North Kenya Vegetation GIS Database

New-ID: NBI160

FILE NAME

NKVEGE.E00

Introduction
The North Kenya GIS Database project was created by joining datasets
which existed in 9 north kenya districts by Andrea Bottcher for GTZ at
UNEP/GRID in 1996. The original datasets were derived from the Range
Management Handbook published by the ministry of Agriculture in 1982.
This handbook focused on the high and medium rainfall districts with
good commercial and farming conditions. Later the implementation of a
Project to produce a Range Managment Handbook for the arid and
semi-arid areas of the country was decided. The geographical extent of
the dataset covers the following 9 ASAL( Arid and Semi Arid Land)

Districts:
- Baringo with approximately 11.000 sq.km.
- Elgeyo Marakwet with about 2.800 sq.km.
- Isiolo with appr. 26.000 sq.km.
- Mandera with about 26.470 sq.km.
- Marsabit with appr. 75.000 sq.km.
- Samburu with appr. 20.000 sq.km.
- Turkana with appr. 65.000 sq.km.
- Wajir with about 56.500 sq.km.
- West Pokot 9 100 sq.km.

The final datasets consist of 19 themes namely;
- Districts Borders
- Towns
- Roads
- Dense bush
- Forest areas
- National Park Boundaries
- Special Surfaces (surfacial lava )
- Cliffs and Craters
- Seasonal Rivers
- Land Elevation Contours (Ft)
- Marsh and Swamps
- Productive risk due to lacking rainfall for the Districts Marsabit,
Mandera, Wajir, Samburu, Isiolo
- Median annual rainfall
- Landforms and Soils
- Landforms and Soils , generalized version
- Vegetation
- Range Units
- Run-off zones
- Waterpoints

The source dataset were digitized by DRSRS (Department of Resourse
Surveys and Remote Sensing) P.O. Box 47146, Nairobi

The base information from which the original dataset were compiled
were obtained through a variety of sources and medhodology, namely;
a) field survey
b) satellite images
c) topographic maps
d) aerial photographs
e) district reports
f) aerial observations from a low flying aircraft.
f. existing previous studies