In 2013-2014, detailed geo-referenced maps were created for 10 states in Northern Nigeria to support microplanning and vaccinator tracking for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Settlement feature extraction of high-resolution satellite imagery supported an extensive field campaign where geo-coordinates, names, administrative levels, and points of interest were collected for over 100,000 unique locations. The resulting maps played a key role in ensuring accountability of vaccination teams and identifying chronically-missed settlements, leading to the eventual elimination of polio from Nigeria in September 2015. Many additional uses have since been found for this rich, geospatial dataset including serving as a base layer for specialized datasets, facilitating measurement and evaluation efforts, and providing an ideal matrix for the development of a bottom-up population model based on settlement feature extraction and local microcensus data. The model is the result of collaboration between the Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST) Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Flowminder (University of Southampton), eHealth Africa, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and represents a major breakthrough in the field of population estimation and demography. The model outputs are at a resolution of 90 meters, and include validated confidence intervals, gender and standard 0-12 month and 5-year age groupings. The work was expanded to include the remaining 27 states in Nigeria, and is currently being expanded in a number of other countries, with the ultimate goal of providing both the settlement layers and population estimates to all of sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia in support of other initiatives to include: Neglected Tropical Diseases, and Malaria.
Moderator: Jeanette Weaver, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Panelists:
Eric Weber, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Noelle Huskins , Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
João Pedro Azevedo, World Bank
Thomas Bird, Flowminder