Accurate, up-to-date and high-quality information is essential for the sustainable management of water and land resources. SWALIM (the Somali Water and Land Information Management project) has made huge strides in increasing the quantity and quality of available baseline data and information on land and water in Somalia. In over a decade of work, SWALIM has largely recovered the historical data of more than half a century which was lost or dispersed following the collapse of central government in the early 1990s. Although there are still gaps in the information, much of the institutional memory that was lost has been recreated through a combination of recovery of existing information and the acquisition of new data.

This information requires structural management, processing, review and collation into modern computer systems and databases, from which conclusions on the state and quality of water and land resources can be drawn. Subsequently, policies and recommendations can be developed to support decision-making on the sustainable management of land and water resources by stakeholders. The Information Management unit of SWALIM provides support for information management activities, develops procedures, guidelines and standards for data and information storage, processing and access, as well as builds information technology solutions and products for SWALIM and its partners.

In general, the information life cycle follows a similar path: once data is received from SWALIM partners and/or field activities, a metadata record is created and the data is stored. The data is then processed using an appropriate tool or set of tools and the information products are developed. The information thus produced is quality controlled and added into the SWALIM data and information warehouse. Information access and dissemination is carried out through SWALIM's Client Service Platform (CSP) which consists of:

♦ The SWALIM website (this site), which is regularly updated to reflect the latest information and provide access to SWALIM systems and publications;

♦ A searchable digital repository containing historical reference works, all the SWALIM water, land and other publications, project documents and other working papers*, and multi-media assets such as maps, photos and graphics; we are in the process of integrating this repository into the SWALIM website (you can access available assets through the Library Catalog);

♦ Social media reports and alerts (Facebook page, Twitter feed, Flickr account, etc.);

♦ A digital mapping application (or Geographical Information System – GIS) and catalogue for geo-spatial data, maps, Remote Sensing images, etc.

♦ Various CDs and DVDs

♦ The Somalia Dynamic Atlas and SWALIM Dynamic Atlas

♦ Other information material such as newsletters, alerts, reports and brochures

Click here to view the IM Framework