Complete Schedule
Presentation Type
Open Access Poster Presentation
Keywords
Refugee camps--Thailand--Location; Refugee camps--Thailand--Geographic information systems;
Abstract
Refugee camps are often over crowded, which can create security issues and create strain on the camp infrastructure, supplies, officials, and other areas. ‘GIS for Good’ created methodology to determine optimal placement for refugee camps in Uganda using GIS. Their model focused on environmental (ie. Distance to water, land use, etc.) and social factors (population density, distance to education and health facilities, etc.). These factors were reclassified to rank most optimal sites 10 and least optimal sites 1. Factors were also weighted to give more emphasis to distance from water, slope, and food suitability sites compared to other factors. These factors were then input in a raster calculator to determine optimal refugee camp placement. Using ‘GIS for Good’s’ model, refugee camp placement in Western Thailand was created to measure potential locations for arriving refuges from Karen and Karenni states in Burma (Myanmar). The suitability map illustrated the potential that ‘GIS for Good’ methodology has in determining placement for refugee camp sites, however, weights, data, and methodology would need to be altered to better serve the region and population.
Start Date
3-4-2018 11:00 AM
End Date
3-4-2018 1:30 PM
Faculty Advisor
Andrey Petrov
Department
Department of Geography
Copyright
©2018 Christopher Pierce
File Format
application/pdf
Embargo Date
9-1-2018
Using GIS for Determining Optimal Refugee Camp Placement in Western Thailand
Refugee camps are often over crowded, which can create security issues and create strain on the camp infrastructure, supplies, officials, and other areas. ‘GIS for Good’ created methodology to determine optimal placement for refugee camps in Uganda using GIS. Their model focused on environmental (ie. Distance to water, land use, etc.) and social factors (population density, distance to education and health facilities, etc.). These factors were reclassified to rank most optimal sites 10 and least optimal sites 1. Factors were also weighted to give more emphasis to distance from water, slope, and food suitability sites compared to other factors. These factors were then input in a raster calculator to determine optimal refugee camp placement. Using ‘GIS for Good’s’ model, refugee camp placement in Western Thailand was created to measure potential locations for arriving refuges from Karen and Karenni states in Burma (Myanmar). The suitability map illustrated the potential that ‘GIS for Good’ methodology has in determining placement for refugee camp sites, however, weights, data, and methodology would need to be altered to better serve the region and population.
