Use of Geo-Information Systems for Educational Services Provision and Planning in Asal Areas: A Case Study of Garissa County - Kenya

The analysis of the use of Geo- information systems in education planning and management is of great importance in obtaining fundamental information for management of the education sector at different scales and regions within different countries. An essential tool for pertinent results is satellite images providing on the same scale a greater number of data to assess the land use and land cover changes all over the years. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate how modern Geo-technologies can be used to solve some of the Planning and service provision challenges in education sector especially in ASAL areas where such services are highly required. Through case studies of Garissa district, the study seeks to undertake an inventory mapping of Garissa residents settlement patterns and population, road network and utilities, climate change patterns, vegetation and graze area distribution patterns etc. The integration of spatial and non spatial information will be useful to improve the provision and access of services especially library facilities to the residents of remote areas within Garissa county. The focus is on establishing the current levels of uptake, examining the potential usefulness of modern Geo-technologies as a management tool and identifying the principal barriers towards wider implementation. It is expected that the outcome of this project would assist the national and county governments in Kenya and the rest of the world who may wish to use the same GIS model in their decision making, control and planning needs on their various services they are expected to deliver to their citizens.