ECB Project Case Study Simulating the worst to prepare the best: a study of humanitarian simulations and their benefits

Simulations are being used widely across the humanitarian sector, in a variety of contexts and involve numerous stakeholders. The sector is placing increasing value on simulations as important staff capacity, preparedness and relationship building exercises.

The idea for a new case study came during the background research for the ECB Project's Simulation Case Study 'Playing with reality; the ECB experience using emergency simulations to improve humanitarian response'.This case study revealed that the types of simulations being implemented, and the drivers that dictate their demand, vary significantly depending on the context, the event being simulated and the objective of the simulation. The authors of the first case study saw an opportunity to pull together experience from six major actors involved in implementing simulations in the humanitarian sector to produce a second case study.

The ECB Project Case Study: Simulating the worst to prepare the best: a study of humanitarian simulations and their benefits, addresses the questions of ‘What is a simulation and why use them?’ before focusing on six different simulation types to compare, contrast and draw lessons from.

This case study is available in English, French and Spanish.