An overview of Spatial Data Infrastructure in Africa

1. An overview of Spatial Data Infrastructure in Africa Liz Gavin National Spatial Information Framework, Department of Land Affairs, South Africa Presented on behalf of Interim SDI Africa Task Team GSDI 4, Cape Town 15 March 2000

2. Preface: Contextual Observations • Africa does not act or live in isolation from the rest of the globe : e.g. • signatory to agreements on Desertification, Biodiversity... • participation by many African countries in Global Map • Africa made up of a large number of countries: • the history of the continent makes acting in unison difficult • there is great unevenness with respect to technology and knowledge bases • Well developed regional organisations e.g. SADC, IGAD

3. Preface: Contextual Observations • There is an awareness of need to be part of the Information Society, and SDI is seen as part of that e.g. AISI, relation between CODI & CODI-GEO • Entry to the Information Society presents both • challenges: infrastructure needs to be built • opportunities: technological leap frogging

4. “An” overview: • The thing about overviews is … there are so many overviews to choose from! • This one is based on a recent/currently in progress survey : • questionnaire developed by “Interim Task Team for SDI Africa” • questionnaires distributed 1999/2000 through UN/ECA and informal networks

5. Approach • Document projects which may be creating a legacy of SDI components, not only formal SDI programmes • Questionnaire based on GSDI survey • Attempt to probes components of SDI without (with less) possibly alienating jargon • Explicitly include non-digital forms of spatial information

6. Responses received (so far) (1 of 3) More than one country involved: • The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Food Security Programme, based at the Regional Remote Sensing Unit (RRSU) in Harare, Zimbabwe • Regional Tsetse and Trypanosomosis Control Programme (RTTCP) covering the SADC countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi, with the Ministry of Agriculture, Zimbabwe, as lead agency • CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products, Australia: a global programme on tree cultivation, with some (limited) activity in Africa

7. Responses received (so far) (2 of 3) • Algeria, Institut National de Cartographie et de Teledetection • Morocco, Centre Royal de Teledetection Spatiale (CRTS) • Ethiopia, Environmental Support Project • Seychelles, The Seychelles GIS Centre • Kenya, Kenya wetlands conservation and training programme • Uganda, The Biomass Programme of Uganda

8. Responses received (so far) (3 of 3) • Swaziland, Surveyor General’s Department • Botswana, Department of Surveys and Mapping • Namibia, Surveyor-General • Namibia, National Remote Sensing Centre (Ministry of Environment and Tourism) • Lesotho, Committee for Environmental Data Management • Lesotho, Chief Surveyor’s Office • South Africa, National Spatial Information Framework

9. Typical SDI components • Creation of base / framework / fundamental data sets: • all respondents quote work in this area • several cite more than one agency developing digital data set • Metadata collection and availability • range of responses • two digital catalogues reported (SA-NSIF, Ethiopia)

10. Typical SDI components (cont’d) • Standards development and alignment: • range of responses • Framing of policy pertaining to dissemination and access: • range of responses • Capacity building • mentioned explicitly in 3 responses

11. Dissemination of spatial data • Data producer or custodian generally responsible for dissemination: would-be users make direct contact with producers • Digital data provided on CD-ROM • Hard copy mentioned in most responses

12. Technology Aspects • Most respondents indicate that they intend (8) or are already using a web-site (4) for disseminating information and/or spatial data • Survey meta-information: • 3 responses faxed • 1 response posted (from near by!) • the remaining responses received by e-mail

13. Technology Aspects • Telephone main lines per 100 inhabitants in sub-Saharan Africa: • 0.4 in 1990 • 0.5 in 1995 (derived from ITU database, quoted by Mansell and Wehn in “Knowledge Societies, Information Technology for Sustainable Development” )

14. Liaison / linkages • Botswana is involved in Global Map • RRSU in Harare has linkages with GSDI (TWG) and SA-NSIF • Lesotho’s CEDAMA and Seychelles have links with SA-NSIF • The RTTCP works with the RRSU • Ethiopian project: links to organisations in the Netherlands and ANZLIC • Seychelles has links with Middle East initiatives

15. Challenges to the building SDI identified by respondents • Lack of resources • Financial • Human • Lack of clear policy framework • Lack of standardization • Constraints due to technology infrastructure

16. Challenges to the building SDI identified by respondents (cont’d) • “Soft” (i.e. harder to deal with) issues: • lack of (culture of) co-operation between institutions • attitudes towards data and information access • lack of understanding of need for SDI by decision makers • insufficient support of SDI building by senior managers in government

17. Concluding remarks • This survey is incomplete! • There is SDI building activity in Africa, and there is room for more