Abstract:

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011. Since 2013 the country then plunged into a civil war that has displaced thousands both internally and externally across borders to neighboring countries. This has created a large-scale humanitarian crisis that still continues to ravage the new nation. The United Nations and other Humanitarian organizations continue to play a leading role in responding to this humanitarian crisis with the goal of alleviating the suffering of the afflicted civilian population and bring an end to the conflict. Through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the United Nations (UN) has established several response mechanisms to ensure a comprehensive response. Information Technology is playing a crucial role through the extensive use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for information management, mapping and cartography and data modelling. The purpose of this study is to explore the challenges limiting the application and utilization of GIS for planning, decision support and response in the context of post-independence South Sudan.

The study applies qualitative methods to a purposively selected sample population of individuals working in the humanitarian, Relief and Rehabilitation areas in South Sudan from both the Governmental and Non-Governmental sectors. The findings of this study highlight the major challenges faced by GIS application and practice categorized into: Feature dataset issues, Training and Capacity issues, Technology and infrastructure, Political and Security, and Advocacy challenges.

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