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DOI:10.17265/2162-5263/2017.03.006
Author(s)
Martine Hagai
Affiliation(s)
Department of Geospatial Sciences and Technology, Ardhi University, Dar es Salaam 35176, Tanzania
ABSTRACT
Spatial data is a key resource
for national development. There is a lot of potential locked in spatial data and this potential may
be realized by making spatial data readily available for various applications.
SDI (Spatial Data Infrastructures) provides a platform for the data users,
producers and so on to generate and share spatial data effectively. Though
efforts to develop spatial data infrastructures started worldwide in the late
1970s, SDIs are still perceived by many institutions as new innovation; as
such, they have not penetrated to all institutions to bring about effective
management and development changes. This paper is reporting on a study
conducted to assess SDI Readiness Index for
Tanzania. The study aimed at identifying problems undermining SDI
implementation in Tanzania, despite its potential in bringing fast
socio-economic development elsewhere in the world. This paper is based on a research
based on views from stakeholders of geospatial technology industry in Municipal
Councils, Private Companies and Government Departments in Tanzania. Results
indicated that Private Companies are more inspired than Government institutions
towards implementation of SDIs. And those problems affecting implementation of SDIs are
lack of National SDI Policy, lack of awareness and knowledge about SDIs,
limited funding to operationalise SDI, lack of institutional leadership to
coordinate SDI development activities,
lack of political commitment from the Government. It is recommended that delibate efforts be devised to raise awareness of
SDI amongst the Tanzanian community.
KEYWORDS
Spatial data, SDI (Spatial Data Infrastructure), SDI Readiness Index, SDI Readiness factors.
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