Spatial Data Infrastructures and

FAIR Data Principles

Allan Mazimwe
Department of Geomatics and Land Management
Makerere University
Email: allanmazimwe@gmail.com
Tel +256 774322196

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT)
1
School of The Built Environment
P.O Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
outline

Session 1
• Data discovery, evaluation and access
• Advancing FAIR principles in the Geospatial sciences
• Session 2
• Spatial data infrastructures

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Data discovery, evaluation and
access
Allan Mazimwe

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT)
School of The Built Environment
P.O Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
Introduction
• Spatial data underpins a number of national statistics and complements
many other traditional data systems
• is vital for many businesses and societies
• the responsibility for geospatial data remains fragmented and is managed based on
individual institutional policies
• More than two thirds of the SDG indicators can be visualized spatially and
combined, to help decision-makers to visualize and understand data
• The visual overlay/combination of data sets reveals relationships, patterns and
trends that may not otherwise be perceived.
• Most projects begin with a search for baseline data (both spatial and non-
spatial). These datasets can be categorised as either Fundamental or
thematic datasets
Classroom exercise
• List Data used/collected in your institution
• How do you Discover and access it?
• Categorize the data by
1. Fundamental

2. Theme – a high level categorization of subject matter

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Fundamental Datasets
Fundamental datasets Institutions
Coordinate reference systems
Geographical grid systems
Land cover NFA
Geographical names
Elevation
Administrative units Ministry of Local Government and
- Parishes, UBOS
Ortho-imagery
- sub county, Geology Geology Department
- County Entebbe
- District
Addresses KCCA
Possible Characteristics
Cadastral parcels Ministry of Lands, Urban Housing
and Development
Transport networks UNRA and Ministry of Works and
- Roads, transport, CAA
- marine routes
- Air transport
Hydrography Ministry of water and Environment
- Lakes
- Rivers
Protected sites WMD/NEMA, Uganda wildlife
- Wetlands, Authority
- National parks and game reserves
Thematic datasets
Theme – a high level categorization of subject matter
Thematic Datasets Institution Agricultural and aquaculture facilities MAAIF
Statistical units- units for dissemination or UBOS - Agro ecological zones
use of information https://www.ubos.org/microdata/index.php/catalog - farming sites e.g Fish farms
Population distribution –demography UBOS - production sites e.g irrigation
Buildings MLHUD facilities,
Soil (characteristics, texture, content) NARO, MAAIF
Meteorological geographical features UNMA
- weather conditions and their
Land use NFA, MAAIF, etc
measurements
Human health and safety Ministry of Health
- health facilities, pharmacies
- distribution of pathogens Area management/ restriction
- spatial distribution of epidemics /regulation zones & reporting units
Utility and governmental services
Natural risk zones All Agencies and OPM
- electricity distribution lines - UETCL, UEDCL, UEGCL
- Vulnerability zones characterized by
- Water and sewerage utility lines https://www.energy-gis.ug/gis-data
Natural hazards
- Schools - NWSC
- Cable and telephone - Ministry of Education Atmospheric conditions
- Security installations - MoICT Hydrographic/ marine geographical MWE
- UPDF/ Uganda police (Ministry of Defence) features
- Marine charts
Environmental monitoring facilities MWE
- observation and measurement sites Habitats and biotopes, Species
e.g pollution, plant condition etc distribution
Energy Resources and Mineral resources Ministry of Energy and mineral
Production and industrial facilities UIA resources
- Industrial production sites and https://www.energy-gis.ug/gis-
installations data

Thematic Dataset – a collection of data about specific features in the theme

How do we discover this data?

Ideally spatial data is discovered via a geoportal. A Geoportal is a geospatial discovery tool that provides a one stop gate way
to access geospatial datasets that can be used for mapping or analysis. A Geoportal links distributed network of geospatial
data producers, managers, and users electronically.
Let us explore –Existing Geoportals

Examples
portals with in Uganda (local - http://maps.nema.go.ug/
SDI) - http://maps.data.ug/
- https://pearlgeoportal.com/
Regional (Regional SDI) - http://geoportal.icpac.net/
- http://geoportal.rcmrd.org/
Global (Global SDI) - https://geonode.wfp.org/maps/8958
- https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations
- http://geoportal.org
- https://data.apps.fao.org/map/catalog/srv/eng/catal
og.search#/home
- http://www.diva-gis.org/gdata
- https://www.geofabrik.de/data/shapefiles.html
• What challenges do you encounter in data sharing at your work place?
• What issues can you identify as far as datasets in the portal you have
opened is concerned?
How do we discover this data?

• Though it is not a good practice, spatial data might be archived on

traditional websites which are not geoportals.
• This data is typically discoverable via traditional Google searches.
• This makes it hard to discover and evaluate.
• Example of such a websites include
• https://www.energy-gis.ug/gis-data
• https://www.wri.org/resources/data-sets/uganda-gis-data

• Pay a visit to data potential data provider (e.g responsible institution)

How do we evaluate Spatial data?
• When you're looking for data for your map project, it's really important to be able to evaluate it
correctly and to know what it is that you're looking at and to be able to decide whether that's going to
be a useful dataset for what you want to do.
• So, what is metadata anyway?
• Metadata, is the information about a dataset.

