May 26, 2015 — As part of the response following the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, numerous emergency response teams were put into place, many needing up-to-date maps, aerial photos and satellite imagery of the devastated locations.
With a heightened awareness of the role of map and GIS collections in disaster planning and response, the co-editors of the Journal of Map & Geography Libraries decided to devote an entire themed issue on crisis mapping. The goal being to increase their reader’s understandings of the complexities of crisis mapping and the need for infrastructure and ongoing technical support, both before, during and after crises, and at the local as well as international level.
Co-editors Katherine Hart Weimer and Paige Andrew engaged Patrick Florance, a noted leader in the early crisis and open mapping initiatives, as guest editor as well as authors experienced in crisis mapping issues from around the globe. As Florance shared in his editorial, the issue explores “current geospatial technology trends in crisis mapping with specific attention to application, education and data management.”
This past spring, five years after the devastation in Haiti, the world saw another natural disaster unfold with the Nepal earthquake, and an outpouring of support and aid, including crisis mappers doing their important work. In order to support the humanitarian missions in Nepal and elsewhere, the co-editors and Taylor & Francis have opened access to these articles so that others may learn from past efforts and bring attention to the use of geospatial and communication technologies in crises and disaster relief.
To explore the themed issue on crisis mapping, please visit: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wmgl20/8/2
