The first road surface type dataset for 50 African countries and regions

Liu, Zixian; Zhou, Qi; Zhang, Fayong; Basommi Laari, Prosper

doi:10.5194/essd-18-267-2026

Articles | Volume 18, issue 1

https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-267-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-267-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 18, issue 1

Data description paper

|

12 Jan 2026

Data description paper |

| 12 Jan 2026

The first road surface type dataset for 50 African countries and regions

Zixian Liu, Qi Zhou, Fayong Zhang, and Prosper Basommi Laari

Data sets

The First Road Surface Type Dataset for 50 African Countries and Regions Zixian Liu and Qi Zhou https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29424107

Short summary

This study developed the first dataset for 50 African countries and regions, incorporating the surface type of every road. It covers 50 African countries and regions. it aims to support the UN's sustainable development goal 9.1. With an accuracy rate of 77%–96%, it correlates well with existing data. It can be used to guide infrastructure upgrades, assess sustainable development goal, and analyze its impacts on traffic safety, energy consumption, ecological environment, and economic development.