What
metadata
should spatial
data have?

Versus
What does metadata constitute

• We need metadata to determine if that data set is going to be suitable for

whatever it is that we want to use it for. So, it can be things like
Typical questions when comparing or searching datasets Metadata element/tags documenting the dataset
What is the dataset about Dataset Title
What is the purpose of the data, why was it collected? Abstract
How and when was it created? Dataset reference date
In what format is the data available? Dataset format
What map projection was used? Reference system
Where did it originate? Lineage information
And is their contact information to try and find the data Metadata Point of contact / dataset responsible party
or if I want to get an update later or whatever?
What's the geographic area? Geographic location
How do I go about getting that data? If I wanted it, do I Access restrictions
have to pay for it? Is there a cost associated with it?
What scale was it created at? Scale/ spatial resolution
What are the attributes that are included in the table? spatial representation
Why no Metadata?

• So, if you don't have the metadata, then

you're not making a good decision.
• The thing about metadata is that it's kind
of tedious to input, to type all that
information in.
• So, often what would happen is that that
metadata just would not get created, was
too time consuming, too tedious, nobody
wanted to do it, and so a lot of times and
this is still true for a lot of datasets today.
• That metadata just doesn't exist and
that's problematic, is that you can't really
know what you're getting, and you may
not even know that that data exists, and
that can be a problem as well
Exercise-let us visit the Geoportals

• Visit RCMRD Geoportal found at http://geoportal.rcmrd.org/ and click layers or

Datasets
• Search by text, extent (zooming the map), date, key words, regions or categories
• We can also repeat the same procedure for
https://www.ubos.org/microdata/index.php/catalog

Do you think the

data is Well
documented?
--let us try arcgis
How to access the data?
GIS data is accessed either online or offline.
The online datasets are normally accessed via dedicated Geoportals (metadata
catalogues) or websites with a URL typically owned by Government bodies, NGOs,
international development partners and individuals.
• Upon request
• GIS Data can be accessed for free or at a cost using the following methods;
• Physical File sharing e.g via flash, Analogue maps via hand etc
• Finding and downloading GIS data from traditional websites
• https://www.energy-gis.ug/
• https://www.wri.org/resources/data-sets/uganda-gis-data
• Finding downloading GIS data using Geoportal (Metadata catalogue/ spatial clearing house)
• Downloading data from geospatial communities, Open data such as Open street
map(OSM), Google etc (see tutorial—downloading OSM Data)
 FAIR Data Principles
Advancing FAIR principles in the Geospatial sciences

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT)
16
School of The Built Environment
P.O Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
What is FAIR?

A set of principles to ensure that

data are shared in a way that
enables and enhances reuse by
humans and machines.

Why Is FAIR Data Important?

The FAIR Data Principles make data more
valuable as it is easier to find through
unique identifiers and easier to combine
and integrate thanks to the formal shared
knowledge representation

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Origins of FAIR

• Emerged from a workshop held in Leiden in 2014

• Comes from life sciences and it is intended for all data
• Issued by FORCE11 community
• Echo previous principles on open data and curation

Wilkinson, M. D., Dumontier, M., Aalbersberg, I. J.,

Appleton, G., Axton, M., Baak, A., ... & Mons, B. (2016). The
FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and
stewardship. Scientific data, 3(1), 1-9.
https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata201618

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Why has FAIR gained Traction?

• Meaningful and memorable articulation of concepts

• Natural desire to want to be fair
• Easy to understand at a high level but ..

We understand the basic principles of FAIR, but the terminology is often difficult to grasp immediately.

Things could be explained better in plain language”.

The term interoperable is quite confusing sometimes and mixed with reuse
open aire and FAIR data expert group H2020 survey

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What FAIR Means..15 principles

How do you know that

resources (data, geospatial
services, Geoprocesses,
software) in your
organization is FAIR?

Maturity measurement
(2types)

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Implementing FAIR
• The principles don’t specify a particular technology or implementation e.g.
semantic web.
• FAIR is not a standard to be followed or strict criteria—it is a
spectrum/continuum
• Supporting FAIR will require investment in infrastructure, coordination across
initiatives and engagement with research communities
• Practices vary across research communities e.g
• GIS specialists typically share concerns such as geodata and Geospatial services,
Geoprocesses
• Social scientists typically provide lots of documents and methodological information
supporting reuse
• Communities need to self organize and define what FAIR data means in the
context [Context is KING]

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Things to remember !

• Does following the FAIR principles mean that your data has to be
shared openly with everyone? NO.
• Data can be FAIR but not open. For example, data could meet the FAIR principles, but
be private or only shared under certain restrictions.
• Open data may not be FAIR. For example, publicly available data may lack sufficient
documentation to meet the FAIR principles, such as licensing for clear reuse.

