Enhancing Earth Observation of Migration with Insights from Social Media

Abstract

Complex migration processes are pervasive on the African continent and are intrinsically linked to ongoing demographic, social, economic, and ecological changes. To better understand the complexity of these processes, there is a need for more and better data and knowledge on the flows, the drivers, and the effects of migration. Earth Observation is increasingly able to accurately map drivers and effects of migration which have a visible impact on the earth’s surface. Such drivers are e.g. floods, droughts, and effects are e.g. urban expansion or refugee camps (top image: Sentinel-2 based maps of the migration induced urban growth in Abuja and Maiduguri, which takes the form of low-dense urban development and refugee camps). However, underlying socio-economic and political drivers as well as individuals‘ subjective decisions or perceptions of situations and the environment can not be directly mapped using Earth Observation sensors. In this project we aim to reduce these knowledge gaps by additional data sources. In this context, geolocated social media data can provide valuable insights into migrants’ movements and motivations.