The African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) utilized Google’s Open Buildings dataset to identify unmapped villages in Nigeria and vaccinate 78,000 previously unreachable children in Katsina State’s Yamma 2 ward.

The dataset, which includes 1.8 billion building footprints created by Google Research Africa, supports health planning and flood protection in multiple African countries.

Collaborating with the University of Southampton and the Katsina State Primary Health Care Development Agency, AFENET used GIS tools and high-resolution satellite data to verify over 10,000 buildings, enabling targeted vaccination efforts that reduced zero-dose vaccine prevalence by 65% in six months.

Mapped settlements are now integrated into Nigeria’s national database, improving future health and nutrition program outreach, demonstrating effective use of AI and open data in public health.