Using geomatics to increase the exchange of information between humanitarians – an idea worth looking into

10/09/2009

Yves Lacoste said that geography was primarily used to make war. Though this may be the case, information management and different types of maps also allow better coordination and better monitoring, both within and between organisations. Using a holistic approach, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can be used throughout the project cycle, during the initial assessment, the analysis of zones and the supplying and sharing of information. As a tool, GIS can be applied to humanitarian issues, such as risk management, security, project monitoring, population movements and WASH.