Southern, Northeastern and Eastern Africa Integrated Terrain Units, 1984

The Southern, Northeastern and Eastern Africa members make up the
Africa Integrated Terrain Units data set of the UNEP/FAO/ESRI Database
project that covers the entire world. The maps were prepared by
Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), USA. Most data for
the database were provided by the Soil Resources, Management and
Conservation Service Land and Water Development Division, Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO), Italy. The database was developed by
the GRID Network of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) as
part of a project initiated by UNEP.

The base maps that were used were the FAO/UNESCO Soil Map of the World
(1977) in Miller Oblated Stereographic projection, the DMA Global
Navigation and Planning Charts (various Dates between 1976-1982) and
the National Geographic Atlas of the World (1975), Physiographic
Diagram of Africa (the base for the physiographic division), Landsat
Mosaics, USSCS World Soil Map of Africa, Landform map of North Africa,
UNESCO Geological World Atlas, World Atlas of Agriculture. The high
density polygon features were laser scanned at a resolution of 0.025
inches. The maps were then transformed from inch coordinates to
latitude/longitude degrees. The transformation was done by an
unpublished algorithm by US Geological Survey and ESRI to create
coverages for one-degree graticules.

This data forms the core of the Desertification study that was the
final goal of the Data compilation in the UNEP/FAO/ESRI project. It
shows all kinds of land features like general landuse, physiographic
division, general vegetation etc. The order of integration is FAO
soils, geology, USDA soils, landforms and surface modifiers, land
surface forms, vegetation, landuse, physiographic divisions,
geomorphological regions. The country boundaries were appended from
the Administrative Unit map.