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European Space Agency

Press Release

War zone aid workers rely on ESA map from space

13 June 2003
 
The few Medecins Sans Frontieres personnel who work on in the
besieged Liberian capital Monrovia - as well as outside MSF logistics
planners - are using an ESA-provided city map based on satellite
images. 
 
The West African state of Liberia was stricken by a devastating civil
war throughout much of the 1990s. More recently the conflict resumed
after a few short years of peace. Within the last week Government
troops have been fighting rebels less than ten miles from the edge of
Monrovia, although a ceasefire has just been announced.

The fighting has caused the last working hospital in Monrovia to be
closed. Currently only an emergency three-person MSF team plus local
Liberian staff remain in the capital, supplying five outpatient
clinics as well as a facility in the city stadium to serve displaced
persons. Meanwhile an MSF cargo plane carrying medical and logistics
supplies has arrived in neighbouring Sierra Leone.

With up-to-date maps of the area otherwise non-existent, MSF is
relying on a city map of Monrovia prepared by the ESA-funded
Humanitarian Mapping Service (HUMAN). Run for ESA by the Belgian firm
Keyobs s.a., HUMAN makes use of satellite data to prepare accurate
maps of remote areas for humanitarian organisations. 

"The Monrovia map has been available to us for the last two months,"
said Rémi Carrier, Logistics Director of MSF Belgium. "It is used by
logistics and operations planners as well as our few operatives still
in the field. Everyone making use of the same map at both ends makes
our communications much more effective. The map is used for assessing
security, updating where the frontlines are located, and planning how
to get our clinics supplied."

"It is very useful because there have been no new maps made of this
area since the 1970s, despite the fact that African cities change so
fast - new suburbs can spring up rapidly as populations move.
Satellite pictures represent the best way of seeing how the city has
evolved. Our hope now is that the ceasefire holds, and gives us a
chance to resume the full scope of our activities, repair the
infrastructure and help the people of Monrovia." 
 
HUMAN's city map of Monrovia was prepared from high-resolution
QuickBird images taken in March 2002, and processed the following
December. The maps are made available both as paper documents and
digital maps distributed by CD-ROM and email.
 

Mapping service available 365 days a year
 
"Our map-making process uses three sources of information: archive
maps, satellite images and field observation," said Herbert Hansen of
Keyobs. "Archive maps are scanned and digitised to be used as a
support for map creation. The satellite images are geo-referenced,
showing roads, rivers, swamps and buildings. Field information -
locations of important buildings such as pharmacies, warehouses and
embassies and the names of main districts and roads - is added at the
end." 

HUMAN is currently providing a prototype service covering sub-Saharan
Africa, with worldwide coverage due to begin next year. Humanitarian
users can activate the service 365 days a year by fax or telephone
call.

"The service we provide offers different delivery times," explained
Hansen. "The first product is delivered in 48 hours, basically a
compilation of existing data, a 'best-of' product for a troubled
area. Detailed city products are available in about 12 days, and
specific thematic products giving operational information on health
and humanitarian infrastructures being provided in three weeks."

The HUMAN project is funded by ESA under the Data User Programme,
developed by a consortium headed by Keyobs and composed of Intecs
HRT, Créaction Int. and the Centre Spatial de Liège, with MSF Belgium
as the user partner. The long-term intention is to build HUMAN into a
self-sufficient service for NGOs and public organisations.

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