The Use of Satellite Imagery and GIS for Humanitarian Assistance: Developing and Managing Water Supply in Urban Territories under Conflict

Abstract

This paper describes the use of satellite imagery and GIS within projects of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and describes how this type of information can be used as a support in the humanitarian field, specifically for the support of water supply in urban settings. The paper presents a brief overview of a project in the Kidal urban settlement in Mali, Africa, where the ICRC was exploring the development and management of water supply services and investigating how remote sensing can support and improve future groundwater planning, as current resource availability within aquifers underlying Kidal is poorly understood. The project is a strong collaboration between the ICRC, Groundwater Relief and the University of Salzburg (Z_GIS).