development of an open access water and environment data repository in ghana

JENRM, Vol. I, No. 2, 69-74, 2014ISSN: 2026-6189Research Article

Development of an Open Access Water andEnvironment Data Repository in GhanaKodwo Beedu Keelson1*

AbstractAccess to water and environment data in Ghana either in hardcopy or digital formats is very frustrating and time consumingdue to the fact that water resources and environmental management related information and datasets are scattered in variousfiles and documents at different ministries, departments and agencies in Accra. It is now common practice for many students,researchers, local and international consultants to use the lack of data as a convenient excuse when conducting desk studiesin this sector. The Ghana Hydro-Database Project has therefore been conceived to overcome this limitation. The initialdevelopmental phase involved the use of open source software applications for database management functions and theprocessing of raw data. A web interface for the dissemination of information and datasets from the repository to the generalpublic has recently been launched. This paper presents a description of the technical approach used to develop this repositoryand discusses its potential applications for the water and environment sector in the country.

Keywordsenvironmental information systems Ghana Hydro-Database GIS HEC-DSS water modelling

1Department of Civil Engineering, Kaaf University College, Ghana*Corresponding author: [email protected]

Contents

Introduction 69

1 Materials and Methods 701.1 Database System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701.2 Graphical User Interface Program . . . . . . . . . . . . 701.3 Archival Classification System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 701.4 Data Quality Assurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 711.5 Data Storage and Dissemination . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

2 Results 712.1 Electronic Data Catalogues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 712.2 Web Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

3 Discussion 723.1 Dissemination of Environment Information . . . . . . . 723.2 Environmental Information Systems . . . . . . . . . . . 723.3 Electronic Data for Water Modelling . . . . . . . . . . . 73

4 Conclusion 74

Acknowledgments 74

References 74

IntroductionAccess to water and environment data in Ghana either in hard-copy or digital formats is very frustrating and time consumingdue to the fact that water resources and environmental manage-ment related information and datasets are scattered in variousfiles and documents at different ministries, departments andagencies in Accra. There has been very little effort over the

years to harmonize data from the various government insti-tutions and make it readily accessible to the general public.There is also the issue of poor storage of records that has ledto the destruction of historical records dating back to the pre-independence period [1]. It is now common practice for manystudents, researchers, local and international consultants to usethe lack of data as a convenient excuse when conducting deskstudies for projects in the water resources sector.

The Ghana Hydro-Database has therefore been conceivedto overcome this limitation. This privately funded project isbeing executed in three phases. The first phase involved thedevelopment of electronic data archives and a digital libraryfor water and environmental modelling [2]. The second phasesought to test the applicability of two prototype data cataloguesdeveloped in the earlier phase by conducting a number ofcase study applications [3, 4]. The final phase will attemptto develop internet-based water and environment informationsystems for all metropolitan areas, municipalities and districtsin the country

It is envisioned that this open access electronic data repos-itory when fully operational will provide the general publicwith up-to-date information on the state of the water and envi-ronmental sector. It would also be of immense benefit to watermodellers by providing readily accessible and usable baselinedatasets which will assist in the characterization of naturaland engineered water systems. Most significantly, it will fa-cilitate the training of the next generation of highly skilledhydrologists, civil engineers, water resources planners and en-vironmental scientists who would be able to take advantageof the technological advancements in remote sensing, aerialphotography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This

Development of an Open Access Water and Environment Data Repository in Ghana 70/74

paper presents a description of the technical approach used todevelop the electronic data repository and discusses its poten-tial applications for the water and environmental sector in thecountry.

1. Materials and Methods1.1 Database SystemThe HEC Data Storage System (HEC-DSS) developed by theU.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Cen-tre is the database system that is being used for the GhanaHydro-Database Project. HEC-DSS is designed to efficientlystore and retrieve scientific data that is typically sequential[5]. HEC-DSS incorporates a modified hashing algorithmand hierarchical design for database accesses that is designedspecifically for the storage and retrieval of large sets of data.This includes computed or observed daily flow values, hourlyprecipitation amounts, rating tables, and radar rainfall mea-surements. HEC-DSS is not optimized for dealing with smalldata sets or single data values, nor is it effective at conditionaldata searches common to relational database systems.

