n\n

The shake-up we need doesn\u2019t merely reduce financial dependency on a single donor. We must radically restructure the sector from its current top-down, hierarchical logic to a more evenly distributed \u201cmesh\u201d of interconnected capacities, resources, knowledge, and agency.<\/p>\n\n

Picture this: An earthquake pokes a hole in that mesh somewhere? The mesh pulls itself back together, drawing first from the most proximate resources. Resilience from the inside out.<\/p>\n\n

Who Owns the Narrative?<\/h2>\n\n

I\u2019ve spent more than 20 years in the humanitarian sector. Specifically, promoting information management systems (IMS) and geographic information system (GIS) technology to support evidence-based decision-making. It\u2019s a concept I still believe in passionately. And it\u2019s one of the ones most affected by the funding crisis, leading to countless shutdowns of fundamental datasets the sector relied on to navigate.<\/p>\n\n

But here\u2019s the thing. We largely failed to understand that good data isn\u2019t enough to bring about efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability.<\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s all about the narrative the data spells out. Who gets to own and shape it? How does it interact with other narratives in the same space? The future of humanitarian effectiveness will be determined as much by who gets to frame the narrative as by the volume of data we collect.<\/p>\n\n

That overarching narrative will define everything. The decisions we make. The programs we design. The support we deliver. It might rest on good data. But if you build it external to the primary stakeholders, especially the affected communities, even the most data-driven programs will miss the mark.<\/p>\n\n

You\u2019ll be doing the job right. But you won\u2019t be doing the right job.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Instead, we need to build a fine mesh of local-to-global capacities that can connect, share information, and communicate knowledge at all scales. True partnership.<\/p>\n\n

We have the tools to make this happen<\/a>. Modern IMS and GIS technology platforms are built to do exactly that: connect knowledge at all scales, from local, through national, to global. And stellar examples of capacity and knowledge-exchange networks have emerged over the last decade. The Flying Labs<\/a>. Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team<\/a>. NEAR (Network for Empowered Aid Response)<\/a>. Start Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

So, some of the key building blocks for this localized mesh already exist. What\u2019s missing? A collective vision of what could be, and a road map to get there. One that redefines the roles and responsibilities of actors according to what they each do best.<\/p>\n\n

Restoring and Strengthening Local and National Ownership<\/h2>\n\n

Localization of the humanitarian and disaster risk management (DRM) sector amounts to asking ourselves two questions: \u201cHow far do disaster-impacted communities in location X need to search to find the support resources they need?\u201d And, \u201cHow can we continuously elevate existing local capacity so that this radius shrinks over time?\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Localization implies stronger ownership of the narrative and DRM processes by those affected. Rather than external assessments determining need and resource requirements, a localized humanitarian model enables affected populations to define and voice these needs. They become the driving agent for selecting, sourcing, and overseeing support.<\/p>\n\n

That said, we should still be careful to avoid a full pendulum swing. Otherwise, we\u2019ll simply shift from a chaotic and unaccountable international system to an equally chaotic and unaccountable hyperlocal system. A singular focus on local organizations would create its own set of problems if it sidesteps national DRM frameworks and undermines national cohesion and development goals.<\/p>\n\n

More focus on strengthening national disaster management authorities\u2019 capacities would have several effects:<\/p>\n\n