This dissertation explores how geographic data are created to support, or as part of, projects within the field of international relief and aid. Specifically, it examines the use of traditional geographic information systems (GIS) and documents the first use of crowdsourcing by the U.S. Agency for International Development to explore the values and challenges of different modes of production. This work also details common organizational contexts encountered while working in international relief and aid: this context exerts a significant influence on how geographic data are produced, managed, and distributed yet is rarely examined in literature regarding GIS for relief and aid projects.