Field Practitioners Toolbox – Handheld GPS Units

Last week I wrote about some of the important contributions that have helped to strengthen UNIDOs field programmes through the use of Mobile Phones and SMS messaging. Another area where UNIDO field staff are seeing important results is with the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) hand-held data collection units. GPS has been around commercially for over 25 years. It is used in navigation, in marking ‘features’, measuring areas and distances, and as an important tool in building a much more complete picture of an operational environment.

One of the most obvious areas where GPS has improved the efficiency of project implementation activities is in its use as a navigation tool. Two areas that UNIDO has seen a real improvement in the field is with the use of GPS in rural areas where government services are extremly limited and in post-conflict zones where infrastructure is destroyed . In the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, the accurate mapping of communities on reference maps is uncommon. Most villages/village clusters are spread out over large areas and knowing with certainty where project activities are being rolled out or where surveys informants reside can be a time consuming process. However, GPS has provided UNIDO field technicians and consultants with the ability to quickly navigate to communities, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders with far greater efficiency and reliability. It has also greatly reduced the turn around time for various follow up and monitoring initiatives.

Another somewhat similar situation can be found in a number of post-conflict zones. As a result of war, sectarian violence, and on-going instability limited efforts and investments have been made to create a reference system which details the location of residential, commercial, and government buildings. In Iraq, UNIDO has been using GPS to identify the location of project linked ministerial counterparts, training facilities, enterprises and workshops, and other beneficiary groups. Field technicians are able to move between standard geo-referencing and other commonly used systems that are typically used in conflict zones; like, the US Military Grid Reference System (MGRS). Given that UNIDO’s reach and movement in Iraq is facilitated by the UN in coordination with the US military. Being able to clearly identify site assessment locations for security providers helps to minimize transportation costs and builds greater confidence between various national and international organizations and agencies.

Marking site assessment locations (stored as waypoints) is not just limited to proposed survey areas. The use of GPS features ‘marking’ has also been used extensively by the Organization to identify a number of other features that are core components of our livelihoods or micro-enterprise support programmes. UNIDOs South Korean funded project in Fallujah (TARGET) has been using GPS for a number of years. GPS has allowed project managers to conduct an intensive survey of the Fallujah Industrial Zone and capture that data with greater repeatability. We have been able to link survey results to particular workshops which helps to build a much more comprehensive profile of the enterprise, its existing technology, and the operational context that it works within. GPS has also helped to ensure that suppliers that are contracted to conduct rehabilitation and civil upgrades at these enterprises can easily locate the site; as well as providing much better logistical planning information for those involved in the delivery, installation, and commissioning of project financed technology and equipment packages procured for these enterprises in the Fallujah Industrial Zone.

GPS is also an important tool in calculating and mapping areas (eg. industrial areas) and lines (eg. roads and waterways). It can also help with the planning activities of project and programme managers. One area where GPS is seeing increasing use is around land resource management. In southern Sudan, UNDP has recently launched an important project aimed at mapping plots of land so as to help confirm plot locations, building properties, and other land features that will likely be affected by a potential influx of people once Southern Sudan gains independence and greater international engagement and support. Technologies like GPS are likely to play an important role in assisting the coordination of development programming in post-independent Southern Sudan.

Finally, UNIDO places great importance on the safety and well-being of its staff who operate out of large number of field offices throughout the globe. Nowhere is this concern greater than in countries that are just emerging from conflict and instability. One way that UNIDO monitors the security and well-being of its field staff is through the use of GPS-enabled technologies. One of the ‘tools’ that UNIDO is using in a number of challenging operational environments in Africa and the Middle East is GPS Messaging Units; like SPOT. Next week I will discuss this technology and other equipment that is being used by field practitioners to facilitate their work and enhances their security in areas that remain unstable and volatile. These sorts of dedicated investments are becoming standard issue for many programme and project staff as they work to improve the quality of life of project targeted beneficiaries, households, and communities.