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GeoWorld October 2011

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the transportation network. The shelters had to be a good distance from water runoff, considering the rainy season was fast approaching and the possibility of a hurricane, which hit the island in late 2010. Disaster within a Disaster Less than a year after the massive earthquake, a cholera outbreak was reported in Haiti. Because of its existing work sending medical staff to hospitals in the poorest areas, Samaritans Purse was in a unique position to respond to this "disaster within a disaster." The first cholera case was reported in the island's northern part. To address the growing concern that cholera could spread into the densely populated area of Port au Prince, Samaritan's Purse was quick to open cholera treatment centers. Data from each person treated was collected, includ- ing their names and the city or village they traveled from for treatment. Through mapping village locations, Samaritan's Purse discovered that people were trav- eling for days, and the outbreak wasn't localized as previously thought. During the first few days, the Haitian government greatly downplayed the prevalence of cholera, but the GIS analysis done by Samaritans Purse showed that the disease was spreading faster than reported. The analysis also began to show that cholera was moving toward Port au Price on two fronts, the first following the major highway into the city. "GIS was extremely useful in helping Samaritans Purse track the leading edge of the cholera outbreak as it advanced along Haiti Route 1 toward [Port au Price], allowing us to plan and execute our preven- tion efforts as well as pre-station supplies and plan treatment-center locations," says Tom Wood, direc- tor of International Health for Samaritan's Purse. The second front, which was easily seen in the GIS analysis of the data, followed a mountain road 15 miles east of the first front. Samaritan's Purse was the first organization to identify and allocate resources to the sec- ond front; as a result, hundreds of lives were saved. GIS Integration Samaritan's Purse is using GIS technology from the early stages of a disaster through the humanitarian relief and development work in a country. It's becoming integrated into the daily thought processes and work- flows in many departments. This is a big change from how it was used as recently as three years ago, when little attention was paid to spatial data. The develop- ment of mobile GIS spatial data systems makes it easier to send data to the field and receive information back for analysis, showing work that has been done and what's in progress. lSamaritan's Purse responds to a cholera outbreak in Haiti, a secondary effect of the deadly earthquake and unsanitary conditions. But has GIS reached its maximum potential in terms of how it's used in an organization such as Samaritan's Purse? "We are still in the process of figuring out how to use GIS to its full potential," cautions Ken Isaacs, vice president, Programs and Government Relations, Samaritan's Purse. "We have come a long way the last few years, but we still have a ways to go." The problem in the past was that the technology hadn't reached a point where it could easily be used by staff in unpredictable environments or adverse conditions, adding to the perception of a negative return on investment for GIS in field work. With the advancements in mobile technology, GIS is becoming more commonplace in disaster situations as well as long-term development projects. The challenges now are selecting which solution to use, training field staff and supporting all of the ways GIS is being deployed. Ultimately, the goal is to use GIS to support all aspects of Samaritan's Purse responses to those in need of physical and spiritual help worldwide. Jeff Eisman is GIS manager, Samaritan's Purse International Relief; e-mail: jeisman@samaritan.org. OCT O BER 2O11 / WWW . GEOPLA CE . C OM 21

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