Printer-friendly versionSend to friendThe AAAS Science and Human Rights Program, with funding from the MacArthur Foundation, Oak Foundation, and Open Society Institute, is working to expand the application of geospatial technologies to human rights issues through its Geospatial Technologies and Human Rights Project. Geospatial technologies include a range of modern tools, such as satellite images, geographic information systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and various web mapping services like Google Maps that allow for mapping and analysis of multiple layers of georeferenced data. Analysis of such data can provide critical information on the impact of conflicts on civilians, environmental and social justice issues, indigenous rights, and more.

SHRP partners with human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to provide them with technical assistance in using geospatial technologies to strengthen advocacy campaigns, support legal cases, and enhance response and prevention efforts. Recently, at the request of these organizations, SHRP analyzed a series of satellite images of the Civilian Safety Zone (CSZ) in Sri Lanka following the end of fighting in May 2009. The human rights groups expressed concern over the status and condition of civilians in the southern portion of the CSZ, as they were potentially affected by heavy fighting occurring May 9–10, 2009. This fighting was reported by multiple international news sources, including the BBC, and was referred to by United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokesman Gordon Weiss as a "bloodbath". SHRP’s analysis of high-resolution imagery, combined with photographs taken during a flyover by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, found possible evidence of mortar positions, shell impact craters, and changes in gravesites within the CSZ. As no outside parties were allowed access to the area during the timeframe in question, commercial high-resolution satellite imagery was one of the only options for gathering information. (Image to right: D. By May 24, an area across the street has been cleared and is also being used for interments, bringing the total to 342 graves (estimated) at this location. Image © 2009 GeoEye.)

While SHRP has used geospatial technologies to document past human rights violations, it has also been involved in actively monitoring areas of potential conflict. Amnesty Internationals' Eyes on Darfur (EoD) website, utilizing extensive imagery from SHRP, provides satellite images of towns in Darfur under threat of attack. With the international community effectively watching over these vulnerable communities, the initiative is meant to deter further civilian strife in the region. Periodic updates of the twelve villages with new satellite imagery allow the public to truly engage in active monitoring of potential human rights violations.

Satellite imagery has proved its utility in both documenting abuses and raising awareness of human rights abuses. Recent work by SHRP on mass graves in Afghanistan raises the potential for geospatial technologies to support legal cases. In May of 2009 the group undertook a review of satellite imagery acquired of the Sheberghan area in the Jowzjan Province of northern Afghanistan. This review was done at the request of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), who asked AAAS to provide imagery analysis for their investigation of possible mass graves at Dasht-e-Leili, near Sheberghan. According to PHR, the graves had reportedly been created in 2001. Then, at some point prior to July 2008, two large pits were dug in the area and the fill taken away. Hoping to clarify the excavation date, PHR requested that AAAS research and acquire available satellite imagery of the area to determine when two of the sizeable pits possibly comprising the graves might have first appeared. The images obtained revealed two possible vehicles (one hydraulic excavator and one dump truck) that may have been used in the excavation of the two pits. Based on this evidence and PHR’s years-long investigation, President Obama pledged to gather all the facts surrounding the Dasht-e-Leili graves and possible US involvement.

Other work conducted by AAAS includes an August 2008 review of satellite imagery of the Tskhinvali region of South Ossetia. Amnesty International (AI) contacted AAAS over concerns in regard to hostilities between Georgia and Russia, which began approximately 7-8 August 2008. Specifically, AI was gathering field reports from local informants of violence occurring in multiple cities and smaller villages throughout Georgia. These reports indicated destruction and violence toward civilians in many areas, particularly near Tskhinvali, a city in South Ossetia close to the Georgia-Russia border. Imagery analysis demonstrates initial concentrated damage to the city of Tskhinvali and small amounts of damage to outlying areas that had occurred by August 10. By August 19, a much broader range of destruction occurred in the village areas surrounding Tskhinvali. Other significant sign of military actions were also shown to have occurred in the region, including many obvious craters from munitions, and tracks from the presumed movement of military vehicles, which resulted in clear damage in the vegetated areas throughout the region.

Aside from working with satellite imagery, SHRP is exploring the use of GPS tracking devices for deployment in the field. By relaying geographic coordinates via satellite or cell tower, these devices can track on-the-ground human rights observers or record the locations of prison camps where the potential for abuse is high. Most trackers are small and concealable, while others are larger but more reliable, like the NAL Iridium Satellite Tracker. Ultimately, SHRP hopes to integrate a GPS tracker with a simple data entry system to document violations in a discrete, yet practical manner.

Other organizations have of course also made considerable strides in advancing the use of geospatial technologies in human rights work. In April of 2007 the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, in collaboration with Google, launched the Crisis in Darfur mapping initiative (see image to the left), making available photos, videos, and testimony on humanitarian issues in the Darfur region of Sudan. Released as a Google Earth kml layer, the Crisis in Darfur project includes satellite imagery and a narrated flyover tour of destroyed villages. The Ushahidi Engine is a tool that allows messaging from cell phones, emails, and web forms to be plotted on a central map server, useful in times of crisis. Tools like OASIS from iMMAP are designed to provide a common information repository for groups in the field needing to understand security risks and needs in their area.

Of course, notable activities using these technologies predate SHRP's involvement. Human Rights Watch explored applications of geospatial technologies in its work in 2004. HRW produced a report on the Israeli mass destruction of houses and infrastructure on the southwest edge of the occupied Gaza Strip, along the border with Egypt. From 2000 to 2004 the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) destroyed over 2,500 houses in this area, with 2/3 of those houses located in Rafah, a densely populated refugee camp and city adjacent to the Egyptian border. As part of the preparation for this report satellite imagery was used to analyze damage done by the Israeli forces and to chronicle the destruction. Specifically, the imagery supplemented field research and interviews conducted by HRW during July of 2004.

These projects reveal the burgeoning potential for the use of geospatial technologies in human rights efforts. Their effectiveness in advocacy campaigns, documentation, and monitoring of violations suggests that organizations will rely on these technologies more in the future. While the AAAS' Science and Human Rights Program tests these devices and methods, it continues to provide expertise in helping organizations navigate this rapidly evolving and complex field.

Contact the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program (email to: shrp at aaas dot org) or visit their website to learn more about a project or to submit a request for assistance with a potential human rights related case study. Also, be sure to ask questions to the AAAS practitioners during our October featured dialogue on Geo-mapping for human rights from October 28 - Nov 3, 2009.