OpenStreetMap (OSM) and Google Maps (GMaps) each have their strengths and weaknesses (have a look at GIS.stackexchange.com’s recent discussion on this). Probably the biggest advantage for us is that OSM can be edited quickly, and the road data used directly (download to GPS or for your GIS system directly). Click below to read more.
Invasive plants in Tanzania are becoming a big problem … in a ‘potentially collapse the economy’ sort of way. For one, Parthenium is spreading rapidly here and in the region, and Ethiopia has seen a loss of more than 25% of its rangelands in the past decade. The Conservation Resource Centre has an article on this.
Monitoring the spread of Parthenium and other plants is tough – there are few national resources to do this, and Tanzania’s a big place, but there are a lot of people who are interested in the issue.
We’re trialling Crowdmap (the excellent Ushahidi application) to try to use reports from just about anyone to see where it is and how it is spreading. See the live map below to get an idea. Go to partheniumafrica.crowdmap.com to try it out. Continue reading »
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