The Land Evaluation Tool within the "Tanzania Food and Land Productivity Information System"

The Land Evaluation Tool provides capabilities for calculating crop suitability for Tanzania on a scale of 250 meters via a web based interface. While maize - as a major crop in Tanzania - is set as the default crop in the tool, information on input parameters for other crops are provided, thus users can evaluate land suitability for wide variety of crops. The land suitability calculation is based on the FAO framework for land evaluation and applies the Storie index in order to derive the suitability classes (see also the link to a more comprehensive description below). It allows generating results as land suitability maps (categorized in 4 suitability classes) and to finally download the results as (geo-) TIF images for further processing on the users’ desktop computer. The tool was developed using open source based GIS tools such as OpenLayers, MapServer, PostGIS and GDAL/OGR.  Many natural resource data layers (such as selection of soil properties based on 250m soil grids and climate parameters such as precipitation or temperature are available by default. In addition, you can temporally include your own data and therefore the tool calculation algorithm can be used for many additional subjects related to suitability. Overall the purpose of the tool is to provide land evaluation capabilities for everybody right on the web. Users do not need sophisticated skills in GIS but can follow a guided step by step approach.