What We Map
- Boundary mapping and acreage verification. A GPS walk of the actual perimeter, producing a closed polygon, a measured area in acres and hectares, and a map you can put in front of a buyer, a bank or a neighbour. This is a technical measurement, not a legal survey — cadastral boundaries and titles remain the domain of a registered surveyor, and we will say so plainly when that is what you need.
- Forest inventory and stocking maps. Systematic plot layout, measurement of diameter and height, and stand maps showing stocking, species and volume by compartment.
- Land-cover and change detection. Comparison of satellite imagery across years to show what was cleared, what regenerated and when — the evidence base for deforestation-free claims, carbon baselines and encroachment disputes.
- Site suitability mapping. Combining slope, elevation, drainage, soil and rainfall layers to show where on a property planting will pay and where it will not.
- Drone survey. High-resolution orthomosaics and elevation models for detailed site planning, road layout and progress documentation.
- Thematic mapping for reports. Publication-quality maps for ESIA submissions, investor documents, management plans and grant applications.
- Plantation monitoring. Repeat capture across seasons to track survival, canopy closure, fire damage and growth.
Why Mapping Pays for Itself
Three recurring situations account for most of the value:
- Acreage discrepancies. Land in Uganda is frequently sold on an assumed acreage that has never been measured. A discrepancy discovered before purchase is a negotiating position; discovered after planting it is a loss.
- Unmeasured standing timber. Buyers price uncertainty conservatively. An inventory with a map attached routinely moves the price more than it costs.
- Undocumented land-cover history. Carbon projects, ESG buyers and lenders all want to know what the land looked like before. If nobody captured it, satellite archives can reconstruct it — but only a specialist will do that properly.
What You Receive
| Deliverable | Format | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Boundary polygon & area statement | PDF map, KML/KMZ, shapefile | Purchase decisions, planning, dispute clarity |
| Stocking / compartment map | PDF map + inventory tables | Management planning, harvest scheduling |
| Change-detection series | Annotated imagery, PDF report | Carbon baselines, ESG evidence, encroachment |
| Suitability map | PDF map with layer legend | Deciding what to plant where |
| Drone orthomosaic | GeoTIFF + PDF extract | Detailed site design, progress records |
Spatial files are handed over in open formats. You own your data, and you can take it to any other consultant — we do not lock clients into proprietary deliverables.
How Mapping Fits the Rest of the Work
GIS is rarely bought on its own. It usually sits underneath something else: a forestry feasibility study, an ESIA baseline, a carbon project, or a valuation. Where that is the case we build the mapping into the main engagement rather than billing it as a separate exercise.
Our longer explainer on the technology and its uses in Ugandan forestry is here: GIS and remote sensing in Uganda's forestry sector.
Where We Work in Uganda
Our consultants are based in Wakiso, just outside Kampala, and work on sites across the country. We regularly deliver assignments in:
- Central Uganda: Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Mpigi, Luwero, Nakaseke, Mityana, Mubende, Kiboga, Masaka
- Western Uganda: Hoima, Masindi, Kibaale, Kyenjojo, Kabarole (Fort Portal), Bushenyi, Mbarara, Ntoroko, Kabale
- Northern Uganda: Gulu, Lira, Arua, Nebbi, Adjumani
- Eastern Uganda: Jinja, Mbale, Kapchorwa, Soroti, Iganga
For sites outside Central Uganda we typically combine a desk-based review with a single mobilised field visit, which keeps travel costs down without compromising the quality of the assessment.