ECA has been implementing activities in the field of geographic information for more than three decades in its efforts to assist African countries to improve the management of natural resources and the environment, as part of the Commission's overall mandates aimed at the socio-economic development of the region. The importance of the role of these technologies in development has been reiterated in the new structure of ECA, and as such, were incorporated in the programme of work of DISD as a component of Information Technology (IT) at large. Geographic Information is cross-cutting and its activities spread out over the three teams of DISD, but it is equally akin to the work of other Divisions.

Activities are developed mainly through advisory services, preparation and dissemination of studies, conducting surveys on appraisal of needs and gaps, liaising with regional training and service centres to coordinate activities and assist them to better serve the member States, publishing a technical bulletin, cooperating with other UN sister bodies and other international institutions and organizing conferences, seminars and workshops. One major responsibility of is the organization, every three years, of the United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Africa, where technical and policy issues are discussed by member States.

Another important activity is the provision of specialized services to ECA, such as the preparation of basic and topical maps, charts and related products, required by its publications and research work. In this context, it has been slowly up-grading its facilities and capabilities to handle digital spatial databases so that its services go beyond the preparation of just candid maps and charts, and produce intelligent spatial databases where the data may be queried interactively by programme managers using simple desktop application utilities.

Please note the following:

• This demo has been prepared using freeware packages- the Minnesota Map Server and DM Solution's Map Lab. While awaiting the procurement process of the commercial software, the objectives of this Demo are to demonstrate the concepts and get feedback for setting up the full version with the commercial software.

• If you need any map in electronic format as well as in hard copy, provide us data and we will map it out for you!!

• The boundaries and names shown on the maps do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

• The data used on the maps came from various sources and organizations.