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Your organization collects data every time a team goes to the field, but is this data fully utilized, or is it lost within a PDF document? Would you like to visualize your NGO’s core information on a map in order to get a better sense of where the needs are and, therefore, to plan your activities accordingly? Do you want to implement a new activity but only have the name of the village and are unsure where that village is?
The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” could not apply better than to GIS applications: using a map, you can visualize at a glance where needs are and where resources are, and then to analyse how best to link the two. Having a geographic overview of a situation can dramatically improve evidence-based decision-making. From printed base maps (where infrastructure data provides a good overview of a region) to sector-specific dynamic maps (to quickly visualize the evolution of a situation through time), geographic information is vital for a good understanding of a situation. In order to be able to produce maps, you need to find the existing geographic data and ensure your sector data is in a usable format. You also need to conduct analysis relevant to each sector. A GIS strategy allows you to define standard procedures that optimize workflow and ensure that GIS products reach the people who require the information. CartONG assists humanitarian organizations in their GIS work with any or all of these steps.
Learn more about how CartONG can help you with your GIS and mapping projects below:
You can also visit the Information Management and Capacity building pages as they are related.
CartONG and Action contre la Faim have signed a 3-year partnership agreement to further their collaboration. The partnership agreement that will run from 2020 to 2023 details the general principles of collaboration between our two organizations around common goals and mutual commitments as well as more operational aspects.
In particular, it aims to develop the use of cartographic products within Action Contre la Faim by making CartONG’s mapping service available to ACF’s operations. In particular, our team of cartographers will be able to provide emergency support to ACF in the event of a humanitarian crisis, in what is called “rush mode format” as we can already do for other partners such as MSF or ACAPS.
More generally, this partnership also aims to provide ACF's teams with better support in the area of program data management (or Information Management), either through capacity building for their teams or strategic advice and support.
Learn more by reading our news on the topic.
CartONG is participating, on behalf of the French Development Agency, to the scientific impact evaluation of the PRIQH2 project implemented by the Tunisian Rehabilitation and Urban Renovation Agency (ARRU). This evaluation is co-lead by the United Nations University and BJKA consulting. CartONG brings its expertise in GIS and spatial analysis of urban evolution to the table.
Read more »The "Strengthening CSOs' Information Management" project aims to professionalize French-speaking Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the use and implementation of methods, tools and processes related to the different stages of the data analysis chain.
Co-financed by AFD for 3 years (early 2020 - late 2022) and implemented with the support of 10 partners, this project will make it possible for CartONG to continue its work in support of the sector by promoting the pooling and dissemination of new resources, both practical (tools, tutorials, training modules, etc.) and strategic (studies, etc.) to all humanitarian and development actors.
Read more »CartONG, in consortium with MapAction, has been selected by UNICEF for a long-term agreement, to provide GIS & IM support to their operations around the world from 2020 to 2022. Working with UNICEF’s headquarters, country offices and partners in different parts of the globe, we focus on helping with geospatial data collection and management, mapping, knowledge management and capacity building.
The request for mapping support in the Gulf of Guinea was inspired by the work done in support of the AFD's Sahel regional team. CartONG's support will include the creation of a database, the production of around thirty maps and a mapping training for the AFD referents of each country.
To know more about this support, please read our 2020 Annual Report.
The RESILAC (Inclusive Economic and Social Recovery of Lake Chad) project and consortium identified during its start-up phase the need to improve the management of its information (also called Information Management or IM). CartONG is supporting Groupe URD in charge of the operational M&E system (système de suivi et d'évaluation des réalisations) on the information management component.
In 2019, CartONG conducted a diagnostic in information management (all combined technologies) in order to formalize the needs of stakeholders, identify existing constraints and opportunities and propose solution scenarios.
Following this diagnosis, CartONG continues to support the RESILAC project teams in 2020 and 2021 in the implementation of certain recommendations: design of a dashboard to help monitor and manage the project, design of a database at the level of individual beneficiaries to centralize the support provided by the project through these various activities, distance training to the teams in data management etc.
To learn more about the support provided by our team, check our this article or read our 2020 Annual Report.
In 2020, CartONG supported the Solidarités Lebanon mission to launch and reinforce their GIS capacity. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the envisaged field mission was replaced by remote support. CartONG conducted an user requirements assessment to define the best mapping products for the in-country operations. 3 types of maps were identified as a priority for the mission: i) coordination maps to display Solidarités International’s activities, ii) maps of the different refugee sites with sector dara, as well as iii) detailed maps outlining flood analysis risks.
In parallel, CartONG’s team assessed the local GIS capacity in order to tailor a GIS training course adapted to the staff’s current level in GIS. This resulted in three online GIS sessions on QGIS, data management, and mapping.
Finally, part of the support was centered on the creation of different Standard Operating Procedures in order to accompany Solidarités International’s GIS Officer in Lebanon on more methodological aspects.
In 2021, CartONG continued its support, in particular to coach Solidarités International’s GIS Officer.
To know more about this project, please check out our 2020 Annual Report.
CartONG worked with SCET and EPFAM on a preliminary assessment that will be included in a regional action plan designed to improve tourism development in Mayotte. As part of this diagnosis, CartONG facilitated a participatory mapping workshop in October 2020, with SCET during a short field mission. This workshop was organized to consult some of the inhabitants of Kawéni about their leisure activities. During the workshop, the participants were encouraged to share information about what they are doing during their free time and to locate leisure activities on a map. The workshop was also an opportunity for the local community to receive a short introductory training to Mobile Data Collection, the data then collected has been integrated in an online interactive map. Further consultation activities have been on hold due to the pandemic, but the project will continue into 2021.
To know more about this initiative, please read our 2020 Annual Report.
CartONG, in consortium with MapAction, was selected by UNICEF via a Long Term Agreement for Services (LTA-S) to provide support to different UNICEF country operations and HQ over the period 2019-2022. For our first activation, CartONG and MapAction will provide support to the Mexican Ministry of Education in monitoring school attendance rates after the gradual lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions in Mexico from May 17th, 2020 onwards. To do so, we will build an interactive dashboard displaying:
1) school attendance/absence rates at the federation, state and municipality levels
2) reported reasons behind school absences
3) state of WASH and hygiene facilities at school premises
We will connect our server to the data from the Ministry of Education source, develop the dashboard, document it and train UNICEF Mexico staff to support it long-term.
To know more about this project, please read our 2020 Annual Report.
CartONG is supporting the CliMigra_Form program, which is deployed through a partnership between the University of Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint Denis (France) and the University of Paris Khartoum (Sudan). This project aims to develop training in participatory and citizen inquiry on two topics specific to the Sudanese context: climate and migrations.
In 2020, CartONG conducted 2 remote training sessions for a team of French and Sudanese social science and geography researchers and students, in order to help them understand how participatory and subjective mapping methodologies may be used as a way to collect both qualitative and quantitative data during a field research. Additional guidance on participatory and subjective mapping methodologies will be provided in 2021.
To know more about this project, please check out our 2020 Annual Report.
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