GIS-Based Informal Settlement Mapping Training Course

 GIS-Based Informal Settlement Mapping Training Course 

Introduction 

GIS-Based Informal Settlement Mapping Training Course provides comprehensive, practical, and technology-driven knowledge for identifying, mapping, analysing, and monitoring informal settlements using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing, spatial databases, and geospatial analytics. The course focuses on advanced informal settlement mapping, urban spatial analysis, settlement morphology, land-use mapping, satellite imagery interpretation, geospatial data collection, GPS/GNSS technologies, drone mapping, and participatory GIS. Participants will develop practical capabilities to create accurate settlement maps, analyse spatial patterns, identify infrastructure and service gaps, assess development risks, and produce evidence-based maps for urban planning, housing policy, land administration, climate resilience, and sustainable urban development. 

The training also addresses the integration of GIS with urban development planning, disaster risk reduction, environmental management, infrastructure planning, housing programmes, and inclusive urban governance. Through practical exercises and global case studies, participants will learn how geospatial technologies support the upgrading of informal settlements, population estimation, vulnerability assessment, service accessibility analysis, and evidence-based decision-making. The course incorporates emerging approaches including artificial intelligence-assisted geospatial analysis, high-resolution satellite imagery, mobile GIS, open-source geospatial platforms, spatial modelling, and geospatial dashboards to strengthen modern urban planning and informal settlement management. 

Course Objectives 

By the end of the course, participants will be able to: 

1. Apply GIS principles to informal settlement identification and spatial mapping. 
2. Use remote sensing and satellite imagery for settlement detection and classification. 
3. Develop accurate geospatial databases for informal settlement management. 
4. Conduct spatial analysis of housing, infrastructure, population, and service accessibility. 
5. Apply GPS/GNSS and mobile GIS technologies for field data collection. 
6. Analyse settlement growth, density, morphology, and spatial transformation. 
7. Integrate drone imagery and high-resolution geospatial datasets into mapping workflows. 
8. Apply participatory GIS approaches to community-based settlement mapping. 
9. Use spatial modelling and geospatial analytics for vulnerability assessment. 
10. Develop GIS-based maps supporting inclusive urban planning and housing interventions. 
11. Apply artificial intelligence and machine-learning techniques to geospatial classification. 
12. Produce professional GIS maps, dashboards, and decision-support outputs. 
13. Support evidence-based policy, infrastructure investment, climate resilience, and sustainable urban development. 

Organizational Benefits
 

• Improved evidence-based informal settlement planning and management. 
• Enhanced spatial data quality and accessibility. 
• Better identification of infrastructure and service gaps. 
• More effective housing and settlement upgrading programmes. 
• Stronger disaster risk and climate vulnerability assessment. 
• Improved land-use and urban development decision-making. 
• Enhanced monitoring of settlement expansion and transformation. 
• Better coordination between planning, housing, infrastructure, and environmental departments. 
• More effective community participation and stakeholder engagement. 
• Strengthened institutional geospatial and urban analytics capacity. 

Target Audiences
 

1. Urban planners and city development officers. 
2. GIS and remote sensing professionals. 
3. Surveyors and land administration specialists. 
4. Housing and informal settlement development practitioners. 
5. Municipal and local government officials. 
6. Infrastructure, transport, and utilities planners. 
7. Environmental and disaster risk management professionals. 
8. Researchers, development practitioners, and non-governmental organization specialists. 

Course Duration: 5 days

Course Modules

Module 1: Foundations of Informal Settlement Mapping and GIS
 

• Concepts, characteristics, typologies, and spatial dimensions of informal settlements. 
• GIS fundamentals, coordinate systems, projections, and spatial data structures. 
• Informal settlement mapping frameworks and urban geospatial standards. 
• Spatial indicators for density, accessibility, land use, and settlement morphology. 
• Data sources including OpenStreetMap, satellite imagery, cadastral data, and census information. 
• Global case study: GIS-supported informal settlement mapping in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Module 2: Remote Sensing and Satellite-Based Settlement Mapping
 

• Satellite imagery selection, preprocessing, resolution, and image interpretation. 
• Spectral characteristics of buildings, roads, vegetation, and informal settlements. 
• Image classification and settlement extraction techniques. 
• Change detection for monitoring settlement expansion. 
• Introduction to machine-learning-assisted remote sensing classification. 
• Global case study: Satellite-based informal settlement monitoring in Cape Town, South Africa. 

