Afiliacion: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

Information analyst is a professional required in the social fields of security, emergency management and risk prevention in order to manage the intrinsic uncertainty of this context. This study aims to capture what competences, skills, knowledge and profiles are more suitable for these functions according to the needs of organizations, as well as to detect educational shortcomings though the views of members of the organizations and linked actors: academic research groups in intelligence analysis, analysts, technicians and journalists specialized in security. Results show that requirements change depending on the features and size of the organizations but they must include formation, experience and skills, flexibility and teamwork. This study also shows that the profile of an information and documentation professional may be a good candidate to choose for these tasks, although specialization in some aspects may be required.