Paper short abstract:

GIS Mapping is a well-established procedure used for the collection and processing of geo-spatial data. This paper looks at the options available for mapping artisanal mining and urbanization.

Paper long abstract:

Recent developments has enabled GIS and GPS data to be directly combined with live online satellite mapping imagery within proprietary and open source GIS software and also specialist software such as Google Earth. These have proved to be useful tools for mapping artisanal mine sites and urban change.

This paper demonstrates the benefits gained from using GIS mapping techniques to identify and locate artisanal mining sites; to create random locations for a baseline study of social demographics; and to map migration patterns and urban change in association with the Urbanization and Poverty in Mining Africa (UPIMA) research project in Tanzania.