African Water Resource Database Article: African Water Resource Database Link to Article: http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/spring08articles/african-water.html Summary of the Study: The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to create the African Water Resource Database (AWRD) in order to help Africa cope with hunger and malnutrition and to achieve food security. It includes an extensive data archive of water bodies, watersheds, rivers, population density, etc. as well as GIS tools designed to facilitate inland aquatic resource management. The archival data can be displayed and analyzed by custom applications and tools running under ArcView. The database also allows integration of different types of information into a cohesive program. The AWRD is planned to be used for projects such as supporting sustainable development of fisheries and inland aquaculture in the Republic of Cameroon and in Mauretania. I chose this topic because I had long been interested in how GIS is utilized in a non-profit organization such as the United Nations. In my personal opinion, the information used for creating maps is often inaccurate or incomplete in many developing countries. In fact, when I was on a business trip for Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping, I realized that useful outputs can only be generated with accurate input; thus, efforts have to be made to collect adequate information. Therefore, in order to make efficient use of GIS, an information management system is essential for effective information gathering and management. I think that introducing GIS in developing countries will be highly beneficial. However, creating a GIS output should not be the end of the process but it should be constantly enhanced according to progress made in information collection. In this way, the product will become closer to the needs and demands and can hence generate a higher benefit. I would greatly appreciate it if you kindly give me some feedback on this :)