MoSD Launches Geographic Information System (GIS) to Enhance Social & Humanitarian Services and Improve Targeting
Ramallah – The Ministry of Social Development today launched its Geographic Information System (GIS) platform and institutional applications as part of its efforts to strengthen social and humanitarian service delivery, improve targeting accuracy, and enhance the efficiency of humanitarian response. The initiative leverages spatial analysis to support planning and evidence-based decision-making by linking services and needs to geographic locations, thereby improving the quality of interventions and enabling more timely responses.
The launch took place during the opening of an introductory workshop on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the Global Positioning System (GPS), and their institutional applications within the Ministry of Social Development. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. Samah Hamad, Minister of Social Development and Minister of State for Relief Affairs, and was organized by the Ministry in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP). It was attended by Ms. Kate Newton, Deputy Country Director of WFP. Representing the Ministry were Deputy Minister Mr. Taha Al-Irani, Assistant Deputy Ministers, Directors General, Directorate Directors, Heads of Units and Departments, and technical and administrative staff. WFP was represented by Mr. Salah Al-Lahham, Head of the Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) Unit; Mr. Riyad Katkhuda, Head of the Social Protection Unit; Mr. Majd Karzam, Social Protection Programme Officer; and Mr. Ayman Abu Zahra, GIS Specialist.
Dr. Hamad emphasized that the Ministry is moving toward establishing an integrated system based on data and spatial analysis to manage social and humanitarian services. This approach will enable more accurate identification of needs, improve the effectiveness of humanitarian interventions, strengthen complaint management and response mechanisms, and enhance planning and decision-making through the use of reliable geospatial data.
She added that the Ministry has already begun integrating GIS into several of its programmes. To date, data from 32,228 households benefiting from the regular food assistance programme in the northern governorates have been analyzed, and 38 interactive maps have been developed to illustrate the geographical distribution of beneficiaries and services. The Ministry has also mapped approximately 17,450 women-headed households and identified the locations of 586 partner and contracted organizations, contributing to improved planning, stronger service integration, and reduced duplication of interventions.
Dr. Hamad further explained that the new system will strengthen the Ministry’s humanitarian response during emergencies by providing a comprehensive spatial overview of needs and available services, integrating these with monitoring and complaints management mechanisms. This will improve response times, strengthen coordination with partners, and help ensure that assistance reaches those most in need in a fair and transparent manner.
For her part, Ms. Kate Newton, Deputy Country Director of the World Food Programme, highlighted the importance of the partnership with the Ministry of Social Development in building a more efficient and shock-responsive social protection system. She noted that Geographic Information Systems constitute a key tool for improving data quality, supporting humanitarian planning, and enhancing targeting mechanisms and evidence-based decision-making to ensure services reach the most vulnerable populations.
Ms. Yasmeen Shamashneh, GIS Coordinator at the Ministry of Social Development, delivered a technical presentation on the Ministry’s Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Positioning System (GPS). Her presentation covered the core concepts of these technologies, their application in field data collection, analysis, and geospatial mapping, as well as the stages of GIS implementation within the Ministry and its role in strengthening planning, improving the efficiency of social and humanitarian services, enhancing targeting accuracy, and supporting data-driven decision-making.
The workshop also included introductory and practical sessions on the use of GIS and GPS technologies, field data collection methodologies, spatial analysis, and the application of these tools in strengthening the social protection system, humanitarian response, and complaints management, thereby improving the efficiency of the social and humanitarian services provided by the Ministry.