Ghana: Ghana has developed an online platform for open access for agricultural spatial data and information. The online application provides data on crop farms, production volumes, topography, climate conditions, crop/land suitability etc. Users can either access the interactive map or download the data for use.
The platform has been developed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its ADVANCE (Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement) programme. The Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERSGIS) at the University of Ghana also collaborated in the programme. The online application enables users to explore data on crop farms, production volumes, agriculture commence, agriculture facilities, soil characteristics, topography, climate conditions and cover/land use, crop/land suitability, socio-economic indicators, etc. CERSGIS is now mulling on stakeholders’ suggestion to charge fees for some data and broaden its collaboration with government, research institutions and development partners in the agricultural sector. Stakeholders believe such steps would make the data sustainable, reliable and accurate for all users.
The portal can be accessed at www.gis4ghagric.net
Source: ghananewsagency.com
