Development of a Web based Geo-Visualization tool for schools in Nairobi county
Abstract
Development of a Web Based Geo-Visualization Tool for Secondary Schools in Nairobi County
Societal need for information products has led governments the world over to adopt policies of
open government where they promote accountability and transparency. In Kenya, the
government has availed a platform called the Kenya Open Data Initiative (KODI) that promotes
interagency collaboration between government bodies as well as engaging its citizens. In the
education sector massive datasets on educational institutions have been availed in KODI and
indications are that the government in a bid to conform to open government trends is willing
to continuously provide current, complete, consistent and credible data and information to the
public. Currently, the Government of Kenya is utilizing KODI and is looking at setting up a
National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).
This research involved the development of a solution that seeks to make the provided datasets
on secondary schools in Kenya intelligent. It seeks to avail useful information products to the
citizens of Nairobi County about secondary schools in the county. For, example, the solution
offers parents seeking Form 1 places every year an easy and user friendly tool to access
performance information about secondary schools in the county as well as valuable information
on their distribution, enrolment, teachers etc.
The web based geo-visualization tool for secondary schools in Nairobi county solution
provides a way in which a rich interactive web mapping application can be embedded in the
KODI platform and provide useful information to stakeholders and citizens without the need
to keep on pushing data from Ministry of Education (MOE) for upload in KODI. The backend
enterprise geodatabase offers a solution for update of secondary school data to MOE officials
without need for duplication thus maintaining currency of the data.
The solution achieved the project objectives of developing a spatial database of secondary
schools in Nairobi County and enables the use of the database by the community through an
online geo-visualization tool. Furthermore, this solution is in line with the lines of thought of
GIS as a platform supporting Gov. 2.0 with a view to build mapping applications that engage
citizens and enhance transparency and accountability by governments.
We propose the use of web mapping applications e.g. the web based geo-visualization tool in
secondary schools in Nairobi County - for delivery of information about our educational
institutions for all the 47 counties in Kenya. A research in the utilization of the emerging mobile
technologies such as smartphones and tablets needs to be conducted
Publisher
University of Nairobi