Geospatial Planning

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Uganda: Proportion on Households with Improved Sanitation Facilities, 2002. Map: World Resources Institute
Flood water identification in Gambia. Map: Kenya National Assembly

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps are valuable tools to help overcome common coordination challenges in water and sanitation projects. Better information means better decisions about how to allocate resources, and a good map can literally put all parties on the same page, opening the door for more efficient, transparent decision-making.

For instance, an examination of the spatial relationships between poverty, safe drinking water, improved sanitation, and better hygiene behavior can provide new information to help craft more effective—and more evidence-based—investments and poverty reduction efforts. This kind of spatial information can also empower the public to query government priorities, advocate for alternative interventions, and demand better decision-making.


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The SamSamWater maps and GIS library

SamSamWater makes information on water and sanitation easy to find and accessible for all. This page contains a database with practical information, data and (GIS)maps.


Mapping tools

  • Water Point Mapper - The Water Point Mapper is a free tool for producing maps showing the status of water supply services. It is aimed at water, sanitation, hygiene practitioners as well as local governments working at the district and sub-district levels in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Mapper has been designed for use in situations where there is no internet connectivity. The Water Point Mapper was developed by WaterAid.
  • Akvo FLOW - FLOW stands for Field Level Operations Watch. It’s a system to collect, manage, analyze and display geographically-referenced monitoring and evaluation data.It has been under development for several years with significant field implementations already under its belt. To date FLOW has been used mainly to track the condition of water points such as wells and pumps. But it could be used to monitor any kind of local infrastructure.

Field experiences

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RSR Project 447
E-mainstreaming for DWA Mali
RSR Project 830
Scanning and Mapping the WASH Situation


Manuals, videos and links

Acknowledgements