Abstract

Over one-third of Angola's population now lives in the overcrowded, unhealthy, peri-urban slums of Luanda. Development Workshop-Angola, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) with extensive experience in peri-urban Luanda, has access to what little information on environmental health exists, and includes information collection as part of its program. It is already providing technical assistance to a geographic information system (GIS) mapping project for the Angolan government's landmine survey. This grant will allow Development Workshop-Angola to develop a database and GIS based on appropriate environmental health indicators for a significant, representative area of peri-urban Luanda. Spatial data from paper maps, aerial photographs and satellite images will be digitized and linked with information on the natural environment, infrastructure, human settlement, demography and public health. The overall aim is to assist in planning national reconstruction. Later phases of the programme (for which funding is being sought from other sources) will allow organizations that share compatible GIS tools and data gathering formats, to monitor the impact of individual programs on environmental health.

Post-Project Summary

Work began in the second quarter of 1998. The senior technician, a geographer, was trained in geographic information system (GIS) tools, three technicians were trained in map scanning, two program managers were trained in database management, and demonstration workshops were organized for Development Workshop (DW) staff and partners. Some difficulties were encountered in acquiring the necessary maps to serve as a base for the project. Eventually the team was able to purchase some maps and borrow and scan others from various sources, updating information on the map-base with field observation as available. The project resulted in the creation of a cartographic database comprising the following: 11 maps of Luanda and its outskirts on the scale of 1 / 25 000; 462 maps of the whole national territory (1 / 100 000); 30 maps of the periphery of the city of Luanda, Cacuaco and Viana (1 / 5 000); and 266 maps of urban Luanda (1 / 2 000). The maps of Luanda were geo-referenced to produce seamless maps of the city at a scale of 1 / 2 000, 1 / 25 000 and 1 / 100 000. Data on mortality from malaria and diarrheal diseases were obtained from the Ministry of Health, but had to be disaggregated by hand. Eventually, mortality data for a consecutive 5-year period were geographically referenced and entered into the database. Data on morbidity from malaria and diarrhea were obtained from DW's extensive network of partnerships with community-level local health posts and health extension programs. A total of 59 standpipes and a small number of schools were located using a geographic positioning system (GPS) and transferred to the database. The project enabled DW to integrate GIS monitoring and impact assessment into its Sustainable Community Services Project (SCSP). And, according to the final report, GIS and mapping materials have become essential tools for communicating project plans and feedback to both community and government partners.

Recipient Institution(s)