Armed conflict and other situations of violence
There are a number of different maps that can be created as part of a response to an armed conflict or other situations of violence.
These are products that are produced in response to armed conflict or other situations of violence such as political unrest. A humanitarian response in this situation is likely to be multi-faceted, and so as many specific map types may be equally applicable in complex emergencies as in natural disasters. There is likely to be particular considerations given to mapping humanitarian access and protection issues, and to tracking recurring phases of displacement and return.
Both.
Situational.
Products may be in demand at all stages. Crises including conflict or violence may be protracted and exhibit multiple stages of impact on affected populations.
All humanitarian responders.
As with natural disasters, maps are important for multiple aspects of humanitarian responses to armed conflict and violence, including situational appreciation, needs assessment, mobilising resources, inter- agency coordination, safety and security of aid personnel, and monitoring of the response.
All data processing and mapping in complex emergencies must give full regard to potential protection issues through disclosure of the whereabouts of vulnerable populations, and of the risks to aid agencies from any misconstrued motives around humanitarian mapping.
The chief driver of humanitarian need in complex emergencies is often displacement. Tracking displaced populations and their needs is therefore often a priority.
Humanitarian access to affected communities and displaced groups may be limited, and mapping should support the maintenance and use of such access that does exist. This may mean that map circulation needs to be restricted to screened groups of users.
Basemap, baseline and situational data needs are not fundamentally different from those of a natural disaster, however special care may need to be taken when processing and using data on vulnerable populations to ensure they are not put at greater risk.
Maps produced to support clearance or other risk mitigation from unexploded ordnance or other explosive remnants of war. This may be due to generalised contamination of an area post-conflict or as a result of a specific explosive accident or deliberate act.
Operational.
Situational.
When there is a risk from unexploded ordnance with a potential humanitarian impact. This may be when humanitarian operations are being undertaken in an area affected by explosive remnants of war, or in the aftermath of a serious accident that may have caused dispersal of dangerous materials. Maps will invariably be produced under guidance from specialist agencies such as demining organisations.
Organisations involved in making an area safe, and humanitarian actors who need to work in an area believed to be affected by unexploded ordnance or other dangerous materials.
In addition to serving as an information tool for clearance operations, maps may also be important for clarifying which areas are deemed safe, thereby allowing aid agencies to operate.
Mapping will generally define zones/areas based on assessed hazards, and may split areas into sectors for technical and non-technical search operations. Such sectioning should normally be based on identifiable features on the ground, unless technical experts request otherwise.
Maps depicting military locations, even former ones, should be created and circulated with due regard to possible government and military sensitivities, which should be discussed with humanitarian coordination actors before publishing any maps.
Topographic mapping at large scale to identify terrain features. In urban areas, building footprints (e.g. OpenStreetMap data) may be of high importance.
Data on areas likely to pose high risks of contamination from explosive remnants of war, for example bridges, route choke points and former military defensive positions. Such data should be collected and used with due regard to sensitivities.
Operational sector and zone perimeter definitions provided by appropriately qualified specialist agencies.
