The need for good maps to assist the physical settlement of refugee populations, and the opportunities created by recent technological advances (such as remote sensing and global positioning systems), are increasing the importance of the land surveyor in humanitarian crisis situations.

The creation of new Palestinian authorities for Gaza and the West Bank after the Oslo peace accords has combined with major investment in environmental improvements to create an urgent need for the first accurate large-scale maps of the refugee camps of the area. Based upon the field experience of one of the authors, this paper explores some political factors affecting this surveying and mapping work, and its relationship to complex local land codes and disputed land rights.