GIS / Government
Environmental Risk GIS Platform
A Google Maps-like platform to map and register environmental risk zones across Madagascar.
Overview
Built a geographic information system from the ground up to map, trace, and register environmental risk zones across Madagascar. The platform enables government and environmental agencies to visualize flood zones, erosion areas, and other environmental hazards on an interactive map.
The Problem
Madagascar faces significant environmental challenges (cyclones, flooding, deforestation, erosion) but had no centralized digital system for mapping risk zones. Environmental data existed in paper records and disconnected spreadsheets. Agencies needed a way to draw risk zones on a map, attach metadata, and query geospatial data to make decisions about land use, construction permits, and disaster preparedness.
Approach
Interactive map with zone tracing
Built an interactive map interface using Vue.js where users can draw polygons directly on the map to define risk zones. Each zone carries metadata: risk type, severity, date of assessment, responsible agency. The drawing tools support complex geometries including multi-polygons for non-contiguous zones.
Geospatial data pipeline
Used PostGIS (PostgreSQL's geospatial extension) as the data store, with GeoServer as the tile server for rendering map layers. This combination handles spatial queries efficiently. 'Find all flood zones within 5km of this point' executes in milliseconds, even with thousands of zones in the database.
Layer-based visualization
Implemented a layer system where different risk types (flood, erosion, fire, cyclone paths) render as separate toggleable layers on the map. Each layer has its own color scheme and opacity controls, so analysts can overlay multiple risk types to identify compound risk areas.
Challenges
Rendering large geospatial datasets
Some risk zones contain thousands of coordinate points, and loading hundreds of zones at once would freeze the browser. Implemented server-side tile rendering through GeoServer with level-of-detail simplification. At low zoom levels, complex polygons are simplified to reduce data transfer. Full detail loads only when zoomed in.
Data accuracy for government use
The platform's data informs real policy decisions. Built validation rules for zone submissions: minimum polygon area, overlap detection with existing zones, required metadata fields, and an approval workflow where submissions are reviewed before becoming official records.
Results
Delivered a working GIS platform that replaced paper-based risk zone tracking for environmental agencies in Madagascar.
Ground-up
Built from scratch, no existing system
ms-range
Spatial query response times
Gov-grade
Validation and approval workflows
Tech Stack
Leadership
- Owned the full technical stack from database schema design to frontend map interactions.
- Worked directly with domain experts to translate environmental science requirements into software features.