Data in HEC-DSS is stored in blocks, or records, and eachrecord is identified by a unique name called a pathname. Apathname consists of six parts that describe the data, includingits region, location, parameter, beginning time and version.This convention makes the data set self-documenting. HEC-DSS can be installed on a variety of operating systems includ-ing Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh and Unix platforms.A wide range of industry standard water modelling softwarepackages can be interfaced with HEC-DSS. Additionally, anassortment of utility programs have been developed to loadand import data from a range of formats; export data; graph,tabulate and edit data; mathematically manipulate data; andperform various database utility and maintenance functions.

1.2 Graphical User Interface ProgramHEC-DSSVue is a graphical user interface for the HEC DataStorage System. This Java-based visual utilities program al-lows users to plot, tabulate, edit and manipulate data in HEC-DSS database files [5]. HEC-DSSVue will display data in anHEC-DSS file in a tabular or graphical form. The graphicsare highly customizable and can be saved in various formats,including jpeg and png, as well as printed or copied to thesystem clipboard. Data may also be edited in a table or a graphor in Microsoft Excel. HEC-DSSVue also has several utilityfunctions for entering data, renaming record pathnames, copy-ing data to other HEC-DSS files, as well as a variety of otherfunctions. Routine sequences of steps can be programmed inHEC-DSSVue with the Jython scripting language, and exe-cuted from user-defined buttons or from batch processes. HEC-DSSVue provides a sorted, filtered list of pathnames for theuser to select data sets of their choice. Pathnames from thefile are displayed as either an alphabetized list of individualpathnames, a list of pathnames broken into their six parts, or apathname part list where time-series data start and end datesare shown. Pathnames can be filtered in the list by selecting

parts from pull-down boxes, giving the user the capability ofquickly selecting the category of data he or she is interestedin. The HEC-DSSVue software can be obtained from the HECweb site http://www.hec.usace.army.mil. Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig.3 show the display of data in pathnames, graphical form andtabular form respectively using the HEC-DSSVue program [5].

Figure 1. Display of pathnames

Figure 2. Display of data in graphical form

Figure 3. Display of data in tabular form

1.3 Archival Classification SystemThe archival classification system for the repository is basedon three types of electronic data catalogues. These includethe Urban Drainage Modelling Project (UDMP), River Basin


Modelling Project (RBMP) and Water and Environmental San-itation Project (WESP) catalogues. UDMP catalogues areintended for relevant data on urban drainage systems in allthe major cities in Ghana. RBMP catalogues are intended forrelevant data on all surface water bodies in Ghana. WESP cata-logues are intended for aggregated and disaggregated drinkingwater, environmental sanitation and hygiene statistics on allregions in Ghana.

1.4 Data Quality AssuranceIn order to ensure that the data sets that would be compiledinto the respective UDMP, RBMP and WESP catalogues are ofa high quality, a range of quality assurance measures have beeninstituted. These procedures which are reviewed periodicallyrelate to the sources of data, data processing methods and thetypes of GIS and water modelling software tools used in dataprocessing tasks. Hydro-meteorological time series and baseGIS map layers are obtained from credible sources such aslocal and international academic institutions, government de-partments and agencies, professional bodies and internationaldevelopment agencies. Value added data processing methodsfor hydrologic time series and GIS map layers are based onguidelines outlined in publications authored by internationallyrecognized institutions and researchers in the field of envi-ronmental hydrology and hydraulics [6, 7, 8]. All computertools used for time series analysis and GIS processing are thelatest versions of open source software packages developed byreputable organizations.

