A web based GIS for mapping and reporting illegal solid waste dumpsites.

Abstract

Solid waste management has been a major issue in this country over the years because of the health issues that come with it when not handled properly. It is one of the government’s most pressing concerns. The illegal disposal of solid waste is a significant management problem in cities and thus lowering the livability of these cities. This research aimed at development of an interactive web based GIS for illegal dumpsites reporting so as to integrate the general people in resolving poor solid waste management conditions. Web GIS are systems that exhibit both GIS and web characteristics. More specifically, web GIS are concerned with mapping and visualization of geographical information on a web platform. GPS devices, interviews and questionnaires were used to collect ground data on illegal dumpsite locations, community participation, and solid waste collection information of waste collectors. The application was built using HTML, CSS and JQuery programming languages. A MySQL geodatabase was integrated for storage of dumpsites data. The reported dumpsites are mapped and displayed on a heat map overlaid on a google maps base map for visualization. Additionally, the website would also be used to disseminate waste collection schedule, contact information of the waste collectors for Nakulabye parish. The application can also perform statistical analyses of the reported data. The system was tested with the community people in Nakulabye and many agreed that it would reduce illegal solid waste dumping and create awareness among the citizens regarding waste management and use of internet in improving their surroundings and make it a better place to live in.