The impact of Open Buildings data on healthcare delivery in Africa cannot be overstated. This revolutionary dataset, created by Google Research Africa, provides detailed building footprints for over 1.8 billion structures across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. This information, previously unavailable or outdated, is now empowering governments, NGOs, and startups to make informed decisions that enhance healthcare services for underserved communities.
The Open Buildings dataset includes a new 2.5D Temporal layer, added in 2024, which tracks how buildings change over time. This dynamic feature enables users to understand population needs better, plan clinics, design infrastructure, and deliver aid more efficiently and equitably. In Africa, this data is already making a significant impact on healthcare delivery, as demonstrated by recent initiatives in Rwanda and northern Nigeria.
In Rwanda, the Ministry of Health is using the Open Buildings dataset in partnership with Sand Technologies, a pan-African data science and AI company, to develop a Healthcare Investment Planning Tool. This tool calculates travel times to the nearest clinic, identifies areas lacking healthcare facilities, and recommends optimal locations for new clinics. This streamlined process, which once required weeks of field surveys, now takes minutes, resulting in the planning of new clinics that will serve tens of thousands of previously underserved individuals.
In northern Nigeria, WorldPop at the University of Southampton and the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) Nigeria are using the Open Buildings dataset to reach “zero-dose” children who have not received their first Penta 1 vaccine. By combining building footprints with clinic locations and travel-time models, they have improved population estimates, prioritized outreach efforts, and minimized unnecessary trips to ensure life-saving vaccines reach every child.
Beyond healthcare, Open Buildings data is being utilized in various sectors. Renewable energy developers are using this information to design solar mini-grids tailored to local needs, while disaster response teams are coordinating relief efforts for floods and storms. Urban planners are studying settlement patterns to enhance commuting, job accessibility, and housing. Each use case contributes valuable insights back to the community, continuously improving the dataset and providing a strong foundation for future innovations.
Open Buildings is just one part of a comprehensive health-AI toolkit that includes Google Maps travel-time data, Health AI Developer Foundations, and the Open Health Stack. These tools assist officials in identifying areas where women face long journeys for emergency obstetric care, streamline the creation of healthcare AI models, and offer insights into population dynamics to guide public health policies and resource allocation.
If you are a researcher, policymaker, or social entrepreneur interested in leveraging Open Buildings or other health-AI tools to address real-world challenges, explore the dataset at the provided link and share your experiences with the team. Together, we can continue to transform healthcare delivery in Africa and beyond.
