Since the West African Ebola outbreak in 2014, the American Red Cross (ARC) has expanded its Missing Maps project to map communities within 15 km of the border regions between Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, to evaluate community vulnerability in these areas. ARC has established a West Africa mapping hub to develop a sustainable spatial data infrastructure for the region.
This project sought to paint a more complete and accurate picture of vulnerability in Liberia’s border regions. Using data from the community surveys, Annaka mapped overall vulnerability in these regions, as well as the following vulnerability sectors: water accessibility and quality, household size, sanitation infrastructure, total disasters, and high traffic areas. Through a series of statistical analyses, Annaka identified clusters of high and low vulnerability throughout these regions and determined which vulnerability sectors were most significant.
To convey this narrative to American Red Cross employees and volunteers, Annaka created an interactive web application visualizing both overall vulnerability and vulnerability by sector in Liberia’s border regions. This application aims to inform the Red Cross’s decisions about identifying high-priority communities in Liberia, based on different aspects of vulnerability. By identifying communities that are vulnerable due to lack of access to clean water or good sanitation facilities, among other factors, the American Red Cross and local teams can more effectively decrease community vulnerability.
Use the American Red Cross interactive mapping application to visualize community vulnerability to Ebola.
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