Since the first cohort of students over four years ago, the ICT4Peace Foundation has lectured at the Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Logistics and Management at the University of Lugano.

The Foundation’s modules, taught by Sanjana Hattotuwa, are broadly anchored around two key areas – one, the impact of new and social media on the web, Internet and via mobiles on humanitarian aid, situational awareness and more effective design and delivery of relief systems. Two, an overnight simulation exercise, based loosely around the Haiti earthquake, that takes students to around 30 of the leading humanitarian websites as well as new media platforms and portals and gets them to search for, compare and verify information on them, as well as collaborate and produce information using them.

This year, the Foundation introduced a new online collaborative mapping exercise to this simulation, based on the new Google Map Engine Lite as well as a neighbourhood mapping exercise based on OpenStreetMaps and the use of Field Papers.

Over the two and a half days of teaching, the ICT4Peace Foundation is joined in the teaching of this course by UNHCR, represented over the years by the hugely experienced Andrew Alspach. Together, the course modules deal with,

  • The IM Process
  • Social Media in crisis mitigation, management and recovery
  • Big Data in humanitarian aid and relief operations
  • Neo-cartography and web based collaborative map making
  • Analysis in the humanitarian context
  • Verification of online information and social media
  • Practical exercise in Crisis Information Management including online mapping (Simulation)
  • Practical exercise in web based cartography
  • Modules on IM Process
  • Modules on information visualisation
  • Modules on data analysis and gathering

We have noticed that with each cohort, competencies with and awareness of web based social & new media platforms, as well as aid, relief and data portals by and outside the UN is increasing. The Foundation, along with our partner UNHCR, is keen to broaden and deepen this knowledge through the unique opportunity afforded by the Master of Advanced Studies in Humanitarian Logistics and Management.

Admissions are accepted on a rolling basis by the University. Please consider applying.