The Ethiopia Mapping Agency (EMA)

The Ethiopian Mapping Agency (EMA) was originally set up in 1954 as a small section within the Ministry of Education for preparing various maps for schools in Ethiopia. The need for a national mapping was felt vital soon after, and thus the section grew to the Mapping and Geography Institute of Ethiopia after two years. Since then, it has passed through various organizational setups until its establishment as an autonomous agency of the government of Ethiopia under Proclamation No 193 of 1980.

The main responsibility of EMA is the compilation, preparation, analysis, production/publication, administration, and distribution of the following sets of fundamental geo-information data sets in Ethiopia:

• Geodetic Control Networks
• Remotely Sensed Imagery (Aerial Photographs, Satellite Imagery)
• Topographic Maps
• Thematic Maps (Transportation, Utilities and Services, the Natural Environment, Tourist Maps, etc.)
• Hypsography (Contours, DEM, Spot Heights, etc.)
• Hydrography (Lakes, Rivers, Streams, etc.)
• Administrative Boundaries (International, Regional, Zonal, Woreda, etc.)
• Geographic Names
• National Atlas

Furthermore, EMA coordinates and supervises the methodology of any fundamental geo-information data set production activities undertaken within Ethiopia, and regulates the standard and accuracy of surveying and mapping activities in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

EMA has todate produce various topographic and thematic maps of Ethiopia with different scales, some of wich include:
1:2,000,000, 1:1,000,000, 1:250,000, 1:50,000, 1:10,000, 1:2,000 scale maps.

EMA also gives short term and meduim term training in geo-information to internal staff and external customers.

The current organizational structure of EMA is depicted here below.

Organizational Structure of the Ethiopian Mapping Agency

The main activates of the technical directorates are summarized as follows:

Surveying for establishment, maintenance and identification, horizontal and vertical geodetic control points (GCPs), topographic and engineering surey, electronic data processing, and optical instrument maintenance.

Photogarmmetry for photo masicing, orthopoto maps production, DEM generation, aerial triangulationfor aerial photographs archiving data acquisition, positive and negative film processing etc.

Cartography for national topographic and thematic mapping and, urban development maps, Aeronautical charts production, specification and standardization of map, geographic names coordinates (gazetteer) database, atlas preparation, maps, maps revision and etc.

Remote Sensing and GIS for digital and analogue image processing and interpretation for the application of natural resources management, impact assessment, map revision, environment system monitoring and change assessment, agriculture, geological, hydro- geological, early waring system, and food security.

Latest available software of EMA includes:

• Arc Info 9.3.1
• Arc GIS 9.3.1
• Arc View including Image analyst
• ERDAS IMAGEN 9.3
• Virtuozo Photogrammetry software
• ER Mapper 5.0
• Microstation and Auto CAD
• MapInfo, Atlas GIS, SOS map
• GPS data processing soft ware, Hardware and etc.
• Photogrammatic work station
• Film writers
• VRDER A0 size Scanner for films and hardcopies
• A0 size Hp 755, 1050, 2500, 4500 color plotters
• Total station
• High standard GPS
• Roland printing system
• Latest sorecopies machine with up to 50X magnification

Among the major duties of EMA at national level includes:

• National Topographic and Thematic mapping,
• Acquisition, Distribution and processing of high resolution satellite images of different sensor systems
• Aerial photographic flight designing, acquisition, processing distribution, and archiving,
• Color photo-laboratory processing.
• Geodetic networking and intensification
• Standardized Cartographic processing
• Photo masicing
• DEM (Digital Elevation Model generation
• Maintenance and upgrading of serving and cartographic instrument
• Printing service and etc.
• Advance and professional GPS application
• A0 Digitalization scanning, Plotting, hard copies soft copies printing
• Atlas preparation and printing etc.
• Base topographic and baseline mapping EMA based on the user cartographic and mapping shrives for specialized intuition for different thematic application such b as:
• Geological and mapping
• Relevant data processing and provision for master plan projects of different
• River basins and water - sheds management
• Film writing or digital photographs conversation and processing
• Land use and land suitability mapping
• Early warning system
• Rural Infarction designing, planning and ,serving
• Disaster and vulnerability management and monitoring
• Wild life habitat and forest management
• Water shade planning and management
• Tourism mapping and tourist area identification and monitoring
• Urban master planning
• Biodiversity mapping
• Population disruption Mapping and many others
• Consulting on all geo- information mapping related techniques.