RAMP – Resilient Action for Mapping Preparedness

RAMP is MapAction’s programme to help agencies involved in crisis management and emergency response to communicate their information more effectively, and increase preparedness by having high quality mapping and baseline data at their fingertips before an emergency starts.

The Issue

MapAction plays a unique role in the humanitarian community, responding to disasters and working alongside international and local humanitarian organisations, where international assistance has been requested.  However governments, Red Cross and Red Crescent societies and non government organisations often have to respond to other emergencies. MapAction wants to help these agencies improve their own information management, in the field, using a proven set of tools, guidelines and principles.

The Idea

To help improve other organisations’ information management, MapAction has developed a programme: RAMP (Resilient Action for Mapping Preparedness).

ramp_modelMapAction facilitates interaction, with other target organisations, in a number of areas by:

  • Building a strong community of data providers and users, as a foundation for other project activities
  • Collecting a sustainable and updateable archive of essential data accessible and ready to be used during an emergency by all partners,
  • Training partners in the use of GIS, specifically through map templates and procedures to quickly make useful maps in the field during the emergency,
  • Developing a sturdy coordination of information management and documentation to continue the evolution of the archive and encourage its usage,
  • Assisting partners in developing best practice for information management in all aspect of their disaster management including in vulnerability assessment, logistics and risk and hazard assessment.

The Aspiration

Emergency Response preparedness in information management makes national agencies more resilient enabling response. This minimises the time of disruption to affected communities.  RAMP is a concerted effort to achieve this in collaboration with local, national, regional and international agencies; both responders and technical GIS and information specialists.  It contributes to improving the strength of the whole disaster management cycle and supports the global effort in disaster risk reduction. This, in turn, will contribute to more lives being saved and suffering minimised when a disaster strikes.

Follow the links below to find out more about the RAMP programme.