Geographical information systems (GIS) database for ruma women development group

Abstract

Geographical Information systems (GIS) are becoming a powerful tool for use in the management of resources within the Community Based Organizations (CBO’s). Ruma Women Development Group (RWDG) is a CBO which manages its resources using the manual methods of filing and storing reports in cabinets. The purpose of this project is to develop a database for RWDG with an aim of replacing the analogue methods used in managing the resources available for service delivery in the organization with the GIS based technology which is more user friendly. The project entails the production of digital maps of the study area and the development of a GIS database right from data capture through data manipulation to data output. It also outlines possible analyses samples in tabular and graphical format. Spatial information was obtained from existing topographical maps, satellite images and field survey using a handheld GPS. Non-spatial data was obtained from the CBO’s centre of operation. Both datasets were compiled and used to create a GIS database to be implemented by the group. The soft-wares used for creating the database were ArcGIS, ArcView for spatial data input, and Access and Excel software for attribute input. The results and data analysis samples obtained from the database demonstrates that if the CBO implements the GIS database developed, it will have an easy task in managing the available resources in terms of time management within the organization and the practical visualization of spatial distribution of the CBO’s activities.