The understanding of the detailed end user requirements, the products, system and service configuration that needed to be implemented, have been achieved by partnership between:

• Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), who are active in crisis intervention in 40 countries world wide
• An industrial consortium led by Keyobs in Belgium, who are producing a system and service to provide paper and digital on-line maps

There are three project phases as follows:

1. A definition study (completed July 2002) which has detailed user requirements and products. Product examples were produced and MSF then qualified them. A system was specified to meet the requirement for maps during the phases of crisis intervention, particularly for the delivery of digital maps that could be viewed using a web browser on-line.
2. A system implementation phase (in progress), in which an enhanced system capability for map production is being developed with appropriate investment in hardware, software and database development.
3. A service demonstration phase (to be started in early 2004), the service shall be operated to produce maps for 20 crisis intervention areas in the Africa region.

The following types of EO data have been utilised for information extraction: Quickbird panchromatic <1m resolution for detailed mapping of city infra-structure; Landsat TM/ETM and ASTER imagery for land use and infra-structure mapping; DEM production using radargrammetry. Full use is made of service level agreements with EO and geo-spatial data providers for short notice acquisition and fast delivery of data.