A Geographic Approach to International Development
Carrie Stokes
USAID Geographer & GeoCenter Director
USG Foreign Assistance
We partner
to end extreme poverty &
promote resilient, democratic societies
while advancing our security & prosperity
Agriculture * Biodiversity * Climate Change * Conflict * Democracy & Governance
Economic Growth * Education * Humanitarian Assistance * Health * Water
U.S. Global Development Lab
Applying science, technology, innovation, & partnership
to help solve the world’s greatest challenges
What Do We Do?
Geographic analysis for development programming
• Where is priority development need concentrated?
• Where are we working?
• How do the two (above) compare?
• Is the same project more effective in one location vs. another?
• Can we leverage investments across sectors in the same area?
How Do We Do It?
• Mapping & analysis
• Build Agency capacity to use geographic data and tools
• Establish methods to collect, manage, & share data
• Engage with geospatial communities: interagency, international,
academic, non-governmental, private sector
Example Projects
• Foreign Assistance Dashboard - mapping USAID investments
• Geographic analysis of human vulnerability in the Sahel of W. Africa
• Electric power access in East Africa
• Mapping access to health services in Malawi
• Countering human trafficking in Southeast Asia
• Immigration of unaccompanied children from Central America
• Open Data: mapping for resilience & disasters
• Geographic prioritization in Indonesia
Mapping USAID Investments by Country, Financial Stage,
Sector, & Year: 2009 – 2013
Geographic Analysis of Human Vulnerability: Niger
Access to Electric Power: Ethiopia
Access to Maternal & Newborn Health Services: Malawi
Countering Human Trafficking: Thailand
Unaccompanied Children Place of Origin & Poverty: Honduras
Prioritization of USAID Programming: Indonesia
Open Data & Mapping for Resilience: Kathmandu, Nepal
Field Surveyors
Results by the Numbers
• $20+ million worth of hi-res imagery leveraged
• 16,000+ buildings mapped by volunteers
Interactive map
www. usaid.gov/GlobalDevLab
• 420 USAID staff trained
• 60 projects completed
• 50 Field offices assisted
• 1 global network of USAID Geo-Specialists established