ACLED follows a clear, multi-step methodology to transform raw reports into structured, actionable conflict data. This approach reflects strong documentation and research integrity — essential values in the DH community.
Step 1: Source Identification
-collect raw event data from hundreds of sources including:
- Local & international news media
- NGO and humanitarian reports
- Verified crowd-sourced reports
- Why it matters: Ensures broad coverage and local specificity — essential in regions underrepresented in traditional datasets.
Step 2: Data Coding & Structuring
- What happens: Each event is:
- Categorized by type (e.g., protest, violence against civilians)
- Tagged with actors, location, fatalities, and notes
- Link to Tools: This step connects directly to tools like acledR for tagging and CAST for future forecasting.
- DH Method Alignment: Represents a classic example of qualitative data turned into structured quantitative formats — a major DH method.