Summer School on Spatial Analysis with R: The case of Dar es Salaam
Summer School at ARU, Dar es Salaam
From September 11 to September 18, 2023, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Schweikart and Prof. Dr. Ronny Schomacker from the Department of Civil Engineering and Geoinformatics at Berliner Hochschule für Technik (BHT, Berlin University of Applied Sciences) visited Ardhi University in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. During this period, a summer school was organized under the title “Spatial Analysis with R: The Case of Dar es Salaam." The aim of the 8-day summer school was to impart basic knowledge and selected advanced methods in the field of geographic information systems using R. R is a powerful open-source programming language and environment for statistical data analysis and graphical representation. In its current version, the software can handle many of the analytical tasks of a geographic information system. The summer school covered: Introduction to R and the R-Studio development environment, reading and analysing spatial data, applying basic methods of geoinformation systems, processing vector data, classification methods, introduction to visualising spatial data and output of diagrams and thematic maps. Administrative data of the urban area of Dar es Salaam were used as examples. The content was supplemented by expert presentations. Ms. Julieth Silao from Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) gave a presentation on the 2012 and 2022 censuses, focusing in particular on the survey of ward boundaries. The project focused on modelling and analysing the population changes in Dar es Salaam in the period 2012 to 2022.
The significant areas of the city were identified by means of an analysis using Morans`I. On the one hand, these were regions with disproportionate growth in the periphery during the decade under review, and on the other hand, areas in the city centre that lost population as the residential function gave way to other uses. The dynamic of the city was also the subject of an excursion to the Dar city center, where current challenges for urban planning will be on display.
Another afternoon excursion was dedicated to waste upcycling and a planned glass recycling project in Dar es Salaam. This project was initiated by the local NGO AfriCraft and supported by a local company in the glass processing industry.
Special thanks are due to the Institute of Human Settlements Studies (IHSS) and the local organisers, Dr. Makarius Mdemu, Mr. Albert Nyiti and Ms. Mariam Genes, who created an all-round pleasant learning atmosphere and made it possible for the participants to experience the challenges of a rapidly growing city on an interesting and informative day out.
Figure 1: Group picture
Figure 2: Excursion, visit of local administration office at Hanna Nassif Ward, Kinondoni
Figure 3: Analysis of population development, significant developments between 2012 and 2022