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Developments in digital and communication technology have fueled significant innovations in humanitarian assistance and protection. Crisis mappers have used digital data to track beneficiary needs in real time and have collaborated with UN agencies and NGOs on various humanitarian initiatives. Additionally, images from satellites have helped humanitarians identify threats to civilians; have played a role in advocacy campaigns to raise public awareness about ongoing conflicts; and have been entered as evidence before several international courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the European Court of Justice.

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While some practitioners highlight the benefits of the unprecedented level of information sharing facilitated by this technology, others warn of the challenges facing this emerging professional sector. In particular, analysts often offer conflicting interpretations of digital data, and various practitioners have expressed concern about the proliferation of flawed analyses. Some humanitarians have also cautioned that the publication of digital data could place civilians at risk by making information available to military actors. Such dilemmas have led to debates over how the humanitarian sector can most effectively harness the full potential of this technology while retaining a principled approach to humanitarianism.

In light of these complexities, this live web seminar will bring together expert practitioners to address the following questions:

• Have remote monitoring methods enhanced the humanitarian sector’s capacity to engage in civilian protection?
• What measures can help practitioners reach an agreement on interpretive analysis and on key ethical issues, such as how decisions should be made about publicizing information that might place civilians at risk?
• Given the consensus-based nature of international humanitarian law, what legal and political complexities arise with the capacity to monitor situations from afar without a state’s consent?

Panelists:

Patrick Meier, Director of Social & Humanitarian Innovation, Qatar Foundation’s Computing Research Institute (QCRI)

     (To read a blog post by Patrick related to this event, click here.)

     (To read a short Q&A with Patrick related to this event, click here.)

Luc St-Pierre, Senior Programme Officer, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)

Nathaniel Raymond, Director, Signal Program on Human Security and Technology at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative (HHI)

     (To read a blog post by Nathaniel related to this event, click here.)

Moderated By:

Vincenzo Bollettino (Executive Director, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative)

Rob Grace (Research Associate, HPCR)

Additional Resources

• Patrick Meier, "New information technologies and their impact on the humanitarian sector",” International Review of the Red Cross, Vol. 93, No. 884 (2011).
• "Coordination of space-related activities within the United nations system: directions and anticipated results for the period 2012-2012 — the use of space-derived geospatial data for sustainable development,” UN doc. A/AC.105/1014, March 16, 2012.
• "Humanitarian action in armed conflict: why location matters,” Address by Robert Mardini, ICRC, April 3, 2012.
• "Satellite Applications for Human Security,” UNOSAT Brief, United Nations Institute for Training and Research, 2011.
• "Admissibility of remote sensing evidence before international and regional tribunals,” Innovations in Human Rights Monitoring Working Paper, Amnesty International, August 2012.
• Francesco Pisano, "Using satellite imagery to improve emergency relief," Humanitarian Exchange Magazine, Issue 32, December 2005.
  
• "Satellite Imagery and the Libyan Conflict: A report prepared for the International Commission of Inquiry on Libya,” UNOSAT, February 23, 2012.
• "Making the World a Witness: Report on the Pilot Phase,” Satellite Sentinel Project, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, 2012.
• John Crowley and Jennifer Chan, “Disaster Relief 2.0: The Future of Information Sharing in Humanitarian Emergencies,” Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, United Nations Foundation, and UNOCHA, 2011.
• Patrick Meier and Jennifer Leaning, "Applied Technology to Crisis Mapping and Early Warning in Humanitarian Settings," Working Paper Series, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, September 2009.
• Anne Herzberg and Gerald M. Steinberg, "IHL 2.0: Is There a Role for Social Media in Monitoring and Enforcement?" Israel Law Review, Vol. 45, No. 3 (2012).