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Afternoon — GeoLibre & Exercise 3

Day 3 · 13:30–16:00 · Module 4

Session 8 — Spatial Analysis using GeoLibre (13:30–14:30)

What is GeoLibre?

GeoLibre is a web-based GIS viewer and spatial analysis tool — no installation required.

GeoLibre can:

  • Open spatial files (KML, GeoJSON, GeoPackage, Shapefile as ZIP)
  • Draw points, lines, and polygons on a map
  • Create buffer zones around features
  • Overlay multiple data layers
  • Display population, land cover, and other raster layers
  • Export maps as PNG images (via Print)
  • Compute basic statistics within a drawn area

Worked example — downloading and using a boundary from GADM

The session demonstrated a complete workflow using Uganda as an example:

  1. Go to gadm.org → click Data → select Uganda → download as GeoJSON
  2. The downloaded file contains all administrative districts in Uganda as separate polygons
  3. Open GeoLibre → load the GeoJSON file
  4. Select one district from the list → isolate it → export as a separate GeoJSON
  5. Import the district boundary into eToolkit → generate a report for that district

Due diligence on boundary data

Before using GADM or any third-party boundary data in a formal project document, verify the attributes. Check the number of administrative units against official government statistics or national mapping agency sources. Boundary data from external repositories may not reflect the most recent administrative reorganisations or boundary adjustments. Accept external boundary data only after independent verification.

Administrative boundary sources

gadm.org — Global Administrative Areas

  • Approximately 500,000 administrative units worldwide
  • Current version 4.1 (Version 5 in development)
  • Country → ADM0 (national), ADM1 (province/state), ADM2 (district/county)
  • Download formats: GeoJSON, Shapefile, KMZ, GeoPackage
  • Freely downloadable, no registration required

Due diligence is required before using GADM data in formal documents — see note above.

data.humdata.org — Humanitarian Data Exchange (UN OCHA)

  • Country-level spatial and statistical data: poverty, population, census data, health facilities, education facilities
  • Dataset quality varies by country and contributor — review metadata and source information before use
  • Search by country → filter by file type (Shapefile, GeoJSON, CSV)
  • Used in training: download population raster → open in GeoLibre → compute population within a project buffer

geoboundaries.org/simplifiedDownloads.html

  • Open administrative boundaries maintained by the community
  • Simplified downloads page: direct access by country and level
  • GeoJSON format — compatible with all web tools used in this training

GeoLibre limitations

When to use QGIS instead

GeoLibre is web-based — large raster datasets (e.g. a national population grid) can be slow to process. For:

  • Heavy raster statistics → use QGIS (free, open-source desktop GIS)
  • Complex spatial queries on large datasets → use QGIS or Google Earth Engine
  • Quick vector analysis (buffers, overlays, area calculations) on district-scale data → GeoLibre is adequate

Exercise 3 — Monitoring Indicators for Project Assessment (14:30–16:00)

Objective: Apply EO and spatial analysis to a monitoring or evaluation scenario for a project area you work on or know well.

Tools: eToolkit + GeoLibre + GADM/HDX (as needed)

Part A — Create a before/after comparison in eToolkit

  1. Return to your Exercise 1 or 2 area in the eToolkit.
  2. Run the analysis with the current date range (your "after" snapshot).
  3. Re-run with a time window 3–5 years earlier (your "before" baseline).
  4. Before reading the results, confirm: (a) both reports cover the same boundary; (b) the time ranges are clearly distinct and as expected; (c) no data panels appear empty or truncated.
  5. Compare the two reports:
    • LULC: has land use changed?
    • Vegetation: is green cover or biomass higher or lower? (ETa or LULC change)
    • Water: has surface water extent changed?
  6. Write one sentence describing the most significant change you observe, noting which indicator it is based on.

Part B — Spatial analysis in GeoLibre

  1. Download a district or administrative boundary for your project area from GADM or GeoBoundaries.
  2. Open it in GeoLibre.
  3. Draw a 1–5 km buffer around a key feature (a road, a school, a dam, an irrigation intake point).
  4. Explore what falls within the buffer: land use, settlement density, visible population.
  5. Export the map as a PNG (Print → Download).

Expected result

  • A before/after description (one paragraph) describing change in your project area, with the indicator identified
  • A GeoLibre map image showing the project boundary and buffer zone
  • A completed row in the Use-Case Selection Form for the indicator found most useful

Troubleshooting

  • GADM downloads as ZIP → unzip it first; then load the .geojson or .shp file in GeoLibre
  • GeoLibre is slow with large national boundaries → select and export only the relevant district before running analysis
  • eToolkit time-window comparison → confirm that start and end dates in both runs are clearly different; the platform can access historical data going back to 2000 for most indicators

Continue to Day 4 — Case Studies & Closing