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| ABSTRACT |
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The news is constantly showing us pictures of refugees. These mass population movements can be caused by conflicts, political repression, famine, and natural disasters. The people flee as long as they are in danger, then stop as soon as they feel safe, forming camps that may or may not be planned, depending on how fast the crisis develops; Effective large-scale humanitarian aid requires a good inventory of the theatre of operations. This aid is often dispensed in remote areas for which large- and middle-scale maps are non-existent or obsolete. Emergency mapping then becomes necessary. Such mapping is based on recent satellite images, to which one adds knowledge of the terrain resulting from either field surveys, if possible, or data culled from an inventory of various documents. Remote sensing is also suitable for ad hoc operations. So, studies and methods have been developed to use satellite imagery to look for appropriate sites for setting up refugee camps. Other studies show the usefulness of remote sensing for monitoring the refugee camps’ impacts on the local environment over the longer term. With the help of aerial photography or high-resolution imagery, large-scale remote sensing can also provide back-up for camp management and the detection of risk area. The various remote sensing techniques are important logistic support tools. The expertise developed in this field contributes to a whole set of means that Belgium makes available for humanitarian aid purposes.
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| OBSERVATION AREA |
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The site of this study is Hagadera Camp, located near Dadaab, in Eastern Kenya, some 100 kilometres from the Somali border. A regional map, put together from UNCHR documents, shows the sites of the refugee camps in the Horn of East Africa.
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 Localisation of refugee camps in the Horn of East Africa, situation in april 1999, source UNHCR |
 UNHCR hand-drawn map of Hagadera camp (situation on 12/2/1995) |
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The climate in this region is semi-arid. The vegetation is characterised by shrubs with a few sparse trees. The local populations make their livings primarily off livestock. Banditry has risen sharply over the past ten years in this border area, which the Kenyan authorities seldom patrol. As a result, the pastoral populations have fallen back to the smaller towns and people travel in convoys under the army’s protection. Hagadera Camp was set up by the United Nations’ High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1992. It is ‘home’ to some 39,000 Somali refugees and covers a 3-square-kilometre area that is divided up into sections, each of which is in turn divided into 100 x 200m blocks. The camp is located on a vast plain near a source of water. This detailed map was compiled from field readings and drawn by hand. Various non-governmental organisations provide health care, distribute aid, protect and help restore the environment, provide schooling, etc. The UNHCR is in charge of coordination, security, and planning.
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SATELLITE IMAGERY |
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(IKONOS)
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