Andy Nelson December 2001, DEC-RG Spatial Analysis Team
List of sources and contacts for GIS data in Central America
A phase I activity as part of the World Bank/ASB project
The Functional Value of Biodiversity
Bank Netherlands Partnership Programme
Andy Nelson
Spatial Analysis Team, DEC-RG
The World Bank
April 2001-Dec 2001
2 Introduction
3 Regional
6 Belize
8 Costa Rica
11 El Salvador
13 Guatemala
14 Honduras
15 Nicaragua
19 Panama
23 Current data layers
Introduction
This document contains a list of most of the agencies and institutions that were contacted with the aim to acquire relevant GIS data in Central America. It also describes the mode of contact and the responses. The initial aim was to investigate all available GIS data in the region but particularly data relating to the themes in Table 1. The scale of the data is a reflection of what was considered to be feasibly available rather than desirable.
The process of identifying suitable data was rather convoluted, since at this early stage there was no clear idea of the projects methodology and hence the data requirements: i.e. do we need a 50m resolution digital elevation model (DEM) or would a 250m model be sufficient?. The budget constraint also implied that a ‘poorer’ but cheap data-set would be preferable to a costly but superior one.
Table 1. Key themes and potential data source
Theme /Scale / Resolution
/ Data SourcesBiodiversity / 1:500,000 or better / World Bank (WB) Ecosystem Map[i].
Land Cover / Land Use / 1:250,000 or better / LandSat data and national land use maps.
Terrain / Topography / 1:250,000 or 100m / Available DEM’s or digital contours.
Hydrology / 1:250,000 or better / Digital river networks, watersheds and lakes.
Population / Demography / Municipal (3rd level) / Census and previous population mapping projects.
Poverty / Municipal (3rd level) / WB Poverty maps[ii] and other welfare indicators.
It was quickly realised that there were four distinct categories of possible data sources.
1) Commercial data providers
2) National mapping agencies or government departments
3) Universities or national research institutes
4) International research institutes
A list of agencies was compiled through contacts, Internet searches, data portals[iii] and via GIS and mapping email-lists. These agencies were contacted by phone, email or fax between the 10th of April and the 1st of August 2001. The remainder of this report lists each agency, how it was contacted, their response and final outcome.
Regional
Agency
/LeadDog Consulting
Address
/ Jim AndersonLeadDog Consulting, 1783 Morningtide Ct. Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone:907-727-2782 Fax:425-969-0858 http://www.goleaddog.com
Contact / By email, after a message I posted on the GIS-LIST
Response / Immediate response by email and further phone conversations.
After clarifying our data needs we were quickly sent a quote for several top quality products, including a region-wide 90m DEM and hydrology network for $22,000. Refer to Annex for details
Result / No follow-up, was deemed too expensive, given a larger budget this would have been a great deal and would have resolved one of our key data needs.
Regional
Agency
/CCAD / NASA
Address
/ Sasan Saatchihttp://www.ghcc.msfc.nasa.gov/corredor/
Contact / By email, from internet search
Response / After several emails I discovered that this project aims to develop a region-wide JERS-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mosaic and land cover/land use map to support scientific research along the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.
Result / No follow-up, the data will not be ready in time.
Regional
Agency
/INTEC Americas
Address
/ Nick HubingINTEC Americas. 6150 Cheetah Chase, 1st Floor Littleton, CO 80124 USATel. 303-790-9730 Fax 303-790-9734
http://www.intecamericas.com
Contact / By email after finding in a web search.
Response / Email response, at the time INTEC were offering great discounts on their 90m DEMs for Central America, their coverage is as follows.
Standard DEM price for international map sheets is $599 per sheet,
Discounted prices on offer during April/May 2001 presuming you purchase entire country data sets:
Belize $795
Guatemala $1,795
El Salvador $895
Costa Rica $1,395
Panama $1,795
This offer is no longer available.
http://www.intecamericas.com/mapprices.htm
Result / No follow-up.
Belize
Agency
/ Land Information CenterAddress
/ Noreen Fairweather (Principal Land Information Officer)Land Information Centre. Ministry of Natural Resources the Environment and Industry, Market Square, Belmopan. Belize
Tel. (501) 8 22630, 8 23412 Fax. (501) 8 22333
Contact / By phone and letter through the PROCIG web page
Response / Response to the letter received in December. LIC generously agreed to share their GIS data on condition that we do not release the data, and that we provide them with a copy of the final report.
Result / Awaiting CD-ROM of data, does not include contours.
Belize
Agency
/ Central Statistics OfficeAddress
/ Sylvan Roberts (Chief Statistics Officeer)Chief Census Officer, Central Statistical Office, 1900 Constitution Drive
Belmopan, Tel: 08-23421, 23430, Fax: 08-23427
http://www.cso.gov.bz/Contact / By email via Noreen Fairweather
Response / Belize population data at enumeration district level is available on line, as an excel spreadsheet, but does not contain any spatial information. In December, I contacted the CSO to obtain a copy of the digital boundaries for Belize.
