Maps 2.0

By Peter Dickinson, Director of Technology, Mercy Corps

We asked Peter, who is very familiar with humanitarian information and communication technology (ICT) and the potential of GIS, about the benefits to NGOs.  Mercy Corps used geospatial technologies to inform and improve its emergency response to the South Asia tsunami, as well as to accelerate the transition from relief to development.   The following is an excerpt from an internal report on GIS, prepared by Mercy Corps’ Aceh program.

What can GIS do for Mercy Corps’ programs – what are the benefits?

GIS provides a commonly understood and powerful framework for collecting, organizing, and managing structured data. Many different types of data can be displayed on maps and a great deal of information can be summarized. The visual display of information can reveal patterns and relationship that may not be apparent in tabular displays. GIS is a tool that can assist program objectives through project planning, estimate creation, monitoring and evaluation, public information and donor reporting. Most simply, it can display information on a map and help staff to visualize projects. Information on a map is simply easier to read than in an Excel file.

Project Planning
Maps help to layer information such as population, infrastructure and physical characteristics like rivers and mountains. They can also depict where projects have previously been implemented and what type. Displaying features like locations of public facilities in relation to proposed projects can add a new dimension to decision making. All of these maps provide representation of data and are valuable communication tools for program managers to use in decision-making. It’s important to keep in mind that GIS is typically more applicable to some programs than others. Programs with a more geographic focus like water and sanitation, livelihoods (and agriculture), and community development have more obvious needs for GIS. However, GIS can be useful to all programs. For example, the Financial Access program in Aceh created a map that displayed locations of client banks. This map serves not only to highlight distance from business to bank, but also aids project staff in asking questions such as why businesses choose banks that may not be the closest to their business.

Estimates
GIS has spatial computing capabilities. It can calculate the area of a village or agricultural plot, the length of a road, or the distance between point A and point B – such as the distance to a market. All of these factors can help to estimate the cost of projects. In Aceh, GIS staff worked with engineering to estimate the cost for a drainage project by mapping total area. In this instance, the cost of the project was found to be too high and it was cancelled.

Monitoring & Evaluation
GIS can display projects on a map: completed, ongoing, and projected. It can also display amount spent, number of beneficiaries, and project type. This is a valuable tool for helping program staff to monitor and evaluate all projects. These maps can also be utilized for participatory monitoring and evaluation with the communities, to share and discuss with the communities, partners, and stakeholders. Thematic GIS maps are also very useful when evaluating a program or when doing specific case studies to assess a topic more in-depth. For example, Aceh created a thematic map that displayed areas of Avian Flu infection and the increase in rates over time. Another example of a case study type evaluation is a map that displays all infrastructure built or rehabilitated in target communities, cost of projects and number of beneficiaries.

Public Information
GIS can be used for public information i.e. to make maps that show streets and names, stores, offices, markets, mosques and wells. These are valuable tools to provide to communities so they can make more informed decisions when proposing projects. In Aceh, the GIS officer worked with a consortium of local NGOs to create a city map. The city map identified all local NGOs, UN agencies, government agencies-and also restaurants and grocery stores. The map continues to be extremely useful for both newcomers and long time residents.

Donor Reporting
GIS maps can be included in donor reports to visually display where money is being put to work. For example, for a Midwife Clinic Project in Indonesia, GIS provided a map that illustrated clinic locations and identified donors associated with each clinic. Another effective use of GIS maps is for donor visits. The maps help donors to orient themselves and understand where the projects are.