An assessment of the utility of gis-based analysis to support the coordination of humanitarian assistance

This dissertation investigated if Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based analysis can have a decisive influence upon the coordination of international humanitarian assistance. Utility was assessed through a series of case studies demonstrating the application of GIS-based analysis to facilitate coordination of recent or potential humanitarian interventions. Six major categories of analysis were investigated: (1) queries and measurement, (2) transformation, (3) optimization, (4) geostatistics, (5) geovisualization, and (6) hypothesis testing and simulation. The researcher adopted the sequential exploratory method (i.e. mixed method) approach, which involved qualitative and quantitative research phases designed to elicit the opinion of humanitarian professionals from around the world. This statistically-representative sample population was then used to test a set of research hypotheses. Based upon the quantitative results, it was possible to conclude that GIS-based analysis can have a decisive impact upon the coordination of humanitarian assistance. GIS appears to offer substantial utility beyond its cartographic applications, particularly for applications such as Site Selection, Geovisualization, Vulnerability Estimation, Cluster Analysis and Range Analysis. This utility assessment, while very encouraging, does not necessarily demonstrate the feasibility of GIS-based analysis. Therefore continued research and experimentation is recommended to ensure the provision of pragmatic and decisive GIS-based analysis during UN-led humanitarian interventions.

[1]  John W. Creswell,et al.  Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches , 2010 .

[2]  Who does what, and where? , 1984, Nature.

[3]  Ross T. Newkirk.  Extending Geographic Information Systems for Risk Analysis and Management , 1993 .

[4]  B. Wisner,et al.  At Risk: Natural Hazards, People's Vulnerability and Disasters , 1996 .

[5]  P. Krugman.  The Role of Geography in Development , 1999 .

[6]  L. Lang.  GIS for health organizations , 2000 .

[7]  Complex emergency response planning and coordination: Potential GIS applications , 2000 .

[8]  R. W. Greene.  GIS in Public Policy: Using Geographic Information for More Effective Government , 2000 .

[9]  M. Goodchild,et al.  Geographic Information Systems and Science (second edition) , 2001 .

[10]  Tim Ormsby,et al.  Getting to Know Arcgis Desktop: The Basics of ArcView, Arceditor, and Arcinfo , 2001 .

[11]  G. Amdahl.  Disaster Response: GIS for Public Safety , 2001 .

[12]  L. Minear.  The Humanitarian Enterprise: Dilemmas and Discoveries , 2002 .

[13]  R. W. Greene.  Confronting Catastrophe: A GIS Handbook , 2002 .

[14]  Andy Shaw.  AlertNet Webmap Initiative - New Media Approaches to Mapping Humanitarian Response , 2003 .

[15]  Rethinking Humanitarian Assistance Coordination , 2004 .

[16]  Charles Conley,et al.  Data Fusion for Mine Action Decision Support: An Example From Lebanon , 2004 .

[17]  Subhasish Dasgupta,et al.  Geospatial information utility: an estimation of the relevance of geospatial information to users , 2004, Decis. Support Syst..

[18]  Anthony D Redmond,et al.  Needs assessment of humanitarian crises , 2005, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[19]  A. Dorn.  Intelligence at UN headquarters? The information and research unit and the intervention in Eastern Zaire 1996 , 2005 .

[20]  Firoz Verjee,et al.  The Application of Geomatics in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies , 2005 .

[21]  Olivier Arino,et al.  Remote-sensing and humanitarian aid : A life-saving combination , 2005 .

[22]  Max Stephenson,et al.  Making humanitarian relief networks more effective: operational coordination, trust and sense making. , 2005, Disasters.

[23]  H. Williams,et al.  Humanitarian Response Review , 2005 .

[24]  F. Verjee,et al.  Mapping Water Potential: The Use of WATEX to Support UNHCR Refugee Camp Operations in Eastern Chad , 2006 .

[25]  I. Nourbakhsh,et al.  Mapping disaster zones , 2006, Nature.

[26]  Max Stephenson,et al.  Toward a Descriptive Model of Humanitarian Assistance Coordination , 2006 .

[27]  Thomas A. Mazzuchi,et al.  Spatially-aware systems engineering design modeling applied to natural hazard vulnerability assessment , 2007 .