a series of deployments as seen through the maps, how they’ve changed and evolved from maps to...

Paper maps to infographic products?

The changing face of maps during a humanitarian deployment

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Wai-Ming Lee

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Who is MapAction?

• Getting help to where it is needed most

• UK based charity founded in 1999

• First operational deployment 2003

• 45 deployable volunteers

• 20 operational support team

• 7 board of trustees

• 5 full-time (equiv) employees

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Me

• Work for Esri UK – 10 years

• Manager of Online Operations

• Hunting Technical Services – 6 years

• Volunteer for MapAction – 6 years

• Star sign:Virgo, Chinese zodiac: Ox

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Deployments

• Madagascar - Flooding, 2012

• Comoros - Flooding, 2012

• Brazzaville – Explosion, 2012

• Sahel – Food insecurity, 2012

• Japan – Tsunami & Nuclear, 2011

• Libya – Humanitarian, 2011

• Pakistan – Floods, 2010

• Haiti – Earthquake, 2010

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‘Aid in the wrong place is no aid at all’

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What is the purpose of our maps? To represent and transform raw data to information within a spatial context in order to assist in more informed decision making. To make sense of the ‘facts on the ground’ To enable information exchange.

It is a tool to help meetings along!

19/06/2012 Coordination meetings

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The first maps

• ‘Traditional’ - paper • Used software to create (ArcGIS 8.0) • Limited audience • Support and display purposes • Novelty • Limited base data • Not much in-field data collection

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Every MapAction map has..

• A grid system • A scale • A compass rose • A title • A legend • Scale indicator • Data source credits (very important!) • Locator map (overview) • ‘Pleasing colours’

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…leads to a better map?

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What are the MapAction maps used for?

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19/06/2012 17 Risk assessment Where are the worst effects of

the hazard likely to impact?

19/06/2012 18 Who What Where? Where are the responders?

19/06/2012 19 What changes have happened to

the earth’s surface?

Situation overview

19/06/2012 20 Damage assessment

What changes have happened to the

earth’s surface?

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Logistics & Transportation Updated travel and route maps

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Prediction Inundated areas using a DTM backdrop

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Issues faced by MapAction • Time constraint • Poor meta-data for source information • No ground truth possible • Non-spatial data (tables etc) • Different digital file formats • Non-interoperability • Technology/electricity dependent • Unknown projections/coordinates of data • Non-sharing of vital data / information • Clients not knowing what they want • Maps are powerful and they can present ‘white lies’

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It must be true as it is on the map!

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Our maps are changing….

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19/06/2012 35 IDPs and refugees

Where have people moved to? Are

they safe there?

19/06/2012 Situation and distribution How big was the explosion? Where’s

UXO? Sector for searching?

37 Views of the Port of Misrata, Libya.

Depth and length and LOS. Viewpoints and overview

Situation and distribution Planned field camp placement after

foot recce.

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Our maps, they’re changing…..

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United Nations OCHA Advocacy and Visual Media (AVMU) unit Style Guide.

Multi uses: Is it for PLANNING, ADVOCACY or ANALYSIS? Different audiences now.

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Representing Data

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Our maps, they’re changing…..

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• Web Services • Interactive Please! • Self-service • Smart Phones and tablets

MapAction Maps - Reloaded

An interactive map

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Other examples

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• http://www.esri.com/services/disaster-response/severe-weather/latest-news-map.html

• http://asademo.esri.com/flexviewer1_3/

• http://www.esri.com/services/disaster-response/earthquakes/latest-news-map.html

My thoughts?

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Q & A

Thank you!

minglee@mapaction.org wai_ming_lee @twitter

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