Partners across Sierra Leone and Arizona State University collaborated to map fundamental spatial features to accelerate the design and installation of rural mini-grids. The team documented settlement patterns, road networks, and utility poles to address the limited and unreliable electricity access that historically hindered remote communities. This effort specifically aimed to empower women and girls by reducing domestic labor burdens and fostering new entrepreneurial opportunities through reliable power. By creating a comprehensive database of distribution networks, the project established a scalable methodology to support United Nations Sustainable Development Goals across the continent. 

Distribution network data mapped in OpenStreetMap will be used to inform national and local decision-makers where and how to implement new mini-grids in rural Sierra Leone. By understanding the location and layout of current low-voltage distribution networks, more accurate estimates of mini-grid configurations can be designed.

The data will also be used for other electrification planning by the Ministry of Energy, national utilities, and other energy sector stakeholders. While regional transmission networks may be adequately charted, the local distribution networks are not typically well mapped. For this project, the team is focused specifically on mapping rural township distribution networks. These are the low-voltage power lines that connect to homes and businesses. Transmission networks, another type of grid network, transmit electricity over long distances between cities and towns. For distribution networks, mapping buildings helps improve understanding of where residents who use electricity live, and mapping roads indicates where power lines are found.