Result / Awaiting Response
Costa Rica
Agency
/ CATIE - Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education CenterAddress
/ Dr. Jeffrey R. Jones,7170 CATIE, Turrialba,Costa Rica.
Tel: (506) 556-0811; Fax: (506) 556-2700 http://www.catie.ac.cr
Contact /
Email through contacts at CIAT and the PROCIG web page
Response / Email response. Jeff had created a 28.5m DEM for all Costa Rica based on available data (1;25,000 up to 1:100,000) and also a 1:50/1:200K topographic data set. These data are all publicly available through IGN.Result / After consulting IGN and discovering that they had no record of their DEM and that their topographic maps were for sale at an outrageous price, Jeff gladly sent a CD-ROM with the DEM.
Costa Rica
Agency
/ IGN - National Geographic Institute of Costa RicaAddress / Max Villalobos Solís. Senior Geographer
Instituto Geográfico Nacional. Apdo. 2272 Plantel 1000 San José, Costa Rica
Tel.(506) 257 7418 ext. 2941 Fax. (506) 257 5246
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Pines/9961/
Contact /
Email and fax, discovered through the PROCIG web page
Response / Quick email response. After several to and fro emails Max soon sent a list of the available 1:50,000 data sets for Costa Rica which amounted to $50 per layer per map sheet or for complete coverage (186 sheets * 3 themes * 50 dollars) $27,000. Refer to Annex for detailsResult / No follow-up. Very expensive
Costa Rica
Agency
/ MAGA - Ministerio de Agricultura y GanaderíaAddress / Rodolfo Méndez Chinchilla (Geógrafo)
Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería. Dirección de Investigaciones
Sabana Sur, Edificio La Salle. Apdo. 10094-1000 San José, Costa Rica
Tel. (506) 231 2344 (ext. 325) Fax. (506) 296 2586
http://www.mag.go.cr/
Contact /
Email, discovered through the PROCIG web page
Response / Quick email response. MAGA has several land use data sets available at 1:200,000.Result / No follow-up. Already acquired the 1:250,000 WB ecosystem map
El Salvador
Agency
/IGN - National Geographic Institute of El Salvador
Address /Iris Machón
Centro Nacional de Registros - Instituto Geografico Nacional1a. C. Poniente y 43 Ave Norte No. 2310 San Salvador, El Salvador Apartado Postal 247
Tel. (503) 260 7828, Fax. (503) 260 7919
http://www.cnr.gob.sv/ign/ign2000.htm
Contact /
Fax and email, discovered through the PROCIG web page
Response / Quick email response. After several to and fro emails Iris soon sent a list of the available 1:200,000 data sets for El Salvador that were available on CD-ROM. Refer to Annex for details Ruben acquired this data.Result / Data has been integrated into our regional data sets
El Salvador
Agency
/MARN - Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales
Address /Rafael Guillen
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Dirección de Informática, Alameda Roosevelt y 55 av. Norte, Edificio Torre El Salvador (IPFSA) San Salvador, El Salvador
Tel. (503) 260 5637 Fax. (503) 260 3117
http://www.marn.gob.sv
Contact /Fax and email, discovered through the PROCIG web page
Response / MARN have developed a great freely available CD-ROM of 1:200,000 data. Ruben obtained a copy of thisResult / CR-ROM data has been integrated into our regional data sets
Guatemala
Agency
/IGN - National Geographic Institute of Guatemala
Address /Osman Rodríguez C. Técnico Cartográfico
Instituto Geográfico Nacional
Avenida Las Américas 5-76. Zona 13 Cuidad de Guatemala, Guatemala
Tel. (502) 3316180, Fax. (502) 331 3548
http://www.ign.gob.gt
Contact /Fax and email, discovered through the PROCIG web page
Response / Email response. IGN had all the data we needed at 1:250,000. Osman sent a detailed price list of the available coverages. I subsequently discovered that a WB colleague had obtained a CD-ROM of GIS data from Guatemala. This amazing database was produced by the Guatemalan ministry of agriculture and was available in almost any agency office in the country. We later obtained a copy of this CD for free from IGN, although they did not seem to pleased about it. Refer to Annex for detailsResult / Obtained the data we needed from the CD-ROM
Honduras
Agency
/CIAT - International Center for Tropical Agriculture
Address /Glenn Hyman, Senior Scientist
CIAT, AA 6713, Cali Colombia
A.A. 6713 Cali, Colombia.
tel. (57-2) 445-0000 ext. 3643 fax. (57-2) 445-0073
http://www.ciat.cgiar.orgContact /
Work colleague
Response / CIAT has developed an excellent 1:50,000 database for Honduras. After a few emails, and a simple data agreement Glenn sent me the required data in CD-ROM. There is no clear data sharing arrangement at CIAT, it seems to be addressed on a case by case basis, primarily interested in data sharing for NGOs and other non-profit organisations.Result / 1:50,000 DEM, river and roads obtained for entire country, data based on old (1960-70-80) 1:50,000 topographic maps.
