GIS & Spatial Analysis
Fifty years of field presence, backed by one of Kenya's strongest dryland GIS teams.
The unit
Spatial intelligence built on five decades of presence in the field.
CETRAD's GIS and remote sensing unit combines deep territorial knowledge of Kenya's ASAL lands with a full technical stack - from satellite image analysis and drone surveys to custom web platforms and enterprise GIS deployment.
The team has delivered spatial work for county governments, international research consortia, conservation organisations, and bilateral development programmes. It serves both CETRAD's own research pipeline and external clients seeking analysis they cannot source locally.
50 yrs
of continuous spatial data on the Ewaso Ng'iro basin
8
counties with CETRAD-established GIS units
221
officers trained in GIS and spatial data collection
3
live data platforms serving the region
Services
What we deliver
Mapping & Analysis
Land cover & land use mapping
Satellite and drone-based classification of vegetation, land use change, and habitat extent.
Suitability & terrain analysis
Spatial modelling for site selection, corridor planning, and natural resource assessments.
Environmental baseline studies
Geospatial documentation for EIA, project design, and monitoring frameworks.
Biodiversity monitoring
Spatial tracking of species distribution, habitat connectivity, and ecosystem health.
Topographic & drone mapping
High-resolution elevation models and orthophotos from UAV surveys.
Participatory mapping
Community-led spatial data collection integrating local knowledge into planning processes.
Data Collection & Management
Mobile data collection
Field surveys using KoboToolbox, Survey123, ODK, and custom applications.
Database design & management
Open-source and commercial spatial databases (PostGIS, MySQL, ESRI). Data architecture for research and monitoring programmes.
Workflow automation
Scripted pipelines for data processing, raster analysis, and report generation.
Platforms & Applications
Geoportal development
Custom web mapping platforms using GeoNode, Leaflet, and Django. Open-source and commercial solutions.
Dashboard & application development
Interactive data dashboards (Power BI, custom web apps) for monitoring, reporting, and decision support.
Enterprise GIS deployment
Full-stack GIS infrastructure for organisations and county governments - open-source or ESRI-based.
Spatial planning support
GIS-backed county spatial plans, sub-catchment management plans, and resource allocation tools.
Emerging capability
GeoAI & Machine Learning
CETRAD applies artificial intelligence and machine learning to satellite imagery and field datasets - turning years of sensor data into predictive models that support decision-making at scale.
From automated land cover classification and change detection to flood risk modelling and species distribution forecasting, GeoAI extends what the team can deliver far beyond manual analysis - faster, at finer resolution, and across larger territories.
Image segmentation & classification
Automated feature extraction from multispectral and SAR imagery using supervised and deep learning models.
Predictive environmental modelling
Flood risk, drought likelihood, vegetation stress forecasting - trained on CETRAD's 50-year observational record.
Google Earth Engine pipelines
Cloud-scale analysis of satellite archives - multi-decadal land cover change, NDVI trends, and near-real-time monitoring.
Workflow automation
Scripted Python/R pipelines for repeatable raster analysis, batch processing, and automated reporting.
Training
GIS capacity building
GIS for resource assessment and planning
Applied GIS training for county officers, NGO staff, and field practitioners.
Remote sensing fundamentals
Satellite imagery interpretation, land cover classification, and change detection.
Participatory mapping
Training communities and local institutions in collaborative spatial data production.
IWRM and water resources GIS
Spatial analysis methods for integrated water resource management.
Mobile data collection
KoboToolbox, Survey123, and ODK for field monitoring and baseline surveys.
All training programmes are available on-demand and can be customised for specific organisations, county governments, or field contexts.
Tools & technologies
The tech stack
The team
Who you work with
Kipkemboi Wisdom
Senior GIS/RS Analyst
Peter Eliza Kivinya
GIS/RS Analyst
Muthuri Lee Mutethia
GIS/RS Analyst
Musungu Lucas Martins
GIS/RS Analyst
Kiio Musembi Kennedy
GIS/RS Analyst
Wanjau James Macharia
ICT Manager
Mutuma Franklin
ICT Research Assistant
Murithi Wilfred
GIS/RS Intern
Commission a service
Whether you need a baseline study, a custom web platform, or trained officers - tell us what you need and we'll scope it with you.