Mapathon event provides humanitarian assistance through virtual map development
On Wednesday, the Department of Geography and the Rutgers Libraries jointly held the annual Mapathon for Humanitarian Relief to celebrate Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day and Geography Awareness Week.
The event was held in the Hatchery Innovation Lab in Alexander Library on the College Avenue campus. Students, staff and faculty helped create maps of Multan, Pakistan, as part of this year's project.
Francesca Giannetti, a digital humanities librarian, described Mapathon as the creation of geographic data to assist aid workers in disaster zones.
Nick Furnari, president of the Rutgers Undergraduate Geography Society and a Mapathon co-organizer, said that the event aims to increase awareness and curiosity about geography and its significance.
"A lot of people assume that just because they use Google Maps in their everyday life that everything is mapped already, and it's not the case — geography and terrain change constantly," Giannetti said.
Giannetti said that the first Mapathon at Rutgers was held after Hurricane Maria when the poor quality of the maps in scarcely populated areas of Puerto Rico was realized. This was urgent work in order for aid authorities to be able to reach these regions.
Susan Oldenburg, a GIS specialist, emphasized the importance of maps for humanitarian assistance. In a previous Mapathon with the Red Cross, Oldenburg updated maps to help direct doctors and other workers after an earthquake in Haiti collapsed buildings and roads.
Oldenburg said she wants to raise awareness about how geographical technology intersects with other areas and can provide insights into human behavior.
Michael Siegel, a cartographer in the Department of Geography, explained that Mapathon combines people's local knowledge and nonprofit map software to create maps based on satellite imagery. These platforms, such as OpenStreetMap, are used to help organizations plan their relief efforts.
Identifying buildings is the foundation of constructing a map and easy for beginners to do, he said. Siegel explained that the event will both help humanitarian efforts in the area and expose students to GIS technology.
He described that although GIS has existed for a long time, its use in making maps is recent and allows people to conduct geographic analysis with more sophisticated tools.
Siegel said his favorite memory of these events is when someone who doesn't know about mapping realizes they can use this technology without much training. Giannetti shared that she enjoys including people familiar with specific terrains who can share local geographical knowledge that helps visualize maps better. She hopes to reframe data creation from being viewed as technical to being seen as more enjoyable and satisfying.
Tamar Novik, a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences senior, said that she became interested in GIS after Oldenburg guest lectured in her class. Now, she attends Mapathon annually and works as a GIS intern.
"The need has been there for maps for as long as there have been people. Across the globe, across the cultures, people work with whatever materials they have at hand," Siegel said. "It's such a fundamental aspect of human behavior."
