Sven Schmitz-Leuffen, GIS and Technical Solutions Lead at the International Committee of the Red Cross has a problem, how to know where and to whom should the ICRC be delivering support to? Well here is where the Gap Map comes in, a comprehensive collection of needs assessments that allow the ICRC to identify the literal 'gaps' in support. We discuss the practicalities of such a map, the pros and cons of the UN cluster system (and the potential existence of a Data Cluster), and the joys of working within the legal parametres laid out in the ICRC's mandate.

From time to time, one feels the need to break with tradition, and while this podcast has normally only dealt with planetary GIS and mapping, in this episode we go beyond our atmosphere and look up and out. Prof. Sung Huang, associate professor at the Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University in Beijing, lets us into his universe and tells us bout his dream map - a four dimensional rendering of the universes almost infinite galactic bodies. Though the subject matter is out fo this world, Prof. Huang's perspective highlights the importance of understand the galaxy on the future of humanity and our development as a species. So come learn the importance of having dark skies, the impact satellite mega constellations have on our mental health, and why what is going on out there is so important to what is going on down here.

Links:

Dark Skies International

Interactive dark sky map

Song's experiment: The Multiplexed Survey Telescope

In this episode I am joined by Maaz Sheikh, young GIS entrepeneur and start up king. Ageospatial, the platform he created, uses AI agents and large language models (LLMs) to assist the less GIS savvy in creating their maps. While a contentious issue, he says his platformed is designed to improve accessibility to geospatial data. He tells us about his passion for calisthenics and sports and why so little geospatial data is available for outdoor activity areas. His map would take down the boundaries of data accessibility held within private servers and location data that is simply not geocoded yet.

Links:

https://ageospatial.com

Rhiannan Price, program lead at Nasa Lifelines, blends art and science to create her dream map. An advocate of community mapping, Rhiannan believes that modern mapping does not go far enough to evoke the community implications of places so often reduced to points in GIS. We delve into the implications of a map for decision making, whose primary design is not for decision making. What might that map look like? Rhiannan also takes us into her world, and how Nasa Lifelines collaborates with local artists around the world to convey the importance and impact of satellite data.

Links:

Nasa Lifelines

Varsha Sivaram, senior economic geographer at FRAYM, takes us into her world where she blends academic research with practical data solutions. In a world where data is king, how do you harness that data correctly and ethically? How do you ensure that work is doubled up and organisations share information responsibly? These are some of the questions we discuss in this weeks episode. One thing is for certain, Varsha believes that geospatial data is not being used to its full potential.

Links:

linkedin.com/in/varshasivaram

https://fraym.io

GIS IS DEAD!

This weeks guest is Andrew Schroeder, Co-founder of WeRobotics, Co-director of CrisisReady, and Vice President of research and analysis at Direct Relief.

It may come as a surprise to some given Andrew's background but he posits that the concept of GIS as a tool for humanitarian response is outdated. With the rise of automated mapping and AI supported GIS, Andrew firmly believes that GIS can move into a future where interacting with a GIS will become the realm of policy experts and decision makers. This may also come as a shock to many GIS officers who have built their careers on mapping and geospatial data processing, but he also believes that there is room for experts in geospatial data. Lets hear what he has to say in this riveting and cross-disciplinary episode of the 15 Minute Maps Podcast.

Today I am joined by Richard Brittan, founder of the innovative GIS company ALCIS. Richard identifies the lack of mapping of poverty in most parts of the world. He focusses on Afghanistan and the problems that surveyors and GIS experts have in mapping poverty across the board. In this instance, most poverty data is derived from a census from 2004, making almost all extrapolated information not fit for purpose.

Join us as we delve deep into Richard's vision for this poverty map and how he has drawn on his experience in the field to develope this type of map.

Links:

ALCIS

Mahalo to the global GIS Ohana from this weeks guest Joel Myhre, humanitarian technology innovator. With a CV as long as the Magna Carta, Joel has worked in every facet of humanitarian technology and has travelled the globe supporting a myriad of projects. From the ebola outbreak in the DRC with World Health Organisation, to disaster preparedness with the Pacific Disaster Centre in Hawaii.

With such a background, Joel unsurprisingly has a philosophical, almost poetic take on how his dream map would look. Inclusive, open to ancient techniques, and connecting the world are just a few of the core tenets of Joel's perfect map. So come along with us on this Polynesian voyage into Joel Myhre's mind and learn what makes his map special.