Issues
São Tomé faces a variety of challenges that can be addressed by effective use of spatial data infrastructures. Some of those our research team is facing this semester are outlined below:
Civic, political and social service development
- Infrastructure needs related to changing demographics and migration (roads, electricity, sewage, address systems, telecommunications)
- Appropriate political districts administration and planning
- Civic services like fire, police, and any other emergency response
- Placement for education and social service institutions (schools, community centers, libraries)
- Interior island paths and plantation railroads (transportation development)
- Cultural issues (endangered languages)
Agricultural
- Soil types (and best vs. current uses), strategic crop distribution
- Irrigation and watershed
- Anti-malaria pesticide use, effects on agriculture (direct and indirect)
- topography – effects of elevation on agriculture
Environmental
- Microclimates and effects of global warming
- Erosion (roads/potholes, deforestation)
- Natural resources
- Wildlife management (endemic species – plant and animal, bird habitat conservation)
Health
- Malaria (breeding grounds, pulverization, cases)
- Water sources (drinking and otherwise)
- Food sources
- Health centers and resources, hospitals
- Condom sources?
Continuing questions of strategy and focus:
- What problems/needs are related each of these categories? Which of them are ones we can and should attack? (what is the best use of our data/GIS processing, what are the appropriate community needs? What can we actually say/find with the data?)
- How do we make this data/process available for the benefit of Sao Tome groups/individuals? (for use with GIS/other applications to solve community problems; that is, what are our ends?)
- How might this process be useful to other developing nations, communities or academic institutions? (replicability/flexibility, rigor)