HumaniNet ICT Features

Maps 2.0 – Geospatial Tools for Nonprofits and Humanitarian Relief

See the new Maps 2.0 blog

Our Maps 2.0 collaborative initiative was one of the 21 Featured Projects that was showcased at the annual NetSquared Conference in May.

As part of the Nepal disaster simulation, Exercise Khichadi, planned for early November, a team composed of experts from ESRI and HumaniNet volunteers, led by Sue Gemmell, is preparing a field demo that will be accessible by anyone with a Web browser. Please visit these pages:

Our Nepal GIS mapping demo page
Also see our Maps 2.0 team blog
Nepal Tech Day, October 31 in Kathmandu

Maps 2.0, a collaboration with Aspiration, Mercy Corps, and other nonprofit partners, is focusing on GIS tools that will make current maps and information available to disaster relief teams. We have formed a team of GIS specialists and users and are preparing a field demo for the upcoming events in Nepal: Tech Day on October 31, and the Nepal simulation exercise on November 1-7. We will coordinate with local partners in exploring how GIS and digital maps can be used to advantage in both disaster relief and development projects.

In a comprehensive and informative assessment report on the Pakistan Earthquake response in 2005, Paul Currion noted the following (page 18 of the report):

"In particular, many staff identified problems with maps. In the words of one programme manager in Mansehra, 'if we had good maps, we would be on top of things.' Maps are critical to planning and implementation across the whole range of activities that [humanitarian teams] undertake."

"More than one staff member complained that the maps provided . . . are frequently inaccurate."

Since the Asia tsunami disaster in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, a growing number of nonprofit and humanitarian organizations have recognized the tremendous potential of Web-delivered maps and map-based analysis. Google Earth and other Web services have demonstrated the power of online mapping tools, often known as geographic information systems (GIS) or geospatial analysis.

The HumaniNet team and our nonprofit partners believe that this revolution in mapping tools will change the way we think about projects with social, environmental, and humanitarian purposes. For an example of maps used by relief teams, see the UNOSAT map of the Solomon Islands (1MB pdf file) following the April 2 tsunami.

A growing number of nonprofit teams and initiatives have begun to use geospatial tools to create maps for disaster teams, study environmental and global warming trends, and analyze "layers" of data in community projects. While there are hundreds of examples and success stories, there is no single clearinghouse for sharing best practices, learning of new open source GIS tools, and connecting with others in the nonprofit community with common needs.

Maps 2.0 will establish the first nonprofit online resource for sharing best practices in GIS and digital maps. In partnership with Aspiration and Mercy Corps, HumaniNet has already formed an advisory team for creating a volunteer-based community of practice in GIS.

Using Aspiration's Social Source Commons and other Open Source collaborative tools, the Maps 2.0 team will review and post signficant and promising GIS developments and facilitate networking with other GIS experts and users. HumaniNet's experience in leading collaborative communities and partnering with over 100 global organizations will be a key advantage.

The Maps 2.0 community will be a quantum boost to the nonprofit and humanitarian teams that are otherwise "on their own" to find, evaluate, and implement map-based tools in support of such projects as community action, affordable housing, preserving endangered species, water and agricultural development projects, and of course disaster response.

For more information, please email us at info@humaninet.org.

July 2007