This site is intended to provide tools and data related to maps and digital mapping technology for humanitarian aid workers. It provides georeferenced maps in several formats and discusses the use of hardware and software to acquire, process and display geographic data.
Both WFP Logics Cluster and CIA Maps provide maps (generally categorized by country) in print friendly format (usually PDF or JPEG). MapToGround provides these maps in formats suitable for digital applications (KMZ, OziExplorer and GeoTiff). MapToGround has received permission from WFP to process and publish its maps. Each map page on the CIA Maps site carries the messages:
Page Size Base maps are in the public domain. Accordingly, they may be copied freely without permission of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
and
If you modify maps for your own purposes, please remove the map number in the bottom, right corner.
MapToGround interprets the second requirement as If you modify the map content for your own purposes, please remove the map number in the bottom, right corner. The content on the MapToGround reformatted maps is unchanged.
The Lebanon Map on the WFP page was downloaded from the UN Geospatial Division site. Permission from that organization for the use of the Lebanon map is pending (request submitted 27/12/2022).
The Logistics Cluster is a UN cluster led by the World Food Programme, WFP. It provides logistical resource tools, including maps to the humanitarian community. Generally the maps are presented in PDF format. For each “Operation” the WFP may provide many maps and documents. MapToGround usually selects a General Logistics Planning Map, GLPM, from the available maps. A recent difficulty with WFP maps is that they are no longer published with the spatial information required for georeferencing. As a result the GLPM Logistics Cluster maps on this site may not be the most recent available as updating without georeferencing data is not feasible.
The CIA maps are published by country without reference to any humanitarian activity within that locality. Although of moderate size, the maps are well detailed. Each map from the CIA site is available in three options: administrative (administrative regions), physiographical (terrain) and transportation (roads). Mostly the processed CIA maps on MapToGround use the transportation option as the base map. The CIA maps competently present the geographical information required for georeferencing.
Please let MapToGround know of any errors you might discover. Further maps will be introduced over time. However, if there is a particular map you could use now, then contact MapToGround detailing preferred content and format, please include the name of your organization.
MapToGround provides other resources to assist aid workers.
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Links Design Toolbox KMZ, TIFF and GPX Files Mapping and GNSS OziExplorerPC OziExplorer Android |
Links to humanitarian organizations, map sources, map and GNSS software, map related information and tools Camp design calculator, density, water supply, sanitation, health, diesel fuel consumption, electricity distribution KMZ, KML, TIFF and GPX files, KMZ and GPX files on handheld devices, KMZ, TIFF and GPX files and GNSS data on Google Earth GNSS basics, coordinate systems, datum basics, scale OziExplorer in the field, system requirements, MapToGround resources, file types, documenting data OziExplorer for Android, Setting up on tablet or phone, map support file generation |
The material on this site was generated using data from the WFP Logistics Cluster and CIA Maps. The process also used software from OziExplorer, QGIS and Mapwel. No commitments have been given by WFP, OziExplorer or Mapwel that their respective products are suitable for this application. In addition, the respective conditions and disclaimers advanced with each organization's products are applicable. The material provided by MapToGround itself may contain errors as it is not feasible to field test the data and MapToGround gives no commitment to its validity.