There is no doubt that the Global Data Revolution has reached the land sector. Government data portals, open access academic journals, community mapping initiatives and other citizen-generated data - there is a palpable positive drive across the world that allows processes such as data collection to be more inclusive and open. But within this data momentum, there are still many barriers and questions: Who can access the data, and how? What data is reliable? Who owns the data? What data is up to date? Can I use the data without inflicting harm?
To reflect on these and other emerging questions bearing on the opportunities, challenges and impact of the global data revolution on the land sector in East Africa, over 100 participants from government, NGOs, academia, intergovernmental organizations and the private sector came together at the Workshop on the State of Land Data and Information in East Africa. Taking place at the University of Nairobi from May 8-10th 2019, the objectives of the workshop were to uncover the land data and information ecosystem in East Africa and to contribute to fostering regional policy dialogue on access to data.
