IOM Launches Powerful New Crisis Mapping Tool to Assist Haiti's Earthquake Affected Population
IOM has launched a powerful new interactive map in order to track
the precise location of more than 414 spontaneous sites in and
around Port-au-Prince, which currently shelter more than 603,000
earthquake-affected individuals.
The map, developed with the humanitarian information management
organization iMMAP, UNOCHA and Google, can be accessed by anyone
with access to the Internet. It is the first time a tool of such
sophistication has been deployed in such short order by
humanitarian actors after a major emergency.
Users must first download Google Earth, and then go to
"paragraph-link-no-underline-bold" href="http://www.cccmhaiti.info"
target="_blank" title="">www.cccmhaiti.info where they
can find the latest "priority sites" or "all sites" maps.
Links
Haiti's Earthquake Victims
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"_blank" title="">United States
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"http://iomdonations.kintera.org/" target="_blank" title="">Other
Countries
"/jahia/webdav/shared/shared/mainsite/published_docs/brochures_and_info_sheets/un_haiti_full_appeal.pdf"
target="_blank">Revised Humanitarian Appeal
"/jahia/webdav/shared/shared/mainsite/published_docs/brochures_and_info_sheets/un_facts_figures.pdf"
target="_blank">Facts & Figures
Haiti
Shortly after the earthquake, IOM mapping experts began working
with local civil engineers and employees of the Centre National de
l'Information Géospatiale d'Haïti (CNIGS), who had
in-depth knowledge of local administrative boundaries and street
names.
IOM undertook this work in its capacity as the lead
international agency coordinating the provision of basic needs and
planning in the spontaneous settlements, such as ensuring adequate
sanitation, medical support and water. IOM's partners provided
information on camp locations and populations for the mapping
exercise.
The map is one crucial component of a multipronged strategy put
in place by the Government of Haiti to try and provide safe shelter
for as many Haitians as possible before the full onset of the rainy
season by mid March.
IOM updates this mapping tool on a weekly basis with information
gathered through a field-tested Displacement Tracking Matrix used
in numerous emergencies to accurately identify gaps in response and
service delivery.
These combined tools provide real-time information to the
humanitarian community, donors and the Government of Haiti during
and after the emergency phase.
IOM is currently coordinating with its partners, including
UNHCR, the registration of all residents of priority settlements to
identify the home origin of those living in the displaced camps.
The aim is to provide information to other partners who can target
areas of Port-au-Prince for rubble removal, opening the way for
Haitians to return home.
IOM last week successfully registered almost 5,000 families
living in the Champ de Mars settlement, on the outskirts of the
destroyed presidential palace.
The mapping exercise has also allowed the humanitarian community
to accurately identify potential risks such as the possibility of
landslides and floods following heavy rain; and the accumulation of
rubble in river beds. It will also provide the members of the Task
Force for Debris Removal with crucial information to rationalize
and accelerate their operations.
This analysis was also completed thanks to extensive field work
from the IOM Mapping Team and employees from the CNIGS.
For further information, please contact:
Mark Turner
IOM Port-au-Prince
Tel. 509 3643 79 14
509 3490 66 78
E-mail:
"mailto:markyturner@yahoo.com">markyturner@yahoo.com