Missing Maps is a free interactive training offered by the American Red Cross in conjunction with the Institute for the Study of Human Rights. The training is open to students and professionals working in the human rights and humanitarian contexts.
Accurate maps play a critical role in understanding communities, particularly for populations at risk. During disasters or epidemics, unmapped communities may receive less assistance because first responders have less information about them. Mapping assists human rights practitioners in the development of strategies to combat human rights violations and abuses, and enables the prioritization of intervention measures.
During a Missing Maps training, participants will have the opportunity to join in a collaborative project that helps build critical mapping data for communities all over the globe. Participants will learn how to use mapping software, along with best practices for building maps. This allows participants to have an immediate impact by mapping for a humanitarian project, as well as learn the skills to continue mapping in the future. The project involves a three-step process that focuses on open data, open source tools, and community engagement:
-Participants use satellite imagery to trace buildings and roads, adding this base data into OpenStreetMap, a free and editable map of the world.
-Community volunteers learn about the map and add local detail such as schools, health facilities, street names, and evacuation centers.
-Humanitarian organizations use mapped information to plan risk reduction and disaster response activities to save lives. Better data enables more efficient interventions.
The project began in 2014 and since then, Missing Maps has held over 3,000 mapathons in 80 countries training roughly 100,000 volunteers and putting over 200 million people on the map.
This workshop is offered as part of ISHR Human Rights and Social Justice Training Series. For more information: http://www.humanrightscolumbia.org/training
