GISCorps

A recent news release by the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) highlighted the hard work that organization's GISCorps has been doing around the globe.  Starting from humble beginnings in 2003, GISCorps has grown into a substantial volunteer group that provides onsite geospatial assistance to world-wide humanitarian efforts - almost always in underdeveloped countries, and often after disasters. In the article, URISA noted that 25 GISCorps volunteers recently deployed on nine new missions in seven different countries.  Those missions include:

• Data cleansing of health facilities in Libya,
• Support to an OSM/HOT project in Indonesia,
• Assistance to a three phase disaster simulation in Samoa,
• Geo-coding of Sierra Leone NGO locations,
• Application testing for a non profit organization,
• Deployment to a project with UNOSAT, and
• A mission with the South Luangwa Conservation Society - Zambia.

Additional details about these missions can be found here.
The GISCorps home page is located here.

Since inception, GISCorps has had a total of 88 projects in 42 countries with 272 deployed volunteers.

Comment: If you're sitting in your climate controlled space reading this story thinking, "Wow, that's pretty cool.  I'd like to do something like that but (fill in the excuse)."  Well then, at least think about sending GISCorps a donation so their volunteers can swat bugs, eat bad food, watch the electricity flicker, and sleep on air mattresses, all in the name of using GIS to make the world a better place.  They'll take a wide variety of stuff - from cold hard cash, to airline miles.  Click here to find out how you can help them, help others.