Using Social Network Analysis (SNA) to Assess the Availability of Spatial Data and Data Sharing Mechanisms in Rwanda

This paper aims at analysing the extent to which spatial data are accessed and shared among stakeholders. It also uses Social Network Analysis to investigate institutional and individual behaviour in that process. Finally, it investigates the level of cooperation of all involved actors towards Spatial Data Infrastructure development. Results showed that public and private organizations have been individually engaged data collection and management. However, they are still using different standards and this has led to some disparities in terms of spatial data quality. Results also revealed the existing cooperation in data sharing that follow informal relationships through friendship or goodwill. In this case, organizations that use those data for public interest get them for free, while those use them for income generation pay access fees. At the end, spatial data providers and users suggested the establishment of a spatial data sharing policy that will harmonize procedures in spatial data collection and dissemination.