Ghana Waterways from OpenStreetMap for Flood Risk and Watershed Analysis

OpenStreetMap exports of water features across Ghana, including rivers, streams, canals, lakes, and ponds. The data is compiled by the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) and was last updated on 2026-05-15. Completeness varies by region, with urban areas likely being well-mapped and remote areas potentially incomplete.

Use Cases

• Flood-risk modelling based on the spatial distribution of rivers, streams, and water bodies.
• Watershed analysis using the network of waterways and natural water features.
• Creating environmental basemap context for regional planning based on lakes, ponds, and canals.

Strengths

• Covers multiple water feature types including rivers, streams, canals, lakes, and ponds.
• Available in multiple geospatial file formats including GEOPACKAGE, KML, SHP, and GEOJSON.
• Sourced from the collaborative OpenStreetMap project and maintained by the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT).

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Completeness varies by region; urban areas are usually well-mapped, but remote areas may be incomplete.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

OpenStreetMap

Collection Method

Volunteer-contributed mapping via the OpenStreetMap platform.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-15 09:07:21.134364; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Ghana