This dataset maps regions across Africa with high geothermal energy exploration potential, identifying areas where further research and investment are most likely to yield significant returns. The mapping represents a synthesis of the Indicator Analysis performed by TNO (Hofstra, 2023), specifically selecting the most and least favorable technical outcomes under the assumption of a clay-poor sandstone (CP) compaction model.

To ensure structural robustness and account for geological uncertainty, the indicator results have been projected onto four distinct geological basin models:

• BGS TARGET Model: Projecting indicator values onto basin shapefiles defined by the British Geological Survey.
• Evenick Model: Utilizing sedimentary basin structures characterized by surface porosity and thickness according to Evenick’s framework.
• Getech Model: Integrating regional basin delineations to refine spatial prospectivity based on gravity and crustal structure data.
• Robertson CGG Model: Applying indicator analysis to high-resolution basin geometries to evaluate technical performance.

Key Indicators & Methodology

The favorable results displayed in these maps are derived from a multi-criteria evaluation which includes:

• Thermal Performance: Integration of the 3D conductive thermal model to identify viable reservoir temperatures at depth.
• Reservoir Quality: Assessment of potential hydraulic transmissivity based on depth-dependent porosity and permeability for sedimentary aquifers.
• Economic Viability: Calculations involving the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) to distinguish areas where energy extraction is most cost-effective.

This layer is part of the Geothermal Atlas for Africa developed within the LEAP-RE project.

The Biodiversity Intactness Index shows the modelled average abundance of originally-present species in a grid cell, as a percentage, relative to their abundance in an intact ecosystem. Originally available for year 2015, the data is now available in a time series covering the period 2000-2015 - here we provide a bi-decade subset of the index.

The Copernicus Global Land Service - Burnt Area products depict burn scars, surfaces which have been sufficiently affected by fire to display significant changes in the vegetation cover (destruction of dry material, reduction or loss of green material) and in the ground surface (temporarily darker because of ash). The monthly products are available at global scale in the spatial resolution of 300 m and cover the period from January 2019 to April 2022. The pixel bears the value of the day of the year in which the burn scars were visible while, if selected for mapping in this platform, the dataset shows the burn scars detected in the selected month.

This dataset is an index that estimates the relative value provided by coral reefs that protect coastlines through reduction of wave height and wave energy. The value as of 2014 is modelled as a function of exposed populations and infrastructure that received some level of protection from coastal and barrier reefs, and is described in relative terms, classified by decile (i.e., grouped into the most valuable ten percent of reefs for protection, the second-most valuable tenth of reefs, etc.). It was calculated at 1 kilometre (km) resolution globally, encompassing all countries and territories containing coral reefs.

Poverty affects billions of people around the globe. On a daily basis, they face low wages and substandard health, education, and living standards. Because of this, poverty must be understood and approached as a multidimensional issue. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) acknowledges that poverty has many faces. The second dimension in the MIP is the Education dimension. This includes years of schooling and child school attendance. This map shows the percentage contribution of the education dimension to overall poverty. The lower percentages are shown in darker blues while the higher percentages are shown as brighter, lighter blues.

This layer provides the Effective Leaf Area Index (LAIe), a critical parameter for modeling evapotranspiration and carbon fluxes between the biosphere and the atmosphere. Monitoring the distribution and seasonal evolution of LAI is essential for assessing vegetation health and ecosystem dynamics across Africa.

The Effective Leaf Area Index is a quantitative measure of the amount of live green leaf material present per unit ground surface. Unlike "True LAI," which represents the total physical leaf area, the Effective LAI is derived from canopy gap fraction measurements and assumes a random distribution of foliage. It is a non-dimensional quantity, typically expressed in units of m²/m².

This dataset is widely utilized in agro-meteorology, biogeochemical modeling, and General Circulation Models (GCMs) to parameterize vegetation cover and its complex interactions with the atmosphere.

This layer is part of the Earth Land Information System (ELIS).

This layer presents the Effective Leaf Area Index (LAIe) Anomalies, representing the deviation of current vegetation density from the historical average. Monitoring the change of LAI is essential for assessing the evolution of the vegetation over Africa.

LAI anomalies are calculated relative to the average values between 2003 and 2010. The dataset captures LAI anomalies every 10 days, reflecting the high variability and rapid changes in African vegetation cover. Increases in temperature and precipitation deficits are the primary drivers for negative anomalies (reduced foliage density). Beyond climatic factors, human activities or animal grazing may also locally impact the state and density of leaves.

