Understanding how “Prevention through Deterrence” has weaponized the Sonoran Desert as understood through terrain analysis
Presentation Time: Mon, 12/05/2022 - 12:00
Keywords: Binary Model, Post-Colonial Studies, Terrain Hostility Index, Death Map, Data Visualization S
The hostility index is a project born out of necessity. Currently hundreds of migrants go missing or die crossing the Arizona/Mexican border every year. The aim of my analysis is to reduce harm and alleviate needless suffering for individuals and families who are affected by this loss. Current border policy was informed by the 1994 doctrine of “Prevention through Deterrence”, which was built on the fallacious claim that channeling human bodies through the most dangerous parts of the Sonoran Desert would decrease illegal migration. It is now largely understood that this policy at its foundation is an effort to weaponize the environment, turning large swathes of the otherwise beautiful landscape into an open grave. My work is built on the data collected by Humane Borders and is designed to help locate missing persons through quantitatively analyzing land features of Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. The terrain metric is a tool that works on the principles of a probability index to predict the location of bodies by codifying environmental variables. My hope is that this project can be used by individuals and groups interested in fieldwork operations to help the living before they are lost.
