Diego Batista
Regional Operations Data Manager
Duty Station: Beirut, Lebanon
“All of us have different backgrounds, different expertise and experiences […], which means as a whole we have a broad understanding of challenges and problems. The most important thing is that we try to make use of all of our different skills, and use them to solve challenges together, no matter our background or current position.”
Diego is an IT expert specialized in the design and development of databases and data visualizations. For the past 5 years, he worked as a data administrator at UNHCR in Iraq and Jordan, and is presently a Regional Operations Data Manager Officer in Beirut.
Project: UNHCR App for Mobile Devices
Diego is currently working with Erin Hayba and Jad Ghosn on this project. This project focuses on the design and implementation of a mobile app that can serve as an innovative communication channel, connecting refugees to UNHCR staff and service providers (NGOs). As refugees (in the context of the Syrian crisis) spend long hours outside UNHCR offices trying to get access to information and services, the mobile app can help to bridge this gap, by providing updated news and allowing refugees to take a more participative role through the use of crowdsourcing and forums. Designed in a simple-to-use manner, the app is able to deliver the functionality users need, as refugees can update and provide information instantaneously, by the way of crowdsourcing.
The initial purpose of the app is to provide information, report incidents, and reach out to the refugee community- but may be expanded with time. The app would particularly target information relevant to Syrian refugees in Lebanon, but would have the capacity to spread to other countries, according to each situation.