Indonesia adopts GIS to aid humanitarian efforts
Provided by UN, geographic information systems help identify areas of need and allocate resources; ArcCatalog used to create metadata; authorities print maps and privide datasets free of charge to humanitarian agencies
Two years after a tsunami tore through Indonesia, emerency authorities in that country have fully adopted geographic information systems (GISs) as key elements of their efforts to assist humanitarian agencies in the rebuilding effort. “The reconstruction, economic, and social factors involved all have a time and space component,” said planner Yakob Ishadamy. “GIS provides an invaluable framework for building an information base and providing the best decision support, communication, and collaboration possible.” According to Ishadamy, the Spatial Information and Mapping Centre (SIM-Centre), located in Sumatra, is now using an ESRI geographic information system to create an online data catalog, train local personnel in GIS technology, and create a spatial data infrastructure (SDI).
SIM-Centre uses ArcCatalog to create metadata, which is then hosted on the online metadata catalog, a free-of-charge service available to all cooperating agencies in the area. Not only does the metadata catalog provide guidance and accessibility to necessary datasets, but it also establishes confidence in the quality of the data, something lacking in the area before the tsunami. Since the transfer of GIS capacity from United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator (UNORC) in early 2006, SIM-Centre has trained 115 people on the use of GIS and GPS in the region, filled approximately 750 client requests for GIS data, and printed more than 3,500 maps. “Aceh Province will continue to develop [its GIS] well after the international aid community has left the area,” said Ishadamy.
-read more in this news release
