Launch of New Versions of the ECOWREX Flagship Products

New Versions of the ECOWREX Flagship Products
New Versions of the ECOWREX Flagship Products

The ECOWAS Centre for Renewable and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) officially released new versions of the ECOWREX Interactive Data Portal, and the Map Viewer, both being flagship products on ECOWREX - an open data platform for managing and sharing renewable energy and energy efficiency information on ECOWAS Member States. Both versions are accessible online on the ECOWREX website.

ECOWREX was set up to improve existing knowledge in the energy sector, bridge information gap, alleviate information barriers within the ECOWAS region, and provide decision makers, project developers, investors and other stakeholders with tailored information and planning strategies. To quote the Executive Director of ECREEE, “One of our goals is to establish a good data culture reputation and become a leading institution in knowledge management on renewable energy and energy efficiency in Africa.”

The new ECOWREX Interactive Data Portal which is currently available in English and French archives over 28,000 fresh data points covering renewable energy and energy efficiency information from 2010 to 2016 for the 15 ECOWAS Member States compared to the previous version which contained a little over 8,000 data points dating information up to 2013. The new release was designed and developed in-house by the ECOWREX Unit of ECREEE. Its extended functionality now permits end users to access information under various topics and indicators including but not limited to electricity, energy access, renewable energy policy and energy efficiency. The portal is easily integrated and shared on other web platforms and the raw data is downloadable in various formats for further analysis.

The new map viewer has been revamped into a complete ECOWREX Spatial Data Infrastructure, following international ISO and Open Geospatial Consortium standards in geospatial data interoperability and sharing. New data sets on solar and wind power potential maps, energy access maps for non-electrified communities in West Africa, and hydro power resource potential of all river basins in the region have been generated. Additionally, a metadata catalogue has been developed to provide standardised information on the geospatial data and to make the maps accessible by other international platforms, which contributes to increased visibility of the GIS maps. End users can now explore, share and download easily the geospatial data with the improved functionality. The ECOWREX Spatial Data Infrastructure was developed by ECREEE in partnership with UNIGE (Geneva), KNUST (Ghana) and NOVELTIS (France) through the ACP-EU Science and Technology Programme II (ACP S&T II), with the project titled “Promoting Sustainable Energy Services through the use of Geospatial Technology in West Africa” (ECOWREX2).

News Type: 

Ecowrex specific new