Introduction¶

The KDW Data Warehouse (KDW) is an online information tool that provides a framework for enhanced data management, accessibility and security for the key data sets routinely used in the KDW Project’s food security and early warning analysis. Currently, KDW has integrated its extensive market price data set into the KDW. Other data sets to be added include: (a) crop and livestock production statistics, (b) statistics on the cross-border trade of agricultural commodities, © data on livelihoods and maps of livelihood zones, (d) data on nutritional status, (e) emergency needs estimates, and (f) population statistics for each KDW country. The KDW provides users with both online, and—through easy data downloading capabilities—offline access to KDW price data and, eventually, to the complete KDW data set. Built-in analytical tools allow for automated routine analyses and enable tabular and graphical data visualizations. The KDW also provides the capacity to import data from key external sources into the KDW itself, to be integrated with KDW’s own data to further enhance food security analysis capabilities. Through common metadata and geospatial references, the KDW database structure will eventually allow KDW to more readily integrate all of its key datasets into a rigorous, multi-dimensional analysis of food security conditions in KDW countries.