GIS 2.0: Impacts on Humanitarian Affairs and Genocide Studies

Joshua S. Campbell – 22 March 2010

Guest Lecture: Geography 571 – Geography and Genocide

Biography PhD Candidate

GIS 2.0: Definition, Implications for Humanitarian Information Management, Disruptive Strategy for Implementation

Built the Cyberinfrastructure system at KARS/KBS 4th year of the project Web mapping core, metadata portal, dynamic

HTML redesign

Humanitarian Intelligence Analyst Humanitarian Information Unit (HIU), U.S.

Department of State

Open Street Map – Haiti Edits Video

http://vimeo.com/9182869

What is Web 2.0?

“a transformative force that’s compelling companies across all industries towards a new way of doing business characterized by harnessing collective intelligence, openness, and network effects”

--Tim O’Reilly

What is a GIS?

A digital representation of the earth, structured to support analysis (Dobson, 2007)

Automated systems for the collection, storage, retrieval, analysis, and display of spatial data (Clarke, 1995)

Should also include dissemination

Composed on software, hardware, and people

GIS 2.0: A Reformulation

Free and Open Source Software

Web 2.0 philosophy collective intelligence, network effects, openness Internet as a platform

Open Standards Interoperability

GIS 2.0: A Reformulation

Ubiquitous communication Widespread wired and wireless networks (voice

and data)

Device convergence Mobile devices increasing in power and

functionality Phone, camera, GPS, form-based database input,

cellular, wifi

Cloud computing SaaS, PaaS, IaaS Network-driven commoditization of IT

Swift River – Crowdsource the filter

Review: GIScience and Genocide (Madden and

Ross)

Integrating qualitative and quantitative methods

Critical GIS: Debate within Geography

Utility of high-resolution satellite imagery

Ability to ‘scale’ the data from personal narrative to landscape

Virtual Globes as a medium for communication

Ease of use – Simplified GIS tools

Review: 8 Stages of Genocide (Stanton)

The eight stages of genocide are:

1. Classification 2. Symbolization 3. Dehumanization 4. Organization 5. Polarization 6. Preparation 7. Extermination 8. Denial

Utility of GIScience

The World is Watching

Darfur – U.S. Declares Genocide (9-Sept-2004)

Google Earth Demo…..

Conclusion Long-term trend:

The importance of GIScience in humanitarian affairs and genocide studies will continue to increase

Evidence: Darfur (high-resolution satellite imagery) Haiti (Ushahidi and Crisis Mappers) Iran (Twitter)

GIS 2.0 provides the framework for harmonizing the qualitative / quantitative divide in Geography