Access to spatial data in Rwanda: finally, the wait is over!
One day I called Alexis B. [an old friend of mine who is particularly good at GIS] and asked him if he had a shapefile of the wetlands of Rwanda. I needed it for my personal mapping activity. He told me he had it and would send it through email...
However, he was worried that he was sharing an outdated version. In fact, by that time, there were rumours that a newer version of the layer was available somewhere…but he did not have access to that. "Send what you have, man! It is for a personal project and not for a consulting job!" I told him.
Until recently, GIS users in Rwanda were not always aware of existing datasets and when they were, the data access procedure was not clear. It was common to reproduce the same type of data whenever a different user needed it.
Since 2006, actors like academics, government institutions, and private companies, have tried to improve the situation through the implementation of a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).
The last GIS Day was celebrated together with the official launch of the Rwanda Spatial Data Hub. It was a long-awaited solution for all GIS users in Rwanda! With this new platform, there is no need to store the datasets on CDs or flash disks … or consume your bundles sharing heavy attachments through emails: now you just grab the layer you need, use it; and when you need to re-use the same layer sometime later, go back to Rwanda SDI Hub and search for the latest update!!
Apart from spatial data, the platform is also a source of other important GIS products, such as topographic maps and land use plans.
Go to SDI Hub and enjoy your “mappy time”!
