This past fall semester, I taught two sections of G261 – Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as an adjunct instructor at York Collège of Pennsylvania. Students in the classes worked on semester projects individually and in groups. One of these projects focused on an Intelligence and International Relations topic.
The students had three choices of project deliverable formats:
- ArcGIS Story Map https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-storymaps/overview
- ArcGIS Presentation Poster
- Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation
Project: Hamas Regional Instability
Student Researcher: Rebekah Dobson
Introduction
“In Israel, there are two Palestinian territories: Gaza and the West Bank. The territory of Gaza has been governed by Hamas since 2007. The goals of Hamas are politically driven to regain alleged Palestinian lands and holy lands for Islam. To attain this political goal, this organization is involved in a multitude of pathways such as terrorist attacks and diplomatic alliances within the Middle East. The majority of their attacks are centered within the Negev desert and the towns along the security partition. Land use is defined as the management or modification of the physical environment for arable land. This is relevant because Hamas is known to engage in conventional weapons attacks within the region because the accuracy of the Israeli Iron Dome makes prior attempts ineffective.”
Research Question
“Can a Geodatabase be a valuable tool to enhance the analysis of how Hamas targets land use areas in Israel?”
Hypothesis
“The creation of a geodatabase will be a valuable tool to enhance the analysis of the method that Hamas uses to exploit soft targets in Israel such as large land use regions.”
Conclusion
- A geodatabase is a valuable tool to use to analyze Hamas. It enhances the relationship of multiple factors when considering how Hamas targets land use areas within Israel that are within proximity to the Gaza security border.
- The maps created a visual depiction of why Hamas targets the Negev desert and the close surrounding towns. These regions are away from dense population centers where weapon systems are placed strategically to deter attacks. But the targeted areas are land-use regions that hold resources for the nation.
- Looking to the future of the study of how GIS can be used as a tool for analyzing the actions of Hamas can focus on the community types within Israel that are most affected by the militants’ attacks.