This layer is part of the a href="https://fapar.jrc.ec.europa.eu/_www/index.php">Earth Land Information System (ELIS).

This layer maps the distribution of diverse geothermal play types categorized by:

• Location: Precise spatial boundaries of geothermal provinces.

• Geodynamic Setting: Classification by tectonic regime.

• Play Type: Categorization based on heat source and fluid transport mechanisms.

• Energy Application: Indication of suitability for power production or direct-use applications.

The Global Gridded Relative Deprivation Index (GRDI) characterizes the relative levels of multidimensional deprivation and poverty, where a value of 100 represents the highest level of deprivation and a value of 0 the lowest. GRDI is built from sociodemographic and satellite data inputs that were spatially harmonized, indexed, and weighted into six main components to produce the final GRDI layer.

The INFORM Risk Index 2021 is a composite model structured into a hierarchy of dimensions, categories, and components. All scores are normalized on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 being the highest risk).

Below is the clear breakdown of the index's architecture based on your descriptions:

1. The Composite Index

The top-level score representing a country's overall risk of humanitarian crisis. It is used to assign countries into Risk Classes:

• Low: ≤3.5
• Medium: 3.5−5.0
• High: 5.0−6.5
• Very High: ≥6.5

2. Dimension: Vulnerability

This dimension measures the predisposition of a population to be affected by a hazard based on economic, political, and social characteristics.

Sub-Index: Socio-Economic Vulnerability

An aggregate index covering three main components of systemic instability:

• Development Deprivation: Measures poverty using the Human Development Index (HDI) and Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
• Inequality: Captures the dispersion of human development, including the Gender Inequality Index and the Gini Coefficient.
• Aid Dependency: Measures economic instability through reliance on public aid, development assistance, and remittances.

Sub-Index: Vulnerable Groups

Captures social groups with limited access to care and heightened susceptibility:

• Uprooted People: Tracks refugees, IDPs, and returnees.
• Children Under 5: Specifically monitors child malnutrition and mortality rates.
• Recent Shocks: Factors in populations already affected by natural disasters in the last 3 years.
• Food Security: Captures trends in chronic hunger and nutritional balance.
• Health Conditions: Monitors the prevalence of pandemics (HIV, TB, Malaria) and neglected tropical diseases.

3. Dimension: Lack of Coping Capacity

This dimension measures the ability of a country to manage and recover from disasters through its infrastructure and government effort.

Sub-Index: Institutional Capacity

Measures the "soft" infrastructure of a country's disaster management:

• Governance: Captures government effectiveness, resilience-building, and political integrity (lack of corruption).
• DRR Implementation: Quantifies how well Disaster Risk Reduction activities are actually put into practice.

Sub-Index: Infrastructure

Measures the "hard" assets and systems available during a crisis:

• Communication: Evaluates the efficiency of early warning dissemination and the literacy/education of the recipients.
• Physical Connectivity: Assesses the accessibility of transport and the quality/availability of water and sanitation services.
• Access to Healthcare: Captures health system strength, including physician density and maternal/infant health services.

The International Wealth Index is an asset-based wealth index that runs from 0 (no assets) to 100 (all assets) and is comparable across place and time. The lower the level of the Index, the greater the potential of electricity access to reduce poverty and foster development.

Poverty affects billions of people around the globe. On a daily basis, they face low wages and substandard health, education, and living standards. Because of this, poverty must be understood and approached as a multidimensional issue. The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) acknowledges that poverty has many faces. The third and last dimension in the MPI is the Living Standard dimension. This includes access to electricity, improved sanitation services and safe drinking water, flooring, cooking fuel, and assets ownership. This map shows the percentage contribution of the Living Standards Dimension to the overall poverty index. The lower percentages are shown in darker greens while the higher percentages are shown as brighter, lighter greens.

The Rule of Law Index, generated by the World Justice Project, illustrates the perceived adherence to the Rule of Law per country. Rule of law is defined here as a durable system of laws, institutions, norms, and community commitment that delivers accountability, just laws, open government, and accessible justice. These principles are measured across eight factors:

1. Constraints on Government Powers
2. Absence of Corruption
3. Open Government
4. Fundamental Rights
5. Order and Security
6. Regulatory Enforcement
7. Civil Justice
8. Criminal Justice

The Rule of Law Index aggregate the scores across factors. A high ranking (a low numerical rank) means that perceived adherence to the Rule of Law is higher. 0=weakest, 1=strongest. 

