Maps
Afghanistan Maps
05/06/08 11:12
If you need a little cartographic assistance to help
you make sense of Afghanistan, Somalia, or world wide
opium production, you should check out the Senlis
Council’s map page. The maps also make great
orientation graphics for senior level decision
makers, VIP visitors, and others with short attention
spans.
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Humanitarian Mapping on Mobile Phones?
15/04/08 07:22
Hmmm. This video looks interesting. It purports to be
of an Android mobile phone application called
MapMaker for creating maps in disaster zones. Here is
what the person who posted the video on YouTube says
about the application:
Unfortunately the video has no audio and there are very few details. If this turns out to be more than vapourware I'd like to see some additions to support NGO security. Labels and tags for minefields, no-go areas, checkpoints, safety hazards etc. would be very nice.
If the creator of this program is out there listening I'd love to beta test this!
Map Maker is an Android application for creating maps in a disaster zone. It is designed to allow aid workers to quickly and easily create a map of the area they are working in. After a disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake the landscape can change so fundamentally that existing maps are rendered out of date. Knowing things like which roads are passable, where field hospitals are and suitable aircraft landing areas makes it far easier to manage an emergency.
Unfortunately the video has no audio and there are very few details. If this turns out to be more than vapourware I'd like to see some additions to support NGO security. Labels and tags for minefields, no-go areas, checkpoints, safety hazards etc. would be very nice.
If the creator of this program is out there listening I'd love to beta test this!
Terrorism, Economic, and Privacy Risk Maps
12/02/08 14:00
I love maps. Good maps can be a security analyst's
best friend. A good map can summarize an entire
analytical report.
A recent post on sources and methods led me to Aon Corporation's Terrorism Threat Map. Risk levels, regions of special risk, religious extremist groups, political extremism, separatist movements, and kidnap risk are all covered in a simple and easy to grasp format. The legends are chock full of information as well. One even contains a concise explanation of the terrorism risk assessment process.
Aon's 2008 Political and Economic Risk Map is another that deserves a place on your office wall. Not only does it illustrate the usual war, terrorism, and civil disturbance risks but it also highlights exposure to the current global credit crisis. You can get a copy here but unfortunately you'll have to fill in one of those annoying online forms.
Privacy International's map of Surveillance Societies Around the World isn't nearly as professional as the ones above but it is still effective at pointing out that the world's nosiest governments aren't necessarily where you might think. Although I think Privacy International tends to be somewhat alarmist my biggest problem with their latest report is that they still leave large portions of the world uncovered. Surely Africa, the Middle east, and South Asia deserve greater attention?
For extra analytical fun try overlaying the maps. How does surveillance intensity compare to terrorism risk? Kidnap risk?
A recent post on sources and methods led me to Aon Corporation's Terrorism Threat Map. Risk levels, regions of special risk, religious extremist groups, political extremism, separatist movements, and kidnap risk are all covered in a simple and easy to grasp format. The legends are chock full of information as well. One even contains a concise explanation of the terrorism risk assessment process.
Aon's 2008 Political and Economic Risk Map is another that deserves a place on your office wall. Not only does it illustrate the usual war, terrorism, and civil disturbance risks but it also highlights exposure to the current global credit crisis. You can get a copy here but unfortunately you'll have to fill in one of those annoying online forms.
Privacy International's map of Surveillance Societies Around the World isn't nearly as professional as the ones above but it is still effective at pointing out that the world's nosiest governments aren't necessarily where you might think. Although I think Privacy International tends to be somewhat alarmist my biggest problem with their latest report is that they still leave large portions of the world uncovered. Surely Africa, the Middle east, and South Asia deserve greater attention?
For extra analytical fun try overlaying the maps. How does surveillance intensity compare to terrorism risk? Kidnap risk?
Geographic Distribution Analysis Tools - Old School
16/09/07 08:08
You don’t need the latest and greatest GIS program to
do Geographic Distribution Analysis. While working in
the Allai valley after the Kashmir earthquake we
initially used a hand drawn map to plot community
sizes and locations, IDP movements, NFRI distribution
data, helicopter landing zone locations, and security
incidents. The original map was reproduced by the
simple expedient of tracing it on to new paper. For
several weeks it was the most accurate and most used
map of the valley.
How to make an all-weather, no power, low failure, Geographic Distribution Analysis system.
Step 1 - Assemble the following items:
• A map of the appropriate area
• Clear transparent self-adhesive laminate – Sometimes it is sold as shelf paper in the house wares section of department stores. Con-Tact or any similar brand will work.
• Chinagraph pencils – Also known as grease markers, Chinagraph pencils can be used on almost any surface, including Con-Tact paper.
