New GIS field guide

MapAction has published the first edition of its Field Guide to Humanitarian Mapping. The guide, which is downloadable free, will help aid organisations to use geospatial tools and methods in their work in emergencies. There are tutorials for Google Earth and open-source GIS software.

The guide was written to meet the need for practical, step-by-step advice for aid workers who wish to use free and open-source resources to produce maps both at field and headquarters levels. The first edition contains an introduction to the topic of GIS, followed by chapters focused on the use of two recommended free software tools: Google Earth, and MapWindow. However much of the guidance is also relevant for users of other software. In addition there is a chapter on using GPS to collect data during humanitarian emergencies.

The principal author of the guide, MapAction team member Naomi Morris, commented: "We will be trialing the first edition during a three-month mission to Papua New Guinea in which we will show local organisations how to use these methods for disaster risk reduction mapping. More widely, we will welcome input from all our humanitarian organisations and a second edition of the guide will be issued later this year."

Excerpt from: http://www.mapaction.org/content/view/183/59/

Related content: Web-based interactive and animated statistics; New Free Software Helps Identify Key Areas for Environmental Protection; 5th Asia-Pacific DHI Water Software Conference - Pure Water; Free Downloadable GIS Viewer from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University; FOSS4G 2009 Conference; Online Africa Map from Harvard University

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New GIS field guide

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