Lesotho Water Features from OpenStreetMap for Flood Modeling

Lesotho's water features, including rivers, streams, canals, lakes, and ponds, exported from OpenStreetMap. The data is compiled by the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) and was last updated on 2026-05-14. Completeness varies by region, with urban areas likely being more detailed than remote areas.

Use Cases

• Model flood-risk based on the mapped network of rivers and streams.
• Conduct watershed analysis using the spatial distribution of water bodies.
• Create an environmental basemap for contextual analysis using the tagged water features.

Strengths

• Data is sourced from OpenStreetMap, a free, collaborative global mapping project.
• Available in multiple geospatial file formats including GEOPACKAGE, SHP, and GEOJSON.
• Covers a defined geographic region (Lesotho) and specific feature types (waterways).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Completeness varies by region; remote areas may be incompletely mapped.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

OpenStreetMap

Collection Method

Volunteer-contributed mapping via the OpenStreetMap platform.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-14 17:48:55.157457; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Lesotho