This document provides an overview of geographic information systems (GIS) and mapping tools for non-profits. It discusses how maps can be used for storytelling, advocacy, program delivery, research, fundraising and community mapping. It also covers topics like data sources, tools, stakeholder participation and challenges around data acquisition. Overall, the document serves as an introduction to using maps and GIS for social causes.
3. Maps tell powerful stories about
the communities and the world
in which we live. Maps are a
visualization tool, a way to help
us transform columns of data
into useful knowledge about the
people and places around us.
24. Geographic Information Systems
●formal
●analytical
●costly
●.gov, .com, .edu
PARTICIPATORY!
DATA AND TOOLS MAPS FOR THE
SHOULD BE FREE! PEOPLE!
BOTTOM UP!
NOT TOP DOWN! neogeography!
37. Data: What are we mapping?
Our data – existing databases and
spreadsheets
Data from government, academic, or
other organizational sources
Data obtained from commercial data
providers
Data obtained from the community
38. Data Acquisition Challenges
Practical: availability, quality, scope
Legal: licensing, copyrights, etc.
Technical: incompatible formats,
technology, etc.
Financial: cost, both to obtain data
and to format/edit it
39. First Name Last Name Address City State ZIP Status
Alice Alpha 123 Apple Way Anytown US 10001 Donor
Bob Bravo 456 Birch Dr Anytown US 10001 Volunteer
Carol Charles 789 Cactus Rd Anytown US 10002 Donor
Dave Delta 12 Dogwood St Anytown US 10002 Staff
“CSV is the de facto data
format standard for
one-time exports and
data migration projects.”
Source: Peter S. Campbell and the
awesome folks at Idealware.org:
http://www.idealware.org/articles/data_exchange_alpha_soup.php
40. Data Digression...
CSV – Comma-separated values
KML – Keyhole Markup Language (Google)
67. Selecting the right tool for the job
Features vs. Requirements
Simple vs. Sophisticated
Proprietary vs. Free/open source
Expensive vs. Free/low-cost
Browser-based vs. Desktop-based
Components vs. Integration
77. Mixing and Mashing...
API – Application Programming
Interface
Web Services
GeoRSS, GeoXML, GeoJSON
Location-based Services
Twitter
Foursquare, etc.
87. Evaluation Code: 244
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