SDC Asset Maps Supporting Community Development and National Planning

The Social Development Commission (SDC) is utilising asset mapping to support community development and inform targeted interventions across Jamaica.

Asset maps are available for all 775 communities served by the SDC, identifying the locations of facilities, businesses, infrastructure, and other resources that residents consider important.

Speaking during a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ on Wednesday (September 9), SDC Director of Research, Denerene Allen, informed that the maps are developed with input from community members and utilise Geographic Information System (GIS) technology.

“The map highlights all the places within a community seen as being of value or importance to the community,” she explained.

These may include schools, libraries, churches, health centres, grocery and hardware stores, wholesale establishments, post offices, and police stations.

Ms. Allen noted that comprehensive asset mapping provides valuable baseline data that can be used to assess the impact of natural disasters on communities and their resources.

Using Hurricane Melissa as an example, she explained that the information provides a record of the resources that existed before the hurricane and can be used to identify those that were damaged or are no longer present.

“Right now, Black River looks very different than it did before [Hurricane Melissa]. We have the asset maps that show what it looked like before then, and we’ve been in the process of looking at what has been damaged and where and what is missing,” Ms. Allen indicated.

The information can also be shared with government entities to inform planning and interventions.

For her part, Deputy Executive Director for Community Research, Development Planning and Programmes at the SDC, Juanita Reid, said the Commission can provide digital mapping files to other entities, allowing them to combine the information with their own datasets.

She noted that the Ministry of National Security and Peace requested asset maps for 25 communities being examined under its safety and security initiatives, seeking information on the locations of bars, shops, vandalised businesses, and other features.

“What they do is overlay their crime data over that, so they can tell what the relationship is between where the crime happened and where the asset is. They can also use it to look at hotspot areas where crimes seem to be happening… and they are able to plan strategies to address those issues,” Ms. Reid explained.

Individuals and organisations interested in obtaining an asset map may contact any SDC office to submit a request.