The Urban Indicators project at West Virginia University, entitled Monitoring Beira Using Geographic Urban Indicators, is a collaborative effort between West Virginia University and the Catholic University of Mozambique in Beira. The project is based on the UIP framework of building national and local capacity to collect and use policy-oriented indicators as part of a strategy for the development of sustainable human settlements.

The project was funded with the intention of achieving four broad objectives:

1. Gain knowledge on the state of urban quality within Beira, Mozambique, which can be used to evaluate existing urban conditions and monitor change.

2.  Establish a quantitative baseline of spatial data within a geographic information system (GIS), grounded on the UN Urban Indicators Programme, that can be used by a variety of stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness of policies and programs intended to improve socially and economically distressed communities, increase homeownership, and reduce homelessness.

3. Transfer expertise in evaluating urban indicators using spatial analytical techniques and GIS from West Virginia University (WVU) to the Catholic University of Mozambique (UCM). The transfer of knowledge will be through web-based training programs.

4. Assist in developing and evaluating policies and programs that are intended to improve the quality oflife in Beira.

Objectives 1-3 have been achieved in year one. Objective four will be one of the foci of this collaboration in year two if funding is continued.

In year one, significant progress was made despite concerns with data availability and reliability. The major achievements in year one can be summarized as follows:

• Deepening of the WVU- UCM partnership and capacity building at UCM

• Development of a workable spatial database for three barrios

• GIS-based urban indicator descriptions for three barrios

• GIS-based modeling for one urban indicator (water)

• Development of a project web-site that includes web-based training modules using ARC-IMS (http://beira.geo.wvu.edu/)

If funded in Year Two, we foresee research in three major areas. First, we will complete the web-based modules on remote sensing, implementation of ARC/IMS, and modeling and test their usefulness of all six modules as training. Second, we will continue the mapping of land cover and land use change in the city. We have obtained, and are in the initial stages of, processing the aerial photographs.

Third, we will explore policy and planning applications of the work already completed. Finally, we will broaden the spatial scope of the database beyond the three barrios, to include the entire city of Beira. As in Year One, the overall objective of the project will be the building of GIS-based urban indicators.
 

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