By Dr. Melinda Laituri, Professor Emeritus of Geography in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University (CSU).

In March 2025, the U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, called for a Humanitarian Reset that emphasised four principles: saving lives, delivering aid effectively and efficiently, devolving authority to local partners, and defending civilians and humanitarian workers from harm. This humanitarian reset is occurring amidst multiple conflicts worldwide, intensifying disasters, pressures on international humanitarian law, and reduced funding for aid – notably the dismantling of USAID, formerly the lead agency in providing humanitarian aid worldwide. This context is compounded by the impacts of intersecting crises on vulnerable populations. For people living in areas – such as informal settlements and refugee camps – that are poorly mapped and lack reliable demographic data, it is difficult for humanitarian organisations to assess needs and coordinate responses.

Digitalisation and its supporting technologies – artificial intelligence, social media, geographic information systems (GIS), mobile tools, and remotely sensed imagery – have become integral to the landscape of humanitarian aid. Humanitarian GIS – sometimes referred to as crisis mapping – applies geospatial technologies and digital data to improve the effectiveness of humanitarian response. It brings together a diverse set of actors, including first responders, government agencies, international aid organisations, citizen scientists, and private companies. These actors collaborate to produce maps and geospatial datasets that support emergency response, logistics coordination, and situational awareness.

Geolocation technologies can strengthen humanitarian response only if they are embedded within ethical governance frameworks that prioritise safety, equity, and long-term resilience. Location data is inherently identifiable, and the precision of geospatial technologies makes it difficult to fully anonymise geographic information. These challenges are particularly acute in humanitarian contexts where crises unfold rapidly and where vulnerable populations face heightened risks if sensitive information is misused.

Many of these tools have geolocation capacity that allow individuals to contribute place-based information directly through mobile phones and social media platforms. Videos, photographs, and observations can be geotagged – linked to geographic coordinates such as latitude and longitude – allowing local populations to share information about unfolding crises.

Table 1. Humanitarian GIS tools, data, and processes

*Require data integration management with other humanitarian datasets (e.g., demographics, mobility, basic services requirements (water, electricity, shelter).

Four technological developments have significantly transformed the use of geospatial data in humanitarian contexts:

1. Commercialisation and widespread availability of high-resolution satellite imagery.
2. Advances in geolocation technologies that allow precise location tracking.
3. Integration of geographic coordinates as a standard feature in digital datasets enabling data integration.
4. Proliferation of mobile applications that generate dynamic, real-time geographic data.

These developments contribute to the emergence of big geospatial data, characterised by the high volume, rapid access and widespread variety of datasets – all characteristics that inform the emerging GeoAI environment for emergency response and humanitarian action. While these data provide unprecedented opportunities for humanitarian analysis, they also introduce challenges related to data quality, provenance, metadata documentation, and sampling strategies. The same geographic information that enables humanitarian assistance can reveal sensitive details about people and places. The disclosure of location data – whether intentional or accidental – can expose communities to surveillance, targeting, misinformation, or political repression. As a result, the collection and use of geospatial data in these contexts require careful ethical consideration.

One of the most significant challenges in humanitarian GIS is the privacy–safety dilemma. Geographic coordinates reveal locations. Aggregated datasets can reveal sensitive information about individuals or communities when combined with other data sources. For humanitarian organisations, the principle of “do no harm” requires careful consideration of these risks. Concerns about geolocation data include several characteristics: a lack of user awareness about how mobile devices collect location data; the absence of informed consent during crisis situations; weak cybersecurity protections; and the potential for secondary uses of data beyond the original humanitarian purpose.

Rather than focusing solely on privacy, humanitarian organisations increasingly emphasise safety-centered data governance. In crisis environments, strict privacy protections must be balanced against the need to provide life-saving assistance.