Module 3: GIS Database Design and Spatial Data Management
 

• Designing geodatabases for informal settlement information. 
• Data models, attribute structures, metadata, and quality control. 
• Integration of demographic, infrastructure, land-use, and environmental datasets. 
• Spatial data cleaning, validation, geocoding, and standardization. 
• Open-source and commercial GIS database management workflows. 
• Global case study: Integrated urban geospatial databases for settlement planning in Mumbai, India. 

Module 4: Field Data Collection, GPS/GNSS and Mobile GIS
 

• GPS/GNSS principles and field positioning techniques. 
• Mobile GIS applications for household and infrastructure surveys. 
• Designing digital questionnaires and georeferenced field datasets. 
• Community-based mapping and participatory GIS methodologies. 
• Field verification, accuracy assessment, and data synchronization. 
• Global case study: Community mapping and mobile GIS in Kibera, Kenya. 

Module 5: Spatial Analysis of Informal Settlements
 

• Density, proximity, accessibility, clustering, and spatial distribution analysis. 
• Mapping roads, water, sanitation, electricity, schools, health facilities, and public spaces. 
• Network analysis for service accessibility and infrastructure planning. 
• Spatial indicators for settlement vulnerability and living conditions. 
• Multi-criteria spatial analysis for prioritizing upgrading interventions. 
• Global case study: Spatial service-accessibility analysis in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Module 6: Settlement Growth, Risk and Climate Vulnerability Mapping
 

• Mapping historical and current informal settlement expansion. 
• Flood, landslide, heat, environmental, and disaster-risk mapping. 
• Climate vulnerability indicators and spatial risk modelling. 
• Identifying high-risk households, infrastructure, and development zones. 
• GIS applications in climate adaptation and disaster preparedness. 
• Global case study: Flood-risk mapping of informal settlements in Jakarta, Indonesia. 

Module 7: Advanced GIS, Drones and Geospatial Analytics
 

• Drone imagery, orthomosaics, elevation models, and three-dimensional mapping. 
• High-resolution imagery for building footprint and settlement morphology extraction. 
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning for automated feature detection. 
• Spatial modelling, predictive analysis, and geospatial dashboards. 
• Integrating drone, satellite, GPS/GNSS, and community-generated data. 
• Global case study: Drone-assisted settlement mapping and upgrading in Medellín, Colombia. 

Module 8: GIS-Based Planning, Visualization and Decision Support
 

• Producing professional thematic maps and informal settlement atlases. 
• Designing GIS dashboards for monitoring settlement conditions and interventions. 
• Mapping upgrading priorities, infrastructure investments, and housing strategies. 
• Communicating spatial evidence to policymakers and communities. 
• Developing GIS-based monitoring frameworks for sustainable urban development. 
• Global case study: Geospatial decision-support systems for informal settlement upgrading in South Africa. 

Training Methodology
 

• Instructor-led presentations and interactive technical discussions. 
• Practical GIS demonstrations and guided computer-based exercises. 
• Hands-on spatial data processing and map-production assignments. 
• Remote sensing and satellite imagery interpretation exercises. 
• GPS/GNSS, mobile GIS, and field-data collection simulations. 
• Participatory mapping and group-based geospatial problem-solving. 
• Global case-study analysis and comparative urban mapping exercises. 
• GIS project development, visualization, presentation, and peer review. 

Register as a group from 3 participants for a Discount

Send us an email: info@datastatresearch.org or call +254724527104

Certification

Upon successful completion of this training, participants will be issued with a globally- recognized certificate.

Tailor-Made Course

We also offer tailor-made courses based on your needs.

Key Notes

a. The participant must be conversant with English.
 
b. Upon completion of training the participant will be issued with an Authorized Training Certificate
 
c. Course duration is flexible and the contents can be modified to fit any number of days.
 
d. The course fee includes facilitation training materials, 2 coffee breaks, buffet lunch and A Certificate upon successful completion of Training.
 
e. One-year post-training support Consultation and Coaching provided after the course.
 
f. Payment should be done at least a week before commence of the training, to DATASTAT CONSULTANCY LTD account, as indicated in the invoice so as to enable us prepare better for you.