Getting it for Free: Using Google Earth and ILWIS to Map Squatter Settlements in Johannesburg

The mapping of squatter settlements has been a difficult task for geographers (Manoj, 2008). This is due to the dynamic nature of the settlement and the organic growth that these types of settlements take on (Brian, and Ranvinder, 1995). It has proven extremely difficult to accurately map individual households in these settlements and even boundary discernment can be difficult. These issues of mapping informal settlements are exacerbated when we look at the socio-economic context of cities where informal settlements flourish (Jenkins, 2000). Often poor and technologically challenged, urban governments need mapping settlements needs to be done cheaply. Using Google earth as the base image, cartographers can begin to map the organic informal settlements that are the cause and symptom of many of the problems in developing cities.