Several practices can help operationalise this shift:

• Data minimisation, collecting only the information necessary for humanitarian response
• Aggregation thresholds to prevent identification of individuals or small groups
• Tiered access controls that limit who can access sensitive data
• Clear data retention and deletion policies to prevent long-term misuse

Equally important is the involvement of impacted communities in decisions about data collection and use. Developing data governance frameworks in partnership with affected populations helps ensure that humanitarian technologies reflect local priorities and cultural contexts.

Several international frameworks address digital data protection and humanitarian ethics. The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides guidelines for data processing, personal data protection, and information sharing. Various humanitarian organisations have also developed ethical codes for digital humanitarians. However, these frameworks rarely address the unique challenges of geospatial data. Geographic coordinates cannot easily be anonymised, and geospatial datasets often reveal spatial relationships that can expose communities to risk.

To address these challenges, humanitarian organisations must strengthen governance mechanisms and oversight structures. One approach is the development of a Geospatial Data Protection Impact Assessment (GDPIA) to evaluate the risks associated with geospatial data collection and processing. A GDPIA would provide a structured framework for assessing risks associated with geolocation technologies in humanitarian contexts.

While geospatial technologies are often used for disaster response, they also have the potential to support long-term resilience planning. Participatory mapping initiatives demonstrate how local communities can use geospatial tools to identify vulnerabilities, document resources, and advocate for improved infrastructure and services. Mapping informal settlements, for example, has helped communities identify site-specific needs and develop locally appropriate solutions. Similarly, crowdsourced crisis mapping initiatives – such as Missing Maps and Humanitarian OpenStreetMap – enable volunteers to create detailed maps of previously unmapped regions, improving preparedness for future disasters.

Participatory approaches not only improve data quality but also strengthen trust between humanitarian organisations and the communities they serve. By involving local stakeholders in data collection and analysis, these initiatives foster a sense of ownership over geospatial information and support culturally relevant solutions. However, technological solutions alone cannot address the structural inequalities that shape vulnerability. Building resilience requires integrating geospatial technologies into broader social, environmental, and governance frameworks that address systemic inequities.

Geolocation technologies are transforming humanitarian response by enabling real-time situational awareness, improved logistics, and more effective coordination of aid. Yet these technologies are not neutral. The data they generate reflects the biases of users, tools, and algorithms, and they can expose vulnerable populations to significant risks if used irresponsibly.

Responsible stewardship of geospatial data requires robust ethical frameworks, transparent governance, and strong partnerships with affected communities. A shift toward safety-centered data governance – combined with mechanisms such as Geospatial Data Protection Impact Assessments – can help ensure that humanitarian technologies support both immediate response and long-term resilience.

Geospatial technologies must be situated within broader frameworks of social and environmental justice. The humanitarian principle of “do no harm” and the global commitment to “leave no one behind” demand that digital innovation be guided not only by technological capability but by ethical responsibility. However, these technologies must also support the broader goals of humanitarian reform – particularly the commitment to local partnerships and accountability. Data collection, management, and sharing should empower local actors rather than reinforce centralised control by international institutions, national governments, or private technology providers.

Additional reading:

The New Humanitarian newsletter: https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/about-us

P. Lemenkova. Geo-Information for Humanitarian Mapping and Monitoring Crisis-Affected Regions: A scoping review, 2025, Journal of Migration and Political Science, Volume 3, Issue 2, 196-220, 30.09.2025.

Meier, P. 2015. Digital Humanitarians: How BID DATA is changing the face of humanitarian response. Boca Raton: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group.

United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM). 2020. Future Trends in geospatial information management: the five-to-ten-year vision – Third Edition. https://ggim.un.org/future-trends/.

About the author:

Dr. Melinda Laituri is Professor Emeritus of Geography in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University (CSU). She is an Honorary Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and was the Founding Director of the Geospatial Centroid at CSU (2009) that provides support for geospatial research and teaching across the university. Dr. Laituri has conducted research and technical training in GIS and participatory mapping around the world collaborating with indigenous communities and focusing on water resources and disaster management.