The Foreign Service Journal, January 2007

available on the Internet. This latter strategy was particularly successful for documenting the location of Red Cross relief centers, operating schools and hospitals and other infrastructure after Hurricane Katrina. All of these agencies have data to share in GIS for- mat, as do many commercial organiza- tions. GIS at State Though currently limited to certain pockets, GIS technology is already used at the State Department. Some GIS software has been approved for OpenNet systems and a number of offices hold licenses for GIS tools. The Bureau of Intelligence and Research’s Geographic Information Unit has a long history of providing support in the form of maps —depict- ing crisis situations, border negotia- tions and the location of Americans abroad, among other topics. But in crisis situations information can be- come outdated quickly, and INR can be overloaded with high-priority re- quests. GIS technology not only in- creases efficiency in providing essen- tial information, but can ensure its rel- evance through automatic updating. INR’s Humanitarian Information Unit routinely uses GIS to monitor the timelines of crises, and is currently examining new GIS tools from a vari- ety of sources in cooperation with the Bureau of Information Resource Man- agement’s Business Center. GIU and HIU applications demonstrate clearly the utility in using the technology: the precise coordinates (obtained in the field with a Global Positioning System unit) of locations are essential to accu- rately deliver assistance, humanitarian aid and avoid unnecessary confusion (What school? Which hospital? What intersection?). Several other offices already rely on GIS technology, as well. The Bureau of Administration uses it to record grants and contracts and allow posts to J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 39 Though most often associated with maps, such as this assessment of the avian influenza threat, a map is only one type of possible product generated by a GIS system’s unique geographic data integration and analysis features. State Department, Humanitarian Informatin Unit