GIS Used to Explore Safety of Refugee Camps
Simon Reich, Pitt professor of international affairs and director of the Ford Institute led the study to determine the factors that impact the security of populations in IDP and refugee camps. The plan is to use the information to create safer camps. Reich will present his recommendations, based on the results of the study, to the United Nations Office of Children and Armed Conflict May 1 in New York City. Here’s the GIS bit:
The study is one of the first initiatives to generate a database of IDP and refugee camp attacks for analysis and policymaking purposes. The researchers also used geographic information systems (GIS) software to produce a series of maps that chart migration trends, camp attacks, and the abduction of children. A major advantage of GIS mapping is the ability to track the movement of IDP and refugee populations over time; this will allow Pitt researchers to continue to track population movements to determine whether migratory populations are at greater risk than those in permanent, stationary camps.