1.5 Data Storage and DisseminationData is currently being stored on CD-ROMs, USB 2.0/3.0 flashdisks and external hard disks. Data dissemination will be doneusing both online and offline methods [8, 9, 10]. Data wouldbe provided to interested subscribers based on e-mail or mobilephone text requests.

2. Results2.1 Electronic Data CataloguesA total of 30 prototype electronic data catalogues have beendeveloped since January 2011. Five UDMPs have been de-veloped for the Accra, Kumasi, Tema, Sekondi-Takoradi andTamale metropolitan areas. Fifteen RBMPs have been de-veloped for the Aka-Belikpa, Ankobra, Ayensu, Bia, Densu,Kakum, Ochi Amissa, Ochi Nakwa, Pra, Tano, Tordzie, Oti,Black Volta, White Volta and Lower Volta river basins. TenWESPs have also been developed for each of the regions inGhana. Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 show screenshots of the display ofdata files in the Accra UDMP and Densu RBMP respectively[2].

Figure 4. Display of data files in Accra UDMP

Figure 5. Display of data files in Densu RBMP

2.2 Web InterfaceAn open access web interface for the Ghana Hydro-Databaserepository was launched in the first quarter of this year. This in-ternet portal http://www.ghanahydrodata.com pro-vides open access to the general public. It covers water andenvironment themes such as: climate; dams and reservoirs;irrigation schemes; river basins; sanitation systems; urbandrainage and flooding; water supply systems; water pollutionand wetlands. These datasets are available in different elec-tronic data formats such as time series, thematic maps, factsheets and GIS vector layers. The web portal currently con-tains 32 Time Series, 79 Thematic Maps, 167 Fact Sheets and99 GIS vector layers. Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 show screenshots ofthe download pages for time series and GIS data respectively.


Figure 6. Download page for time series

Figure 7. Download page for GIS data

3. DiscussionThe Ghana Hydro-Database is possibly the first of its kind inthe Anglophone West African sub region. Similar internet-based water and environment data repositories which havebeen developed in Europe, South East Asia, Oceania and NorthAmerica have proved useful in those jurisdictions. The GhanaHydro-Database when fully operational could have numerouspotential applications in the water and environment sector inthe country. Three options are discussed in this section.

3.1 Dissemination of Environment InformationThe Ghana Hydro-Database website is a one-stop platformfor the general public to obtain regularly updated informationon contemporary local and international environmental issues,such as climate change and illegal small scale mining, and theirconsequential adverse impacts such as drought, urban floodingand surface water pollution. This information is provided inprinter friendly Fact Sheets and Thematic Maps which caneasily be downloaded. A review of technical reports on thestate of the environment in Ghana prepared by local and inter-national organizations shows that these compilations typicallyprovide information under various thematic categorizations.The Ghana Environmental Protection Agency [11] covers ninethemes namely: land; freshwater; forestry; coastal and marineenvironment; biodiversity; energy and human settlements. Acountry environmental profile report prepared by the EuronetConsortium [12] covered eight themes including: land; water;

air; climate; geology, seismicity and mineral resources; forest,vegetation, ecosystems and biodiversity; human settlements;urbanization, infrastructure and industry; energy productionand waste management.

A content analysis comparison of these aforementionedreports with the UDMP, RBMP and WESP data cataloguesshows that the Ghana Hydro-Database repository also covers abroad spectrum of environmental themes. However the repos-itory currently does not have any or adequate information ordownloadable datasets on air quality, toxicological effects ofpesticide use, land degradation, marine pollution, deforestationand nature conservation.

3.2 Environmental Information SystemsEnvironmental Information Systems (EIS) provide a frame-work by which environmental information can be combined,structured, managed and made available to planners and deci-sion makers [13, 14]. The term EIS broadly encompasses alltypes of information systems that are related to various envi-ronmental themes such as air, soil, water and waste. Typicalexamples include the German Environmental Information WebPortal and the French Water information system WIS-F [15].

