Map Methodology

1. Introduction

The following is a summary of the map interface, data sources, and verification methods used to produce the LRA Crisis Tracker Map ("Map"). Data displayed on the Map is drawn from the LRA Crisis Tracker Database ("Database") and is used to illustrate the result of LRA activity - including civilian death and injury, abduction, looting, displacement, and the release or escape of formerly abducted persons - and its impact on civilian populations over time.

For more detailed information regarding data governance policies, verification ratings, and logging procedures used to create the Database, please refer to the Database Codebook.

2.Map Interface

The Map is composed of three fundamental layers: 1) a custom-styled OpenStreetMap base layer; 2) community, road, administrative boundary, and other feature data from a number of sources, including official UN and US government mapping datasets; and 3) geocoded incident reports of LRA activity. The following sections describe a user's ability to manipulate the display of this final layer using the Map interface.

2.1 Map Type Toggle

A. Plotted Map Plotted Map toggles geocoded markers to indicate individual incident reports, allowing users to isolate an incident and review its particular Public Display Notes (See Database Codebook 4.1G), Incident Verification Rating (See Database Codebook 4.2A), Date of Incident (See Database Codebook 4.1A), and Crisis Type (See Map Methodology 2.2).

B. Heat Map Heat Map toggles a layer indicating intensity of the number of incidents across LRA-affected areas through a color-coded, proportional spectrum of violet (least-intensity) to white (highest-intensity).

2.2 Crisis Type Toggle

Listed below are the operative definitions for the seven incident definitions, or Crisis Types, currently color-coded and displayed on the Map. As incidents in the Database may contain multiple Crisis Types, a set hierarchy determines which color-code is displayed. The ranked order of this hierarchy, from highest to lowest, is as follows: Civilian Death, Abduction, Civilian Injury, Displacement, Looting, LRA Sighting, and Returnee. Thus if an incident contains both a Civilian Injury and a Displacement, the incident will be marked with the color-code associated with Civilian Injury.

Further, an incident's color-code will be based on the highest level of the Crisis Type hierarchy selected under Crisis Type. For example, if an incident contains both Civilian Death and Abduction, but Civilian Death is not selected, the incident will still be displayed, only with the color-code for Abduction.

A. Civilian Death

An incident is displayed as Civilian Death if there is a violent act that results in the death of an individual by LRA members and the victim is not known to be associated with an armed group or security force. If a death results from an injury sustained previously by LRA violence, it is classified as a Civilian Death. If a civilian is killed while in LRA captivity, it is considered a Civilian Death only if it occurs within one week of the initial abduction. For a detailed explanation of incidents that are categorized as Civilian Death, please refer to section 4.5.1 of the Database Codebook.

B. Abduction

An incident is displayed as Abduction if it involves one or more persons taken hostage against their will by the LRA for any period of time. This includes incidents where LRA members abduct civilians and release them later the same day. This field also includes Short-Term Abductions. For a detailed explanation of incidents that are categorized as Abduction, please refer to section 4.5.2 of the Database Codebook.

C. Civilian Injury

An incident is displayed as Civilian Injury if violence by LRA members results in injury, but not death, of an individual not associated with an armed group or security force. For a detailed explanation of incidents that are categorized as Civilian Injury, please refer to section 4.5.1 of the Database Codebook.

D. Displacement

An incident is displayed as Displacement if established civilians have been displaced from their homes as a result of LRA activity. This includes previously-displaced persons being re-displaced. In order for a population movement to be considered a displacement, the group of people must leave their homes for a week or longer. For a detailed explanation of incidents that are categorized as Displacement, please refer to section 4.5.4 of the Database Codebook.

E. Looting

An incident is displayed as Looting if LRA members commit robbery, extortion, or destruction of property. For a detailed explanation of incidents that are categorized as Looting, please refer to section 4.5.5 of the Database Codebook.

F. LRA Sighting

An incident is displayed as a LRA Sighting under any one of the following three conditions:

• LRA Sighting (as defined by the Database): A LRA Sighting (as defined by the Database under Sighting/Encounter section 4.7) references a specific day and location where the LRA members were seen or encountered. A sighting of fifteen or more suspected LRA members is also recorded in the Database as a LRA Movement and Intelligence Report and is not currently mapped. For a detailed explanation of incidents that are categorized as LRA Sighting, please refer to section 4.7 of the Database Codebook. For LRA Movement and Intelligence Reports, see section 5.

• Clash: Due to current technical limitations, a Clash is currently displayed in the category of LRA Sighting. A Clash references when LRA members violently engage with one or more armed groups or security forces. A security force is considered any organized, armed, non-rebel or terrorist group; this includes state forces, such as the UPDF, and locally formed protection groups. Due to security 5 LRA CRISIS TRACKER Map Methodology & Database Codebook v1.6 concerns, non-LRA actors involved in a Clash are listed as "Security Force" and no data on killed, wounded, or captured security forces is released in incident details. For a detailed explanation of incidents that are categorized as Clash, please refer to section 4.6 of the Database Codebook.

• General Attack: Selected reports sourced by LRA Crisis Tracker Administrators are written without sufficient detail to describe a specific Crisis Type. For example, a report may be written as "LRA members attacked Bangadi, DRC." Due to insufficient information regarding violence perpetrated and widely differing definitions in the region regarding the word "attack," these reports are defined as LRA Encounter (see Database Codebook section 4.7).

G. Returnee

An incident is regarded as Returnee if an abducted civilian was released, rescued, able to escape, or an LRA member willfully defected or was captured within the incident reported. For a detailed explanation of incidents that are categorized as "Returnee," please refer to section 4.5.3 of the Database Codebook. '

H. Media

When selected, the Media toggle displays a white dot on each Map marker with a corresponding visual or audio narrative