SDI development in Africa has perhaps not been highly visible, particularly as viewed from outside the region. "SDI Africa: an implementation guide" is far from complete - and never will be, just as an infrastructure is never complete. But, we have produced a guide, are on the learning curve, and know there are plenty of willing learners, convinced that the long term effort required for building SDI is worthwhile. A current programme in the region, the Africa Environmental Information Network, while targeted towards the sustainable production of a specific information product, namely the African Environmental Outlook, is prefaced on the concept that what is needed to achieve its aim, is the development of spatial data infrastructure at country level.
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What is the status of SDI in Africa? Africa is a continent comprising over 50 countries, with considerable variation in geography and history, and a consequent multiplicity of cultures and languages. There are SDI building initiatives in many African countries today, even if not so named, which developed in response to different drivers, and have evolved in different ways.
This diversity makes the provision of a simple but accurate statement of the status of SDI in Africa rather difficult. As with features depicted on maps, it is not a simple exercise to extract the shape or essence of the individual SDI efforts, in order to provide a more general, less detailed - but not misleading - picture. Currently a guide (a book and a web-site) is under development for those involved - or seeking to initiate - the implementation of SDI for their countries. The aim was to draw on African experience as much as possible, in order to compile a practical guide. The guide itself will provide a picture of SDI development within Africa.
While the guide has yet to be released, even the approach which has been taken to develop the guide provides some insight into SDI development in Africa. This article uses the development of "SDI Africa: an implementation guide" to convey an image of the status of SDI in Africa.
A regional perspective
SDI development in Africa has perhaps not been highly visible, particularly as viewed from outside the region, as there was no formally constituted regional body, clearly associated with the promotion of SDI within the region. This has changed recently, with the tasking of an existing body, CODI-GEO, with the promotion of SDI across the continent. The above statement should not be interpreted to mean that there were previously no organizations operating across the continent, or initiatives dealing with the region as a whole, to promote SDI development. For example, EIS-AFRICA, an NGO, has for several years been advocating the need to develop sustainable "environmental information systems" (EIS), and supporting capacity building in order to achieve this. The term "environmental information systems" was understood to encompass "the…response to …improve the role that information plays in environmental management, including both technical and institutional structures through which information is produced and used", this broad definition dates back to the 1990s. Studies on the "development of EIS", amounted to an assessment of SDI development within these countries. A current programme in the region, the Africa Environmental Information Network, while targeted towards the sustainable production of a specific information product, namely the African Environmental Outlook, is prefaced on the concept that what is needed to achieve its aim, is the development of spatial data infrastructure at country level.
