We start off 2024 with a new series focussing on the humanitarian use of GIS and partnering with MapAction, the humanitarian mapping charity and volunteer driven organisation that works with local and regional disaster management agencies worldwide. Joining Steven are Renee Babb, Lavern Ryan, and Alan Mills. The focus of the discussion is the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and their partnership with MapAction. Lavern has been working at the government of the small community of Montserrat and she is also a volunteer with MapAction. She has some great insight about the use of GIS for land use planning, biodiversity and conservation and disaster risk reduction. The Caribbean is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters due to its location, but organisations such as CDEMA have been helping to ease the burden before, during, and after these disasters occur. Renee, who is from Barbados, is the GIS specialist at CDEMA. Alan has been with MapAction for over 15 years and has undertaken many emergency missions in the Caribbean. Tune in to find out what it's like to experience these disasters first hand, how the different organisations find ways to collaborate and to learn if the systems in place can be used in other regions.

The Geomob podcast is hosted by Ed Freyfogle, co-founder of OpenCage, and Steven Feldman, of KnowWhere Consulting.

Every week we discuss themes from the geo industry, interview Geomob speakers, and provide regular updates about our own projects.