Data Policy

Principles of management, quality and dissemination of geospatial data on the Géoportail National du Cameroun.

Openness principles

The Géoportail National du Cameroun is committed to opening geospatial data in the national interest. Free access to geographic data is an essential lever for economic development, public transparency and sustainable land management.

The National Institute of Cartography (INC) encourages the widest possible dissemination of geospatial data produced by public institutions, while respecting national security and confidentiality constraints.

Data license

By default, geospatial data published on the Geoportal is made available under Open Licence / Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0. This license allows:

Reproduction and redistribution of data
Adaptation and creation of derivative works
Commercial use, provided the source is acknowledged

Some datasets may be subject to restrictive licenses due to their sensitive nature (defense data, contested administrative boundaries, etc.). These restrictions are clearly indicated in the metadata of each dataset within the geocatalogue.

Data quality

The quality of geospatial data is a priority for INC. Each dataset published on the Geoportal is accompanied by metadata conforming to the international standard ISO 19115, including:

Quality indicators: spatial accuracy, completeness, logical consistency
Data lineage: sources, production methods, applied treatments
Update frequency: daily, monthly, annual or occasional
Geographic and temporal coverage extent

Data producers are required to provide this metadata upon publication and to keep it up to date.

Available formats

Geospatial data is disseminated in open and interoperable formats, conforming to Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards:

Vector data

GeoJSON
Shapefile (.shp)
GeoPackage (.gpkg)

Raster data

GeoTIFF (.tif)
JPEG géoréférencé (.jpg, .jpeg)
Sentinel-1 / Sentinel-2 (.zip SAFE)

OGC web services

WMS — Web Map Service (map images)
WFS — Web Feature Service (vector data)
WMTS — Web Map Tile Service (map tiles)

Reuse conditions

The reuse of open data from the Geoportal is free of charge, subject to compliance with the following conditions:

Mandatory attribution: cite the source (INC / Géoportail National du Cameroun) and the data date
Non-alteration of source: do not distort the meaning of the data when reusing it
Commercial use: authorized under Open Licence Etalab 2.0, unless otherwise stated on the dataset

For data under a restrictive license, prior authorization from INC is required before any reuse.

Error reporting

Data quality is a shared responsibility. Users of the Geoportal are encouraged to report any error, inconsistency or outdated information they may find in the published data.

Reports can be made via the contact form on the platform or by email to support@geoportail.cm. Each report is reviewed by the INC team and followed up.

Governance

The governance of the Geoportal's geospatial data is ensured by the National Institute of Cartography (INC), in coordination with partner ministries and organizations producing data:

Ministry of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure
Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development
National Institute of Statistics (INS)
Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ART)

INC provides technical coordination, defines publication standards and ensures the overall consistency of data published on the platform.

Last updated: January 2025 — Institut National de Cartographie (INC), Yaoundé, Cameroon.