Prisons and other carceral facilities face threats from multiple environmental hazards including extreme heat, air pollution, flooding and more. Geospatial data combined with information on facility-level population or vulnerability factors can elucidate spatial patterns of risk to environmental hazards and support interventions to advance environmental justice (EJ) in these landscapes of disproportionately low-income people of color. Community organizers already use geospatial data and tools in advocacy to mitigate exposure to environmental hazards in prisons and prevent prisons from being built in hazardous areas. However, many organizers report that existing data and tools are insufficient to inform decision making (Ovienmhada et. al 2023), pointing to a need for new science and mapping tools responsive to the needs of advocates.

Following 2+ years of community-engaged research with activists who organize at the intersection of mass incarceration and environmental injustice, Dr. Ovienmhada presents an operational geographic information system (GIS) that integrates earth observation measurements and storytelling data to respond to data needs in decision-making workflows for prison EJ activists. She summarizes the community engagement strategy and outputs, including reflections on performing ethical participatory research in this context. Then, she presents the process of translating the needs and desired outcomes of activists into design specifications for the tool. Finally, she present a beta version of The Toxic Prisons Mapping Project, including environmental indicators and contextual data for each carceral facility, user interface and functionality options, and areas for future development. This tool can enhance the capability of prison environmental justice activists, policymakers, and the public to apply earth observation data to inform advocacy strategy and policies that support just outcomes in carceral landscapes.

Ufuoma Ovienmhada is currently a Baker Climate and Human Resiliency postdoctoral scholar at the University of Arizona School of Geography, Development, and Environment. In her postdoc she researches satellite data and machine learning applications for measuring environmental injustice in carceral landscapes. Prior to beginning this position, Ufuoma completed a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In her dissertation, she employed a multi-method approach to research environmental injustice in carceral landscapes across a variety of indicators, co-designing Earth Observation technologies to support grassroots organizing, and make recommendations for how Earth Observation technology at large can better serve environmental justice goals. Ufuoma previously completed a Masters in the MIT Media Lab. Her Master's Thesis focused on applying remote sensing, low-cost sensors, drone data collection and community-centered design techniques to invasive plant species management in West Africa. Before arriving at MIT, she completed a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and worked at Public Lab, a community science nonprofit.