Country Profile: Uganda

Country Resources

Topographic
SeriesPublisherScaleYearsSheets
Uganda 1:50,000 Scale Topographic Maps (DMA Y737)Defence Mapping Agency1:50,0001994 – 19948
Uganda 1:250,000 Scale Topographic MapsDepartment of Lands and Surveys, Uganda1:250,0001959 – 197318
Democratic Republic of the Congo 1:50,000 Scale Topographic Maps (RNLAGA)Dienst Geografie Koninklijke Landmacht1:50,0002006 – 200612
Uganda 1:50,000 Scale Topographic Maps (Y732/DOS 426)Directorate of Overseas Surveys1:50,0001957 – 1972317
Uganda 1:50,000 Scale Topographic Maps (Y32_USMD)Surveys and Mapping Department Uganda1:50,0001958 – 2008104
Uganda 1:50,000 Scale Vector Data Surveys and Mapping Department Uganda1:50,0002001 – 200195

Geoscientific
SeriesPublisherScaleYearsSheets
Tanzania 1:2,000,000 Scale Geological MapBureau de Recherches Geologiques et Minieres1:2,000,0002004 – 20041
Uganda 1:500,000 Scale Geological MapsDepartment of Geological Survey and Mines1:500,0002009 – 20092
Uganda 1:100,000 Scale Geological MapsDepartment of Lands and Surveys, Uganda1:100,0001957 – 196524
Uganda 1:250,000 Scale Bouguer Gravity Geological MapsDepartment of Lands and Surveys, Uganda1:250,0001961 – 196410
Uganda 1:250,000 Scale Geological MapsDepartment of Lands and Surveys, Uganda1:250,0001961 – 196214
Ethiopia 1:2,000,000 Scale Geological MapGeological Survey of Ethiopia1:2,000,0001996 – 19961
Rwanda 1:100,000 Scale Geological MapsInstitut Geographique Militaire / Militair Geographisch Instituut (Belgium)1:100,0001964 – 19716

Thematic
SeriesPublisherScaleYearsSheets
The World 1:30,000,000 Scale Topographic Map Series 1145 (NGA)DMA1:30,000,0002

Global Census Archive: GIS Census Data

East View Geospatial has an ongoing effort to add GIS census data to our Global Census Archive program. Please contact us for the status and availability of Uganda census resources.


Global Resources

Topographic
SeriesPublisherScaleYearsSheets
Soviet Military City PlansVoenno-topograficheskoe upravlenie General’nogo shtaba (Soviet Union)Varies1944 – 20033017
Soviet Military 1:100,000 Scale Topographic MapsVoenno-topograficheskoe upravlenie General’nogo shtaba (Soviet Union)1:100,0001947 – 199924897
Soviet Military 1:200,000 Scale Topographic MapsVoenno-topograficheskoe upravlenie General’nogo shtaba (Soviet Union)1:200,0001949 – 200917799
Soviet Military 1:500,000 Scale Topographic MapsVoenno-topograficheskoe upravlenie General’nogo shtaba (Soviet Union)1:500,0001953 – 19983093

Nautical
SeriesPublisherScaleYearsSheets
NGA Nautical Charts POD Certified (All Scales)National Geospatial-Intelligence AgencyVaries1943 – 20134517

Aeronautical
SeriesPublisherScaleYearsSheets
Joint Operations Graphic (JOG) 1:250,000 – AeronauticalDefence Mapping Agency1:250,0001958 – 20074204
Tactical Pilotage Chart (TPC) 1:500,000 Scale – AeronauticalDefence Mapping Agency1:500,0001967 – 2006598
Operational Navigation Chart (ONC) 1:1,000,000 Scale – AeronauticalDefence Mapping Agency1:1,000,0001969 – 2001243
Jet Navigation Chart (JNC) 1:2,000,000 Scale – AeronauticalDefence Mapping Agency1:2,000,0001971 – 1999117
Global Navigation and Planning Chart (GNC) 1:5,000,000 Scale – AeronauticalDefence Mapping Agency1:5,000,0001981 – 199927

Geoscientific
SeriesPublisherScaleYearsSheets
Soviet Military 1:1,000,000 Scale Topographic MapsVoenno-topograficheskoe upravlenie General’nogo shtaba (Soviet Union)1:1,000,0001948 – 19941089

Note: East View Geospatial is continuously sourcing new resources that may not yet be listed in Global Explorer. Please contact us if you have geodata needs beyond what is listed above and we will be happy to discuss available off-the-shelf and custom solutions.


