Geospatial Preparedness: Empirical Study of Alternative Sources of Information for the Humanitarian Community

Abstract In response to a disaster, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs creates a framework for cooperation in which Information Management Officers from different organisations can work together to provide decision makers with necessary information. Geospatial data are among the first information delivered. Recently, online mapping, remote sensing and the support of volunteers and technical communities wrought dramatic changes in the use of geospatial information, bringing new challenges to the digital humanitarian community. Information Management Officers are tapping alternative data sources, and institutions are adapting their working procedures to this new reality. The perspectives of these Information Management Officers have been studied through semi-structured interviews and monitoring of the tools used during responses to real emergencies. This study determines the required data and the relation with geospatial preparedness. It also explores the potential and limitations of development organisations, community mapping and social networks as alternative sources of information.