Enabling Data-Driven
Decision Making Using GIS
Steve Hellen
27 May 2015
2
Agenda
• What is GIS?
• Why is it relevant?
• Why now?
• What is the value?
• How to get started?
3
What is GIS?
4
What Is GIS?
“a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and
present all types of geographically referenced data. In the simplest terms,
GIS is the merging of cartography, statistical analysis, and database
technology.”
– Wikipedia, 2011
GIS = Geographic Information System
5
Building Block of GIS – Data Layers
Layer-based geographic information model for characterizing our world
Image from ArcGIS 10 online help
6
Why is GIS Relevant?
7
Why GIS? A Platform for Humanitarian Assistance
Capabilities and templates for:
– Dashboard / Situational Awareness
– Mobile Data Collection / Field Support
– Briefings
– Planning
– Spatial Analysis
– Crowdsourcing
– Social Media Integration
– Paper Map Production
– Public Information
– Advocacy
8
Why GIS? Power of Spatial Analysis
Spatial analysis is the process of identifying
meaningful patterns in spatial data and
drawing conclusions from them.
9
• Queries
– How many people live within 100 meters of a river’s floodplain?
– What percentage of people located above an elevation of 3000 meters have not received winterized
tents?
– Are refugee camp operations compliant with UNHCR or Sphere guidelines for providing water and
sanitation?
• Transformations
– Where is the best location for a health clinic if it needs to be within 10 km of surrounding villages, within
50 meters of a main road and more than 500 meters from areas known to contain land mines?
– Which villages need to receive additional services given their distance from roads, humanitarian hubs
and a natural disaster?
Why GIS? Spatial Analysis Answers Questions
____________________________________________
1Sample questions adapted from: Verjee, Firoz. GIS Tutorial for Humanitarian Assistance. Redlands, CA: ESRI, 2011. Print.
Why GIS? Spatial Analysis Answers Questions
10
• Optimizations
– What is the most efficient route between our office and each of our field sites?
– What would be the best location for a maternity clinic if it needs to be within a 20-minute drive from
surrounding villages?
• Geostatistics
– What is the best village in which to rent an office based on market rates and the weighted distribution of
surrounding populations?
– Is there a relationship between a rise in cholera infection and the available sources of drinking water?
• Hypothesis Testing and Simulation
– What will happen if the river flood level rises 2 meters in the next week?
– What percentage of local buildings will be seriously damaged or destroyed after an earthquake
measuring 7 on the Richter scale?
– What will happen if a glacier lake outburst flood occurs in this valley?
Why GIS? Spatial Analysis Answers Questions
____________________________________________
1Sample questions adapted from: Verjee, Firoz. GIS Tutorial for Humanitarian Assistance. Redlands, CA: ESRI, 2011. Print.
11
Why Now?
12
Why Now? Maturity of Mobile Data Collection
13
Why Now? Mobile Data Collection at Scale
14
What is the Value?
15
What is the Value? Forming a Business Case
Alignment to agency strategy
Meets field requests
Benefits that reach multiple
stakeholders
16
Wh
at
is t
he
Valu
e?
Align
men
t w
ith
Agen
cy S
trate
gy
17
What is the Value? Meeting Needs of Field Projects
• Staff in 12 countries requested GIS assistance
• CRS’ ArcGIS Online environment has 77 publishers
• 43 members in CRS’ informal GIS community
During the first quarter of 2015:
18
What are the benefits to an international NGO?
Decisive Influence on Program Delivery
• Site selection
• Vulnerability estimation
• Cluster analysis
• Network optimization
Impactful Advocacy
• Maps as powerful communication tool
• Emergency response
• Charitable giving
Uncover Data
• Visualize data from existing systems
• Share data using open data platform
19
What is the Value? Maps to
Communicate
The maps you created make this report come
to life. It is difficult to tell a story when the
place is out of reach for most people. Your
maps help tell the story of the people who
have been suffering for years under the
constant threat of violence and lack of basic
commodities as a result.
We are already helping these people with the
resources we have and I am confident that
this assessment will help increase the
assistance to the right people, whether that
be through CRS or other organizations.
20
What is the Value? Maps for Advocacy
21
What is the Value?
Spatial Analysis to Improve
Program Delivery
22
What is the Value?
Spatial Analysis to Improve
Program Delivery
These maps are based on preliminary data, prior to review by the Sierra Leone National Malaria Control Program
23
What is the Value?
Spatial Analysis to Improve Program Delivery
24
What is the Value?
Spatial Analysis to Improve Program Delivery
25
How to Get Started?
26
Ready to Start? Learn What is PossibleTitle Learning Objectives Duration Location
The Power of Maps Exploring online maps and apps
Interpreting maps
Understanding spatial analysis
50
minutes
http://learn.arcgis.com/en/projects/the-power-
of-maps/
Get Started with ArcGIS
Online
Adding layers to a map
Adding data stored as spreadsheet or file data to a map
Changing map symbols
Configuring pop-ups
Sharing the map as a web app
2.5 hours http://learn.arcgis.com/en/projects/get-started-
with-arcgis-online/
Gain Geographic Insight
with ArcGIS Online Analysis
Tools
Apply a recommended workflow to solve a spatial problem.
Provide the required inputs to accomplish an analysis workflow.
Get help for an analysis workflow through pop-ups and online resources.
Using drive-time analysis to evaluate accessibility to locations
Finding areas that meet specific conditions
Dissolving many features into a single feature
Finding how many features in one layer are inside another layer
2.5 hours http://training.esri.com/gateway/index.cfm?fa=c
atalog.webCourseDetail&courseID=2717 and
http://learn.arcgis.com/en/projects/in-peles-
way/
Get Started with StoryMaps Using the built-in GPS features of a smartphone or camera to geotag
pictures
Using the Story Map Tour builder
1 hour http://learn.arcgis.com/en/projects/get-started-
with-story-maps/
Maps and the Geospatial
Revolution
Mapping introduction through basic spatial analysis 5 weeks,
6-9 hours
of study
per week
https://www.coursera.org/course/maps
Going Places with Spatial
Analysis
Using the spatial analysis tools within ArcGIS Online to answer questions
about data and find patterns between data sets
6 weeks,
2-3 hours
of study
per week
http://www.esri.com/landing-
pages/training/spatial-analysis
Incr
easi
ng
Dep
th
27
Ready to Start? Find an Expert
Seek Volunteer GIS Professional
Hire InternsHire GIS
Professional
Contract for Professional
Services
Costlow high
Predictabilitylow high
Suitability for Complex Effortslow high
28
Ready to Start? Subscribe to ESRI’s Nonprofit Program
http://www.esri.com/nonprofit
29
Ready to Start? Find an Expert
Seek Volunteer GIS Professional
Hire InternsHire GIS
Professional
Contract for Professional
Services
Costlow high
Predictabilitylow high
Suitability for Complex Effortslow high
30
Ready to Start? Subscribe to ESRI’s Nonprofit Program
http://www.esri.com/nonprofit
31
Standing up a GIS Program at CRS
• Operational maps
• Spatial analysis
• Proposal support
• Connect projects with expertise and resources
GIS Project Services
• Application architecture
• Information architecture
• Data management and sharing
• Security architecture
Define GIS Architecture & Roadmap
• eValuate
• Farmbook
• Gateway
• Charitable Giving
Enhance Mapping Capabilities in Existing
Systems
• Curate training materials
• Deliver trainings
• Community of practiceCapacity Building
• Vendors
• Universities
• VolunteersPartnerships