Zanzibar Spatial Data Infrastructure (ZanSDI)

Project Name: Zanzibar Spatial Data Infrastructure (ZanSDI)
Client:  The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar – President’s Office Finance and Planning
Country:  Zanzibar

The Zanzibar Spatial Data Infrastructure (ZanSDI) is a national initiative developed under the Boosting Inclusive Growth for Zanzibar (BIG-Z) program, a world-bank funded project, designed to strengthen how spatial information is managed, shared, and used across government institutions. Commenced in 2025, the project supports better planning, coordination, and decision-making by establishing a centralized geospatial platform that improves access to reliable geographic information and encourages collaboration between agencies.

Beyond technology implementation, ZanSDI focuses on building long-term institutional capacity and sustainable digital infrastructure. Through system deployment, training programs, and knowledge transfer, the initiative aims to strengthen governance, improve public services, and support Zanzibar’s future development through data-driven decision-making.

Objectives

  • Improve sharing and accessibility of spatial information
  • Support data-driven planning and decision-making
  • Strengthen institutional capacity and spatial data governance
  • Establish sustainable standards and workflows for geospatial information management

Participating Agencies

  • President’s Office Finance and Planning
  • Zanzibar Planning Commission (ZPC)
  • Commission for Lands (COLA)
  • Zanzibar Fisheries Research Institute (ZAFIRI)
  • Department of Forestry and Non-Renewable Resources (DFNR)
  • State University of Zanzibar (SUZA)
  • Local Government Authorities (LGAs)
  • Additional government institutions participating in the ZanSDI ecosystem

Scope

  • Deployment and configuration of an SDI platform
  • Design, customization and development to support government spatial data workflows
  • Development of a centralized spatial data catalog and web mapping capabilities
  • Delivery of basic and advanced GIS training programs
  • Training for all user levels, from end users to system administrators
  • Knowledge transfer to promote long-term sustainability and local ownership

ZanSDI is built entirely on open-source technologies, including GeoNode, GeoServer, QGIS,

 

ZanSDI

PostgreSQL, and PostGIS, and is deployed in a containerized Docker-based environment.

ZanSDI