There are a number of environmental information systemsin Africa such as the Africa Environment Outlook Environ-ment Information System (AEO-EIS). The GEO Africa DataPortal (http://gridnairobi.unep.org/Portal/) is the web interfaceof the AEO-EIS [16]. It covers thematic areas such as: freshwa-ter; land; socio-economic; forests and woodlands; atmosphere;energy; coastal and marine; health and environment; humansettlements; biodiversity and wetlands. The web portal cangenerate output in the form of graphs, maps and tables andone can also download data in varied formats. However, amajor limitation to these international data repositories is thatthe national environmental agencies in most African countrieswhich are supposed to be the primary source of data for theserepositories do not have adequate financial resources and lo-gistics to collect data periodically. Data collection activities inmost cases have to be financed by international donor agenciessuch as the European Union and the World Bank.

The successful development of the prototype Ghana Hydro-Database electronic data catalogues and the open access webinterface provides the opportunity for the replication of similarsystems at the metropolitan, municipal and district assem-bly (MMDA) level in Ghana. Figure 8 presents a conceptualframework for the design and implementation of the proposedMMDA-EIS. This framework has a modular structure and istherefore easily extensible.

An MMDA-EIS would represent a bottom up approachto the development of environmental information systems atthe national level in African countries. This would allow forwider cross-sector collaboration and the spreading of costsamong key stakeholders at the local government level. Thenational environmental agencies would then coordinate thesedata collection activities as well as collate and interpret results.


Figure 8. Framework for MMDA-EIS

3.3 Electronic Data for Water ModellingHydroinformatics is a growing discipline which aims to har-ness the benefits of all forms of information and communica-tion technology in water resources engineering and manage-ment [17]. Increasing internet connectivity in Ghana meansthat many non-proprietary desktop software applications cannow be easily downloaded unto personal computers at veryminimal costs. However, the unavailability of high quality datasets in the requisite electronic formats has severely limited thepotential for Ghanaian researchers, practitioners and educatorsto fully exploit the capabilities of contemporary informationsystem tools.

The Ghana Hydro-Database archives contain daily andmonthly hydro-meteorological time series as well as GIS vec-tor and raster layers. These electronic datasets should enableusers, such as applied sciences students or consulting engi-neers, perform a wide range of water modelling tasks includingflood forecasting, bridge and culvert hydraulics, landfill waterbalance analysis, water quality analysis and river basin plan-ning using various industry standard software applications thatare freely available on the internet. Table 1 presents a list ofsome of the recommended open source modelling software andtheir typical applications [18, 19, 20, 21]. However, it is imper-ative to note that it may still be necessary to collect additionalfield data in order to calibrate these simulation models.

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4. ConclusionThis paper has presented a description of the technical ap-proach used to develop the Ghana Hydro-Database electronicdata repository and discussed its potential applications for thewater and environment sector in the country. By the successfulcompletion of the 5 UDMP, 15 RBMP and 10 WESP pro-totype catalogues, a standardized procedure for developinglow-budget electronic data archives through the exclusive useof open source software applications has been pioneered. Mostsignificantly, the data formats that can be downloaded fromthe web interface will facilitate the use of several industry stan-dard water modelling and GIS software packages by Ghanaianresearchers, practitioners, educators and students.

Further work which will commence in the first quarterof Year 2015 will involve the development of two prototypeEnvironmental Information Systems i.e. Accra MetropolitanArea Environmental Information System (AMA-EIS) and theDensu River Basin Information System (Densu-RBIS).

AcknowledgmentsThe author would like to express his gratitude to the KspyxLtd for providing funding for this research project.

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IntroductionMaterials and MethodsDatabase SystemGraphical User Interface ProgramArchival Classification SystemData Quality AssuranceData Storage and Dissemination

ResultsElectronic Data CataloguesWeb Interface

DiscussionDissemination of Environment InformationEnvironmental Information SystemsElectronic Data for Water Modelling

ConclusionAcknowledgmentsReferences

development of an open access water and environment data repository in ghana

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