• Paper – Ruled paper makes creating sketch maps easier.
• Toilet paper
• A large re-sealable plastic freezer bag.
Step 2 - Cover the map with the laminate. Its easier if you work with a partner. Cut a piece of laminate slightly larger than the map. Separate the laminate from its backing and slowly lower the laminate onto the printed side of the map. You’ll need to let it sag slightly in the middle so that your partner can press the laminate to the map starting at the centre and working slowly to the edges. If you practice a couple of times on a large sheet of paper you should be able to do it without trapping any air bubbles or making a lot of wrinkles.
You’ll now be able to use the Chinagraph pencils to mark the covered map. The annotations are waterproof but they can easily be removed by rubbing them with a bit of the toilet paper.
Step 3 - Fold the map.
Step 4 - Place everything inside the re-sealable bag.
That's all there is to it. Put the whole thing in your field bag or cargo pant pocket and it'll be ready whenever you need it. You can plot security incidents, checkpoints, IDP locations, damaged infrastructure, photo locations or any other location based data.
Tip: You might be tempted to use permanent markers on your Con-Tact covered map. Don't. The marker will slowly bleed into the soft plastic eventually leaving a permanent stain that even rubbing alcohol will not be able to remove.
How to make an all-weather, no power, low failure, Geographic Distribution Analysis system.
Step 1 - Assemble the following items:
• A map of the appropriate area
• Clear transparent self-adhesive laminate – Sometimes it is sold as shelf paper in the house wares section of department stores. Con-Tact or any similar brand will work.
• Chinagraph pencils – Also known as grease markers, Chinagraph pencils can be used on almost any surface, including Con-Tact paper.
• Paper – Ruled paper makes creating sketch maps easier.
• Toilet paper
• A large re-sealable plastic freezer bag.
Step 2 - Cover the map with the laminate. Its easier if you work with a partner. Cut a piece of laminate slightly larger than the map. Separate the laminate from its backing and slowly lower the laminate onto the printed side of the map. You’ll need to let it sag slightly in the middle so that your partner can press the laminate to the map starting at the centre and working slowly to the edges. If you practice a couple of times on a large sheet of paper you should be able to do it without trapping any air bubbles or making a lot of wrinkles.
You’ll now be able to use the Chinagraph pencils to mark the covered map. The annotations are waterproof but they can easily be removed by rubbing them with a bit of the toilet paper.
Step 3 - Fold the map.
Step 4 - Place everything inside the re-sealable bag.
That's all there is to it. Put the whole thing in your field bag or cargo pant pocket and it'll be ready whenever you need it. You can plot security incidents, checkpoints, IDP locations, damaged infrastructure, photo locations or any other location based data.
Tip: You might be tempted to use permanent markers on your Con-Tact covered map. Don't. The marker will slowly bleed into the soft plastic eventually leaving a permanent stain that even rubbing alcohol will not be able to remove.
Odds and Ends
01/09/07 13:24
A couple of weeks ago I emailed Paul Currion and
happened to mention that I wanted to plot RSS
news feeds on an easily accessible map. Paul
passed my question onwards and it mushroomed
into an interesting conversation
between some very clever people. Numerous hat
tips and thanks to you all. I’m still
experimenting with some of the ideas that were
shared and I’ll update everyone at some time in
the future.
So far I’ve run into some stumbling blocks:
Common sense update
No sooner did I post my common sense rant then I came across this picture.
My common sense tells me that aircraft getting struck by lightning would be an extremely rare and very dangerous event. Apparently my common sense has let me down as this article and the reader comments explain.
So far I’ve run into some stumbling blocks:
- In Google Maps Sri Lanka is
a big empty space. The only thing missing is a
‘here be dragons’ label
• RSS to GeoRSS utilities tend to encode the first place name encountered. This means that a story about Trincomalee will be plotted to Colombo if Colombo is in the by-line
• Some utilities don’t work well on some platform/browser combinations
• It seems the IT section’s web filters are causing some problems as well
• Popfly seems to work pretty well but so far the Geonames database they use only covers the US
Common sense update
No sooner did I post my common sense rant then I came across this picture.
My common sense tells me that aircraft getting struck by lightning would be an extremely rare and very dangerous event. Apparently my common sense has let me down as this article and the reader comments explain.
Worldmapper
02/08/07 17:50
Worldmapper.org
has
a collection of world maps where territories have
been morphed according to the subject of interest.
Many of the maps deal with threats and relative
risk. They are a handy means of communicating
complex data to a lay audience and can be quit
revealing especially when you compare one theme to
another.
Proportional Landmine Deaths
Proportional Landmine Deaths