Nicaragua
Agency
/CIAT - International Center for Tropical Agriculture
Address /Jorge Beltran,
CIAT, AA 6713, Cali Colombia
A.A. 6713 Cali, Colombia.
tel. (57-2) 445-0000 fax. (57-2) 445-0073
http://www.ciat.cgiar.org
Contact /Work colleague
Response / CIAT has co-developed with various agencies a rural atlas of Nicaragua with much socioeconomic and agricultural data. This CD is designed for internal use amongst interested groups in Nicaragua. It doesn’t contain much detailed data but it does have a lot of municipal level data and indicators.Result / We obtained a copy of the CD-ROM, again I think this is a product aimed at NGOs.
Nicaragua
Agency
/GeOdigital S.A.
Address /Maria de los Angeles
Rotonda el Guegüense 1 c. al lago 1 c. arriba, 20 vs al sur. Apartado postal A-286 Managua, Nicaragua
Tel (505) 268-5788 y 266-8398Contact /
Recommended by Jorge Beltran (CIAT)
Response / Quick email response. This consulting group have put together some excellent CD-ROM products of digital data at 1:50,000, 1:250,000 and 1:750,000. Ruben purchased this data.Result / Integrated the coverages into our regional data set
Nicaragua
Agency
/INETER - Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales
Address /Pedro Miguel Vargas: Director General de Geodesia y Cartografía
Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales
Frente a Policlinica Oriental, Apartado 2110, Managua, Nicaragua
Tel. (505) 249 2752 Fax. (505) 249 1890, 249 2750
http://www.ineter.gob.ni
Contact /By Fax and email, from PROCIG web page
Response / NoneResult / No follow-up
Nicaragua
Agency
/MARENA - Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales
Address /Ing. Leonel Wheelock (Director General Calidad Ambiental)
Ministerio del Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (MARENA)
Km. 12 1/2, Carretera Norte, Frente a zona Franca Apartado 5123
Managua, Nicaragua
Tel. (505) 263 2615, Fax. (505) 263 2615,
http://www.marena.gob.ni
Contact /By Fax and email, from PROCIG web page
Response / NoneResult / No follow-up
Panama
Agency
/ANAM - Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente
Address /Fernando A. Ortega A. (Coordinador del S.I.G. de ANAM)
Autoridad Nacional del Ambiente Albrook, Areas Revertidos Edificio No. 804, Sede Central de Anam Panamá, Panamá
Tel. (507) 315 0855 , Fax. (507) 315 0855
http://www.anam.gob.pa
Contact /By Fax and email, from PROCIG web page
Response / After many emails I discovered that ANAM have a great database at 1:200,000 but it is not available.Result / No follow-up.
Panama
Agency
/IGN – National Geographic Institute of Panama
Address / Ing. Denis Fuentes Director NacionalInstituto Geográfico Nacional Tommy Guardia
Calle Melchor Lasso de la Vega, frente a la Universidad de Panamá Apartado Postal 5267, Cat. I, Zona 5 Panamá, Panamá
Tel. (507) 236 1843, Fax. (507) 236 1841
http://www.igntg.com
Contact /By Fax and email, from PROCIG web page
Response / After repeated faxes and emails I discovered that IGN is in the process of digitising their 1:50,000 map sheets but has little other data available.Result / No follow-up.
Panama
Agency
/FIS - Fondo de Inversion Social
Address / Yira Acedo – GIS CoordinatorFIS. Ave. Eloy Alfaro, Corregimiento de San Felipe, Ciudad de Panamá
http://www.fis.gob.pa/sig/default.asp
Contact / By email, from PROCIG web page
Response / Immediate response, provided a list of available data, and agreed to deliver a CD_ROM of their 1:200,000 data under condition that we do not release the data.
Result / Full set of 1:200,000 data and village level census information.
22
[i] The World Bank, in collaboration with CCAD, CATIE, and many institutions and organizations in all seven Central American countries has spearheaded an effort to produce a new map of the ecosystems of Central America at a scale of 1:250:000. http://mitchnts1.cr.usgs.gov/data/otheragency.html.
[ii] The World Bank has developed a method for deriving accurate poverty maps from census data and detailed household surveys. The poverty mapping method has been utilised by several countries including Panama, Guatemala and Nicaragua; the latter is online at http://www.setec.gob.ni/.
[iii] PROCIG is an excellent example, http://www.procig.org/main.htm.