Historical Country Mapping Information

Jump to: Topographic | Geological/Scientific | Soil | Vegetation/Forestry | Cadaster | Tourist/Reference

Topographic

The Surveys and Mapping Department (USMD) carries out official mapping of the country. Uganda’s mapping infrastructure was established under British aid programs between 1950 and the mid-1970s. A 1:50,000 scale series was started in 1950, early editions were planimetric only. Most sheets produced by the Directorate of Overseas Surveys (DOS) (now Ordnance Survey International (OSI)) showed relief with 50 ft contours, and after 1968 with 20 m intervals. This map was completed in 1969 in 316 sheets and the current specification uses the Transverse Mercator projection, modified Clarke 1880 ellipsoid, and conforms to the usual East African pattern. In 1994, and in conjunction with Japanese technical aid, a revision program started to generate new versions from SPOT satellite images. A block of about 50 maps covering the area immediately north of Lake Victoria was published by the end of 1997. Further revision of the series is to be carried out the French financed CAMPUS project, which started in 1996. This will revise other sheets in the series using digital image processed data from SPOT satellite images. It is also planned to establish a digital cadastral database of the country and provide land management administration with accurate and current large scale graphic and textual data.

A 1:250,000 scale series derived from the 1:50,000 map covered Uganda in 20 sheets. Other smaller scale maps include a recent 1:500,000 scale wall map of the country and 1:1,000,000 scale IMW coverage updated in 1997 with national park information. Administrative mapping of Uganda is also compiled and tourist mapping of national parks produced.

Soviet military topographic mapping of Uganda exists at the following scales: 1:1,000,000 (5 sheets, complete coverage, published 1958-1984); 1:500,000 (9 sheets, complete coverage, published 1962-1980); 1:200,000 (7 sheets, northern coverage, published 1979-1982); 1:100,000 (2 sheets, northern coverage, published in 1981) and a city (1:10,000) topographic map of Kampala published in 1981. These products are available in print, digital raster and digital vector GIS formats from East View Geospatial.

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Geological/Scientific

The Uganda Geological Survey Department (now Department of Geological Survey and Mines (UDGSM)) carried out geological and other earth science mapping in the 1960s and 1970s. Series were published at 1:100,000 and 1:250,000 scales, using topographic sheet lines. The 1:250,000 scale series is available for most of the country as a Bouguer gravity edition, and for some areas as a geological map. 1:100,000 scale maps use half-degree sheet lines and give more patchy coverage. Other smaller scale maps show geology, geochemical and gravity data for the whole country.

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Soil

USMD has also coordinated thematic mapping carried out by other official agencies. 1:250,000 scale soil and vegetation maps were compiled in the 1960s and 1970s by the Department of Agriculture, and published as four-color data overprinted on topographic bases.

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Vegetation/Forestry

A more recent initiative funded through the United Nations Development Program and using Norwegian technical aid has led to the establishment of a pilot digital national land use and land cover inventory. This ARC/INFO-based system has been set up in the Uganda Forest Department, Kampala. Data has been captured from 1:50,000 scale topographic coverage and the results have been generalized and published in hard copy and as digital data, with 1:500,000 scale coverage produced in 1996 for the National Biomass Study. The third phase of this project is establishing a framework for monitoring land cover and biomass across the country.

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Cadaster

Large-scale coverage of Kampala and about 40 towns is also published including photogrammetric 1:2,500 scale mapping, used to derive 1:10,000 or 1:12,500 scale maps. A program of digital mapping funded through the World Bank and executed with German technical aid is updating these surveys for Kampala, which is covered in 324 1:2,500 scale photogrammetric digital topographic maps, some of which are linked to digital cadastral data. In 1995 the first three digital 1:10,000 scale maps from a projected coverage of 21 sheets for the city center were issued. The area of the extended city will be covered by a 1:25,000 scale digital map.

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Tourist/Reference

Small-scale tourist mapping of Uganda has recently been published by Shell Uganda, International Travel Maps (ITM) and Macmillan, who also issue administrative mapping and a town map of Kampala. Mapping of the Ruwenzori mountains is published by West Col. The country is also covered on maps described in our Africa, East section.

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Content copyright © 2014 De Gruyter for e-version of World Mapping Today, 2nd Edition