Geographic Information System (GIS)

GIS stands for Geographic (or Geospatial) Information Systems. Geospatial data is data that has a spatial component such as location or geographic coordinates tied to it. Geospatial data is an incredibly powerful resource for disaster response and preparedness and one that is often underutilized by humanitarian practitioners. This data is widely available and most often free and open source. Users can download geospatial data and input it into GIS software for quick analyses or planning purposes, or have the option to view and analyze spatial data through the increasingly common online mapping platforms.

 GIS data can be used in a number of ways:

• For preparedness activities to help identify and understand potential risks
• To model specific scenarios and determine risk and vulnerability
• To understand extent of damage for disasters
• To assess damage by comparing before and after scenarios
• To help aid in response efforts and to conduct spatial analyses on the area of interest for decision making
• Displaying layers of socioeconomic data at a district or regional level to better understand the social climate of the area of interest

Geospatial data is also integral for implementing environmental considerations into humanitarian response, as much of environmental data has a spatial component. Data that can be used for environmental considerations includes:

• Remote sensing data that can be used to get an idea of land cover/land use
• Environmental aspects of humanitarian action, such as forest cover, location of watercourses and types of terrain
• Understanding natural resource availability and scarcity, including mining and extraction activities
• To aid in establishing new settlements at a distance from potential environmental threats
• Knowing where protected areas and ecologically critical areas (and habitat and species) are located to minimise impact on these areas

Publicly available GIS data includes layers for, amongst others, administrative boundaries, roads, land cover and use, precipitation, climate, buildings, health facilities, airports and infrastructure.

For example, for settlement planning, a user could add the coordinates of a potential settlement, overlay it with various environmental layers, and use the results to determine if it is an appropriate location. They could also quickly assess multiple site locations and choose the best option. For example, they could see if the proposed settlement intersects with any threats, such as erosion, unstable ground, or flood areas, or can determine if the site is too close in proximity to these or other threats. With GIS, you can measure the actual distance to threats/areas of concern using accurate measuring tools. Elevation datasets can also aid in determining the best location for a site. Other GIS layers such as administrative boundaries, roads, population density, land cover/land use, infrastructure, precipitation, climate, hospitals/health facilities, airports, etc. can all be incredibly helpful for planning. For shelter construction purposes, GIS data can be used to understand what natural resources and building materials are locally available, the level of abundance, and if those resources are threatened and should be conserved. However all of this is dependent on data availability for the region of interest, and data richness can vary greatly from country to country.

GIS data can be vector (feature) data which includes vertices and paths for most commonly points, lines, and polygons, or raster (grid) data which contains a matrix of cells that each contain a value representing information. Standard formats for GIS data include shapefiles (.shp), .kmz/.kml .json, .lyr, .gdb, and .xml files. These formats are widely supported, available for download, and can be input into any GIS software or interface. Standard formats for remotely sensed satellite images includes GeoTIFFs (.tif), .dem, .bil, .hdx and .grid.

The following resources, platforms and softwarre are useful for environmental and humanitarian actors active within a humanitarian setting:

Data

• The Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX): humanitarian data downloads. An OCHA product that includes data layers for all types of humanitarian data: https://data.humdata.org/ For more information: https://centre.humdata.org/data-services/

• Copernicus Open Access Hub: satellite imagery downloads. ESA Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and Sentinel-3 satellite imagery user products. Need to create a login account: https://scihub.copernicus.eu/dhus/#/home
• USGS Earth Explorer: satellite imagery downloads. Need to create a login account: https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Downloadable spatial data of threatened species locations: https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/spatial-data-download

• Protected Planet:  Can be used to find and download GIS layers of protected areas anywhere in the world, https://www.protectedplanet.net/
• Free GIS Data: Includes thorough list of resources for many types of data, particularly physical and environmental data, http://freegisdata.rtwilson.com/#home
• DIVA-GIS: Repository for countless GIS datasets, including administrative boundaries and water network layers, http://www.diva-gis.org/gdata
• US Government data: Can be used to search by location and includes elevation and resource extraction datasets, etc., at the global level, https://catalog.data.gov/dataset
• UMD Global Forest Change 2000-2016: Downloadable grid data (.tif format) on forest change globally. Requires some remote sensing or image processing knowledge. Can be viewed in QGIS interface, http://earthenginepartners.appspot.com/science-2013-global-forest/download_v1.4.html

Software

• QGIS: Free GIS software. Desktop version: https://www.qgis.org/en/site/ Web-based version: (QGIS Cloud): https://qgiscloud.com/ 

Online platforms

• MapX: cloud-based geospatial mapping: https://www.mapx.org/
• Global Forest Watch: Global deforestation layers of forest loss, gain, and change, as well as land use and conservation layers, https://www.globalforestwatch.org/map/   
• One Geology Portal: Platform to display global  geologic and mineral maps: http://portal.onegeology.org/OnegeologyGlobal/