Zaatari Locator

Zaatari Locator is an application developed under NEST Transmedia, an artistic collective that aims to further the connections between artistic practice and humanitarian aid.

Zaatari Locator is a GPS System that operates through OpenStreetMap © contributors, using previously generated maps of the camp in order to navigate it. It provides a reliable resource for newcomers – both humanitarian aid workers and newly-arrived refugees – to adapt to such a vast territory.

Zaatari, the primary camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan, and currently the mandatory gateway to enter the country, has been growing since its very foundation. In its peak, Zaatari has hosted more than 140,000 people, making it Jordan’s fourth largest city. Apart from the often found structures in refugee camps, such as NGO’s headquarters and healthcare clinics, the camp has developed structures typical of well-established cities: markets, schools, widespread electricity...

However, its presence in normative GPS locators such as Google Maps, Bing and others remains unseen. Zaatari Locator aims to fill that gap, providing unfamiliar individuals with an accurate way of navigating an otherwise chaotic environment. This application serves not only as a utility but also as a symbolic gesture to legitimize the space.