GIS Support for the MSF Ebola Response in Guinea in 2014

This 46-page case study discusses the experience of using Geographic Information Systems and mapping to support the work of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to respond to the Ebola outbreak in Guinea in early 2014. Over a period of 8 weeks, a GIS officer produced 109 maps that showed roads, landmarks, and villages, as well as helped to visualise population density and the spread of the disease. As the area of operations was previously very poorly mapped, according to post-intervention interviews, the use of GIS was a major asset as it enabled health workers to respond faster, more effectively, and more accurately to the outbreak and its progression.

This case study aims to uncover whether the GIS officer’s mission to Guinea has succeeded in supporting the emergency response and furthering the strategic goals defined in the GIS Strategy. The findings are based on oral and written interviews with 11 MSF team members who were either based in Guinea or at headquarters; it is also based on the end-of-mission report by the GIS officer himself.

The use of GIS in the field was a new approach for MSF. At the beginning, MSF believed that GIS could be most useful to the epidemiological teams. However, just 10% of the maps created were related specifically to epidemiological needs, and it was found that personnel working in various other functions benefitted from having maps readily available to support their work. For example, one of the first maps produced provided basic information about the location of villages. The maps allowed health workers to quickly pinpoint where the outbreak was progressing to and ensure that they sent the right help to right place. In many cases the GIS field officer responded to specific requests for maps from staff, or, based on his own understanding, was able to create maps that responded directly to the needs of the health workers.

Another important function of the GIS strategy was that "a weekly mapping of confirmed and suspected Ebola cases helped translate the progression of the epidemic from technical data into an easy-to-grasp map. As a result, staff at all levels had a better understanding of the emergency." In this way complicated data gathered and usually tracked in spreadsheets was transformed into something visual that provided both field-based and headquarters-based staff with a quick overview, and the data presented in a much more understandable way. While GIS could not predict where outbreaks would spread, it helped to monitor population densities and identify where health promotion activities should be prioritised.

The case study discusses access to the internet and online tools as assets to supporting the GIS work, noting that, "having a good connection significantly increased the range of products that the GIS officer could produce, thanks to access to online tools and data and remote support from the GIS Unit." As well, to produce general overview maps of the area quickly, crowdsourcing was used with 250 online volunteers providing valuable information. "These volunteers helped to map previously unmapped cities and roads within a few days, and at a granular level, mapping individual buildings. These overview maps then became the foundation of many maps that the GIS officer created for the response."

According to the case study, one key challenge in applying GIS is that many do not understand the possible value that can be added, until they see the approach being applied in the field. Thus there is a need for awareness raising and training within the organisation. To help address this, the GIS officer in Guinea produced a "Mapkit" that included the most important base maps, as well as topical maps. This collection of 10–12 maps was given to all incoming staff as part of their briefing on arrival. These briefings were also an important opportunity for the GIS officer to explain his role. In addition, a web-based ‘Map Centre’ was launched my MSF in July 2014, and it is noted that this centre needs to be promoted amongst staff for it to be effective.

Based on the experience in Guinea, the case study outlines a number of recommendations. The following are a selection related to communication:

• Given that the Guinea experience demonstrated how useful GIS and mapping can be to health work, there is need to consider placing more GIS officers in the field, but also to produce maps in areas where MSF is working as an ongoing part of operations, not just in response to an outbreak.
• "Physical proximity increases information exchange, formal and informal communication, and teamwork. Where possible, GIS officers should share the space with the unit that needs their services most."
• Good maps can be made available to all stakeholders to help with their own operations and generate good will. However, in conflict areas "the goodwill that can be generated by sharing maps has to be weighed against the risk that GIS technology could be mistaken as spying."
• "The GIS units should increase awareness of its services during training for field staff, either prior to deployment or when field staff come to headquarters for training and discussions."
• "MSF should continue to take advantage of crowdsourcing for the creation of base maps. To facilitate this process, the GIS unit, on behalf of MSF-CH, should engage in a dialogue with the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap team to better define the expectations from both sides."
• In terms of infrastructure, it is recommend that GIS officers going into the field download as mush existing data and maps as possible before deployment, and that each have a dedicated A3 colour printer (as a minimum size) as well as ink cartridges. While A2 is better for some maps, A3 delivers the best compromise between performance and weight."