Spatial Information Gaps on Deprived Urban Areas (Slums) in Low-and-Middle-Income-Countries: A User-Centered Approach

Abstract

Routine and accurate data on deprivation are needed for urban planning and decision support at various scales (i.e., from community to international). However, analyzing information requirements of diverse users on urban deprivation, we found that data are often not available or inaccessible. To bridge this data gap, Earth Observation (EO) data can support access to frequently updated spatial information. However, a user-centered approach is urgently required for the production of EO-based mapping products. Combining an online survey and several forms of user interactions, we defined five system specifications (derived from user requirements) for designing an open-access spatial information system for deprived urban areas. First, gridded maps represent the optimal spatial granularity to deal with high uncertainties of boundaries of deprived areas and to protect privacy. Second, a high temporal granularity of 1–2 years is important to respond to the high spatial dynamics of urban areas. Third, detailed local-scale information should be part of a city-to-global information system. Fourth, both aspects, community assets and risks, need to be part of an information system, and such data need to be combined with local community-based information. Fifth, in particular, civil society and government users should have fair access to data that bridges the digital barriers. A data ecosystem on urban deprivation meeting these requirements will be able to support community-level action for improving living conditions in deprived areas, local science-based policymaking, and tracking progress towards global targets such as the SDGs.

Is It All the Same? Mapping and Characterizing Deprived Urban Areas Using WorldView-3 Superspectral Imagery. A Case Study in Nairobi, Kenya

“…The feature selection algorithms, predictions, and accuracy measurements were performed through the R statistical software. The GEOBIA-related code and resultant maps are publicly available in the Zenodo scientific repository [35].…”

Data and Urban Poverty: Detecting and Characterising Slums and Deprived Urban Areas in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

“…However, most EObased mapping studies on DUAs work at a city scale or below (Ajami et al 2019;Badmos et al 2018;Wurm et al 2019) and do not deal with the main challenges of scalable, transferable, and low-cost solutions (Kuffer 2020). To date, EO data have not shown their capabilities to provide adequate monitoring instruments supporting knowledge on the location, characterisation, and dynamics of DUAs (Kuffer et al 2021b), e.g., supporting local SDG 11.1.1 reviews. A recently published needs assessment of different user groups that require such data (Fig.…”

“…A recently published needs assessment of different user groups that require such data (Fig. 1.2) has shown that data are needed for a fine-grained spatial scale (e.g., gridded data at 100 m) with an update cycle of 1-2 years (Kuffer et al 2021b). Generally, urban development questions require city-scale information and detailed neighbourhood analysis (Kuffer et al 2018;Merodio Gómez et al 2021).…”

Housing forms of poverty in Europe - A categorization based on literature research and satellite imagery

“…Linked to this is the necessity of more systematic data (UN-Habitat, 2015b). Although there is innumerable literature about poverty, systematic documentation of physical living forms of poverty rarely exists (Kuffer, Wang, et al, 2021). Many studies are descriptive in nature, e.g., UN-Habitat (2003); Davis (2011); Hofmann et al (2008); Kohli et al (2012).…”