Mapping the ‘Crowd’: Volunteer Crisis Mappers and Digital Humanitarianism

ABSTRACT Digital humanitarianism represents an increasingly important aspect of wider humanitarian aid processes. Here, crisis mapping, which draws on international, largely Northern, volunteers utilising crowdsourced data drawn from disaster‐affected communities, largely in the South, is perhaps its most well‐known form. Such practices have been subject to critiques concerning power dynamics, the motivations of international volunteers and the relative inequalities faced by participants, especially in crisis‐affected contexts. Our analysis utilises such critiques to probe the role volunteers play in the mapping nexus. In doing so, we examine volunteer perceptions of the skills‐building processes offered by mapping organizations through which, volunteers attempt to build the necessary capacity to undertake their work. Subsequently, we examine volunteer engagement in the practice of mapping itself. In doing so, we consider the nature of individual labour commitments to mapping and perceptions of organizational cohesion. Finally, we focus on what motivates volunteers to get involved, as well as perceptions of impact. Despite mapping constituting a highly technocratic process, we conclude that the volunteer community of mappers is dynamic and inherently complex and not easy to label. Further, the nature of the mapping sector's organization can be considered as a positive boon to their sustainability and continued relevance.