Finding data online for Tanzania has proved to be a bit of a challenge. This article provides an overview of publicly available sources. We are sure more exists, so just post comments to this message and we will keep updating the table.
Ideally data should be provided by its owners with appropriate meta data. We have decided to minimize our provisions of data because of this. You will find the sources not to be the original ones, but the files might still be useful.
Your input to this process is desired. Please use the commenting system to point us in the right direction for our effort to make an initial meta database for spatial data in Tanzania.
While using the data please read through the following articles on this website which might be of particular interest for you:
| Source | Link | comment |
| OpenStreetMap | tanzania-latest.shp.zip
|
Links to the most updated shape file containing OpenStreetMap data for Tanzania |
| Maplibrary | Website | Admin borders, Satellite imagery, simple baseman etc. |
| DivaGIS (collection of data from other sources) | Website | Admin areas, roads, inland water, railroads, elevation, land cover, population, population, climate and gazetteer |
| OpenMicroData | Website | Villages, districts, region and EACs as provided by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in Tanzania in 2002. |
| TZGISUG | Article on this website | Hillshades for Tanzania with styling and some meta data. |
| Africover | Website | Roads, rivers, boundaries and more. |
| National Bureau of Statistics | email website | Wards |
| IRA at USDM | email website | Hunting TS maps? |
| FAO | website | Geonetwork for Tanzania data with roads, tsetse flie suitaility, geomorphology, land cover, towns, rivers, ariculture, forest and more. |
| World Database on Protected areas | website | Protected areas database with global collection of protected areas, also Tanzanian protected areas. |
| Mapstor | website | Tanzanian topo maps of Russian origin, scanned and georegistered. (pay to download) |
| WOSSAC | website | World Soil Survey Archive and Catalogue |
| ILRI | website | Roads, Wards, forests and more |
Ideally there should also be a national coordinating office for spatial data on a national level. We are hoping that this list can be the start for a process towards a proper system. We have written about this on the page GIS in Tanzania on this website.
Thanks for the list. Suggest you could add in Africover to that. It isn’t fully open, but is an incredibly important source of spatial data for Tanzania. Also a link to email IRA at UDSM to get the Hunting TS maps. (Don’t think there is a website.)
Thanks for feedback Steve! Added them, but I am still missing link and email address (which should be masked to stop spam).I can give you editor priviliges so you can add changes directly to this article if you want.
Africover: http://www.africover.org/system/area.php?place=7
Suggest an email to the list to get the official contact email for IRA/TanRIC.
Keep up the good work! ILRI also has some very useful shapefiles available on their website:
http://192.156.137.110/gis/
I would recommend using “search” near the top of the page, and selecting “Tanzania” in the country drop-down. For some reason, if you click on “browse by geographic location” Tanzania does not show up, but they do have layers for TZ.
Hello everyone, please i am in need with the shape file for Gonarezhou National Park found in Zimbabwe. Any one who can assist me on how to get it or i he/she the file,please i request Him/her to send it to me through my email which is naftalbaraka@yahoo.com. Thank you for your time.
You will proably find what you are looking for her:
http://www.protectedplanet.net/country/ZW
Hi! I’m looking for satellite image to show land cover change for Tarangire-Manyara wildlife corridor
Hi! I’m looking for satellite image to show land cover change for Tarangire-Manyara wildlife corridor my email david.gunda@gmail.com
Hello David – I would have checked the Lansat 7 archive. If you are looking for more recent changes Landsat 8 from last year and forward could be relevant.
TAWIRI does aerial surveys in the area and might have vertical photos available.
Hello, Can someone help me on the Tanzania shape file as per 2012 census; Nationwise,Region,Districts,Wards and Villages/Streets. Soil, rivers,roads, railroads shapefiles..etc
If there is any link which i can dowload share please you can also advice accordingly
Thanks!
Hi Erasto,
Did you ever manage to find this shape file? I’m doing some ward/village/population mapping in Simiyu and need to get my hands on the same.
Any help is appreciated.
Hi everyone
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Hi, Fellow! could u please help me with a shapefile of a map showing villages boundaries in dodoma region.
Another resource that should be listed is the “Tanzania Food and Land Productivity Information System” found @ http://sua.terragis.net/transsec/Welcome.html OR http://terray.terragis.net/transsec