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Classroom Assignment

• Explore Geoportals --- can you find any service?? What issues can you
identify as far as datasets in the portal you have opened is concerned?
• portals with in Uganda (local SDI)
• http://maps.nema.go.ug/
• http://maps.data.ug/
• https://pearlgeoportal.com/
• Regional (Regional SDI)
• http://geoportal.icpac.net/
• http://geoportal.rcmrd.org/
• Global (Global SDI)
• https://geonode.wfp.org/maps/8958
• https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations
• http://geoportal.org
• https://data.apps.fao.org/map/catalog/srv/eng/catalog.search#/home
• http://www.diva-gis.org/gdata
• https://www.geofabrik.de/data/shapefiles.html
• Explore metadata in shapefile within ArcMap

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 Spatial Data Infrastructures
Spatial data sharing concepts for integrated planning

Allan Mazimwe

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY
College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT)
24
School of The Built Environment
P.O Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda
Current situation

• GIS today is characterized by

• Different actors in data collection & distribution
• a proliferation of geo-applications, product types, and formats
• duplication and difficulties in having access to data even within /across
departments and organization

Difficulty in Finding, Accessing , integrating and reusing existing data from multiple data
producers!!

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Challenges for spatial data sharing in Uganda
Several challenges that hinder data sharing to aid integrated spatial planning in Uganda. These include;
• Availability of Digital Datasets in the Country
✓ Most of the fundamental and thematic datasets in the country are still in analogue form. Few of them are current but most
are outdated
• Standards
✓ There is no common standard on the production, usage and sharing of Geoinformation—this complicates integration of
datasets covering various topics and stemming from different sources.
• Problems in the Institutional Arrangement
✓ There has not been strong Coordination and Complementary Measures-- this covers the organizational and management
aspects of data sharing —part of the problem is the conflicting mandates
• Availability of Skilled Human Resource
• Availability of properly trained personnel is still a problem in the implementation of an infrastructure for effective sharing of data
• Inadequate Technology
✓ few implementations for metadata catalogues/geoportals and even the few existing are not well implemented. In addition,
we still have problems in internet access for linking up multiple data providers.
• Policies and institutional arrangements
✓ There is no common policy on the production, usage and sharing of Geoinformation
• Lack of Funding or lack of will to collect data or update/ maintain the current datasets

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solution

• To solve these problems, we need a Spatial data infrastructure. The term

“infrastructure” suggests and supports the “concept of a reliable,
supporting environment”, analogous to a road or telecommunication
network.

• Spatial data infrastructures are needed to enable GIS proliferation

throughout organizations, enterprises, countries even globally to
➢ disseminating information and knowledge in a better, faster and up-to-date way

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What is a Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI)

A Spatial Data Infrastructure is a coordinated series of agreements on

technology standards, institutional arrangements, and policies that enable
the discovery and use of geospatial information by users and for purposes
other than those it was created for.
The SDI provides a basis for spatial data discovery, evaluation, and
application for users and providers within all levels of government, the
commercial sector, the non-profit sector, academia and by citizens in
general.”

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Levels of an SDI

• Seek to support sharing of geospatial data by means of sets of standards in

• Global--- global context --, e.g GEOS,
• Regional SDI - – regional context e.g. INSPIRE for Europe
• National-- National context....e.g. Abu Dhabi SDI, the proposed Uganda SDI
• Local (state. Local and corporate) ----local context e.g. at district level, organisational
level e.g.

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Aspects and Components of an SDI

- Policies & Institutional Arrangements

(governance, data privacy & security, data
sharing, cost recovery)
- People (training, professional development,
cooperation, outreach)
- Data (digital base map, thematic, statistical,
place names)
- Technology (hardware, software, networks,
databases, technical implementation plans)

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SDI Elements and Interaction diagram-general search
and Access for Geographic Information

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Interoperability
Inter-operability is defined as the ability for two or more systems to exchange
information and to use the information that has been exchanged

There are three barriers to interoperability

• Technical interoperability- these types of challenges faced during data exchange arise
from incompatibilities during machine to machine, API, software to software
interaction, incompatible formats. The can be solving usually through standardisation.
• Semantic Interoperability. —incompatibilities arising due to conflicts in meanings and
conceptualisation of terminologies in the data. Special vocabularies have been defined
in different disciplines.
• Organisational interoperability- these are incompatibilities arising from absence or
conflicts in;
• government policy, training, institutional arrangements etc.
• Legal (Authorisation [ownership, privacy], responsibility)

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Interoperability enablers

• Metadata • Infrastructure
• Standards • Networks—Geoportals
• Authorisation • Shared best practices
• Copyright • Support for multiple (data
• Policy framework formats, projections, views,
languages)
• Incentives to cooperate
• Business models

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Standards

• A standard is an agreed way of doing something (can be a specification,

legal, defacto). Therefore, broadly accepted standards are a basis for
Interoperability.
• Usually special organisations develop and establish standards for spatial
data.
• The OGC (open GIS consortium) develops specifications that can be introduced in
ISO standardisation
• ISO TC 211 develop geomatics standards of the series ISO 191XX series
• National standardisation bodies such as the Uganda National Bureau of standards
validate, customize(profile) and introduce them in the national standardisation.

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Standardization organization

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Standards

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Documenting dataset with ISO 19115

• Classroom exercise
• Extra Video

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