GRID3 has updated its high-resolution gridded population estimates which provides timely population data for the Government of South Sudan and other decision-makers. GRID3 South Sudan technical experts produced the estimates by combining 2008 county level census data collected by the National Bureau of Statistics with field-collected displacement data from IOM (through its Displacement Tracking Matrix) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

Data Science Nigeria (DSN) and GRID3 Nigeria share a common goal: increasing the number of geospatial data experts across the country to support Nigeria’s national development agenda. For the second year in a row, GRID3 was invited to attend DSN’s 2020 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bootcamp for a series of workshops focused on geospatial data analysis, tools and applications.

Using risk data provided by GRID3 in collaboration with Fraym, DMI was able to refine a Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) strategy which included running a radio campaigns for specific districts with the aim of addressing barriers to the uptake of contraceptives, such as misconceptions about their safety, low support from men, and stigmatisation of young people accessing contraceptives.

GRID3 has produced datasets, featuring high-resolution modelled population estimates and maps to complement Burkina Faso’s 2019 census results.

GRID3’s Trainer Support Programme approach facilitates in-country partners’ efforts to educate and train future generations of data experts.

The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) in Sierra Leone and GRID3 jointly released a School Coverage Analysis in Sierra Leone report which identifies where children are located relative to schools based on national targets.

The Government of Nigeria collaborated with researchers from the United Kingdom’s University College London (UCL) to study, using GRID3 Nigeria’s gridded population estimates, the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 — the virus causing the COVID-19 disease — across Nigeria.

GRID3’s support across various African borders enabled over a million US dollars in savings for Liberia’s government in a recent purchase of high-resolution satellite imagery. These funds can now be used to make other critical investments that modernise Liberia’s geospatial capabilities for census and national population data systems.

Accurate and accessible geospatial data plays a pivotal role in district planning for Zimba District, Zambia, where planners are trying to facilitate development. Through an interview with Josephine Chiila, District Planning Officer in Zimba, we learn how GRID3 population, settlement and infrastructure data are being used to identify service provision gaps and inform future development decisions.

To ensure long term integration and sustainability of geospatial analytics in the country, the Government of Nigeria, under its National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), is taking over the management, hosting, and maintenance of GRID3 Nigeria data and portal.