Transcript RMI GIS Futurex

GIS in the
Marshall Islands
Building Resilience to Climate Change
Marshall Islands
o North of the
Equator
o Population of
53,000
o Gained
Independence
in 1986 from
the US
o Micronesian
Culture
Geography
of RMI
o
o
o
o
33 Atolls
4 Islands
2 Chains
750,000 sq.
miles EEZ
o 70 sq. miles
land
o Ave. height
above sea
level 7 foot
Building GIS for Health
o To reduce waterborne illnesses mapping and
documenting where/when outbreaks occur and
isolate the cause of illness.
o Famous case of Dr. John Snow identifying that the
outbreak of cholera in London in the 1840’s
o A great way of understanding the spread can be
used as a tool to inform the public of any potential
health emergencies/outbreaks.
Building GIS for Community Based
Resource Management- Reimaanlok
o Involves a step-by-step guide with
management tools and examples that will
help establish resource management plans
and community-based conservation areas
that consider current and future trends
(including climate change), locally and
globally, that affect the islands’ resources
and their sustainability.
o The Namdrik Atoll Local Resources
Committee, received global recognition for
its outstanding efforts in sustainable
development at the Rio +20 United Nation’s
Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
o Process aims to gather GIS database
information atoll by atoll to develop a
comprehensive resource management
network across RMI for future management
needs and requirements.
Building GIS for Infrastructure
Management
o MWSC water utility do not have a
comprehensive GIS database of their
infrastructure and the quantities of water
flowing through their systems.
o GIS can map the infrastructure network and
attempt to monitor the flow quantities across
the network
Building GIS to Analyse Water Supply
& Sanitation Methods
o Census Data is revealing in
that it tells us the
percentage of improved
water treatment methods
and breaks it down into
methods
o However there is a need to
locate the communities
that need improved water
treatment methods
o GIS mapping of the data by
household can create a
picture of where to focus
programs
Census GIS Mapping
Building GIS to Analyse Water Supply
& Sanitation Methods
o Data can be misleading by
itself
o 16% of households take over
30 mins round trip
o However this is primarily on
Ebeye, where workers in the
morning head to Kwajalein US
Army Base with a empty water
container, and return at the
end of the day with it filled to
Ebeye.
o This distorts the figures greatly.
Building GIS to Analyse Water Supply
& Sanitation Methods
o Similar to water supply, household
sanitation coverage data is
misleading
o 29% of the population do not have
improved sanitation methods
o This mainly occurs in the Outer
Islands where it is still common to
defecate either in the water or on
the land directly
o However issues arise with septic
coverage within the urban areas
where they are often required to
use the municipal piped system.
o Hence coverage of septic vs. piped
systems need to be mapped to
visualise any trends
Building GIS to Monitor Water Quality
Parameters over time
o There are plans to ramp up water quality
monitoring in the outer islands
o However the results need to be documented to
see the change over time, especially in the
salinity and faecal contamination of the
groundwater
o The information presented back to the islanders
needs to be as basic and visual as possible for
them to understand
o GIS can be a great tool in presenting that
information
Using GIS to Enable Donor Delivery
o When donors deliver projects they do their own assessment like the
EU with their Rainwater Tanks program.
o The EU developed a great database of the ranking the needs of
households and target the most advantaged first.
o However various other programs that followed could have built
upon this information and delivered to the next most needed
households instead they spent great money on developing their
own systems
o RMI needs to develop a database of rainwater tanks and required
tanks in order to remain consistent in delivery in targeting the
disadvantaged
o It can also be used to entice further donor investments, with known
requirements and outcomes
Using GIS to Build Resistance to
Climate Variability
o In understanding climate variability it is importing
to monitor the parameters of the environment
and resources whether that entails sea-level rise,
air and water temperature, coastal morphology,
rainfall or other parameters.
o The change over time and the trends that the
information gives enables greater decision
making and planning for disaster risk
management, climate change adaptations and
resource use management practices.
Kommol Tata
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