Over
the last 20 years, researchers at the International Livestock Research
Institute (ILRI) have collected and generated an extensive range of
spatial data layers. A number of these layers are directly related to
livestock, such as distribution, health and production. Other layers,
however, cover more general topics such as human population density,
climate and infrastructure. Some of the datasets cover only specific
project, while others are county-wide, regional, continental or even
global.
This
collection of data can be of great value for students, researchers,
farmers, policy makers or anybody else interested in spatial analysis.
There is therefore a need to share it with both our collaborators and
the general public. For that reason we started cataloguing data available
at the institute in an easy to access format and availing it over the
internet/intranet. This effort has so far resulted in some of the layers
being directly downloadable from this website. Efforts to organize,
standardize, clean and document all available data and the exciting
world of interactive online mapping is currently underway.
The
ILRI GIS Group envisions a fast-growing network of partners sharing
not only data, but also outputs of analysis and knowledge. It therefore
facilitates the sharing of information among technical partners, brings
together an array of spatially linked databases, and helps strengthen
the capacity of regional and national partners in spatial data analysis.
