Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as a decision making tool for rural water services

This paper presents the best practices of World Vision Uganda (WVU) in integrating GIS with conventional planning and management decision support tools to improve evidence-based planning, reporting and resource acquisition for water service delivery. An online GIS field reporting system was designed to track and monitor the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions within communities. Staff and community members were trained in geo-spatial data collection processes using Global Positioning System (GPS) equipments. The GIS data was analysed in ArcGIS to determine the level of accessibility and functionality of these water sources. The catchment of each water source was identified and the gaps in access to water sources was visually noted and prioritized during subsequent water resource planning and allocation. GIS has streamlined and simplified the traditional process of collecting data by creating a single repository for project data to be recorded, reviewed, approved, updated and analyzed to track progress towards achievement of impacts.