Status of integration of geospatial and statistical information in Africa

Abstract

Geospatial data, a valuable resource sought after by governments, companies and the general public, has seen a surge in demand and significance. However, managing the vast amount of data requires well-developed infrastructure, which is why African countries are currently implementing national spatial data infrastructure and the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework under the guidance of the United Nations Initiative on Global Geospatial Information Management. The main objective of the present report is to provide a comprehensive overview of the status of the integration of geospatial and statistical information in Africa and in particular: To highlight the increasing interest in, and capacity to use, geospatial data for practical purposes of governments, companies and the public, in particular in African countries; To identify the challenges and opportunities in integrating geospatial and statistical information, and the efforts being made to address those challenges; To discuss the development of national spatial data infrastructure, the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework and national strategies for the development of statistics in African countries, and to emphasize the need for national statistical geospatial frameworks to achieve effective collaboration among national data-driven organizations; To provide examples of how geospatial technology has been used in population and housing censuses and surveys in African countries to geocode housing unit locations and create digital enumeration area maps and a geocoding framework for the integration of geography and statistics; To highlight the critical importance of integrating geospatial and statistical information for sustainable development in Africa.