This dataset is part of the LEAP-RE project collection. For more information visit https://www.leap-re.eu/

Droughts affect millions of people in the world each year and have long-lasting socioeconomic impacts. They can occur over most parts of the world, even in wet and humid regions, and can profoundly impact agriculture, basic household welfare, tourism, ecosystems and the services they provide. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is the most commonly used indicator worldwide for detecting and characterizing meteorological droughts, which are prolonged periods of less than average rainfall in a given region. It measures precipitation anomalies at a given location, based on a comparison of observed total precipitation amounts for an accumulation period of interest (in this case, 3 months), with the long-term rainfall record for that period. SPI values below ‒1.0 indicate rainfall deficits (drier than normal – yellow to red), while SPI values above 1.0 indicate excess rainfall (wetter than normal – purple to blue). The lower the SPI, the more intense is the drought. The layer show the SPI-3 from the month second to last and is updated monthly.

Where are the best places to spot the most requested wildlife-watching species? This grid layer presents a richness index of top wildlife watching species/groups, including rhinos, elephants, lions, leopards, buffalos, giraffes, lowland and mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, sifakas, ringtails, aye-aye, mouse lemurs and colobus.

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario;
• up up side scenario.

• Cooling Absorption System;
• Refrigeration Absorption System;
• Binary ORC Power Plant;
• Flash Power Plant;
• Heat for Direct Use;
• Heat for High Temperature Heat Pump;

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario, modelling a better fluid flow;
• up up side, modelling both better fluid flow and higher underground temperatures.

• Cooling Absorption System;
• Refrigeration Absorption System;

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario, modelling a better fluid flow;
• up up side, modelling both better fluid flow and higher underground temperatures.

• Binary ORC Power Plant;
• Flash Power Plant;

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario, modelling a better fluid flow;
• up up side, modelling both better fluid flow and higher underground temperatures.

• Direct Use;
• High Temperature Heat Pump;

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario, modelling a better fluid flow;
• up up side, modelling both better fluid flow and higher underground temperatures.

This dataset maps the critical structural and tectonic features across Africa that serve as key indicators for geothermal resource potential. These layers delineate "fault/fracture zones" which are considered a primary geothermal resource play type for both magmatic and non-magmatic settings.

The layers in the dataset are:

• Active faults (BGS) – derived from the Trans-African Regional Geo-data for the Energy Transition (TARGET) model of the British Geological Survey;
• Active Faults GEM) – compilled as part of the GEM's global Probablistic Seismic Hazard modeling efforts;
• Major faults – derived from the Trans-African Regional Geo-data for the Energy Transition (TARGET) model of the British Geological Survey;
• Major faults - East-African Rift System - showing the location of major faults in the East-African Rift System, derived from Chrowicz (2005), part of the East African Rift Temperature and Heat flow model (EARTH).

These fault layers are crucial for characterizing subsurface hydraulic properties. Specifically, the dataset's features are utilized to:

• Determine Permeability and Transmissivity: Active fault zones are modeled to have high fault/fracture permeability, accounting for a hydraulic transmissivity of 20 Darcy-meters up to a depth of 3 km.
• Define Reservoir Thickness: For performance calculations, the corresponding "aquifer" permeability within these active fault zones is set to 10,000 mDarcy with an assumed thickness of 20 meters.
• Model Geothermal Production: These structural features are integrated into the "resource fast model" as thin reservoirs for geothermal doublet systems (systems with at least one production and one injection well) situated in fractured basement or sedimentary rock.
• Support Spatial Analysis: The locations of these active faults are rasterized and combined with 3D temperature grids (where magmatic areas and active volcanoes exhibit elevated heat production) to calculate local geothermal energy conversion scenarios across the continent.

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario;
• up up side scenario.

• base case scenario;
• upside scenario;
• up up side scenario.

This dataset provides the P50 projections for a geothermal system utilizing a Chiller unit.

Chiller refers to an absorption chiller or heat pump integrated into the geothermal system. It is used to provide cooling (by utilizing the geothermal heat) or to extract additional heat from the return fluid, thereby increasing the system's overall thermal harvest.

P50 is a statistical term used in risk analysis and forecasting. P50 represents the median scenario, meaning there is a 50% probability that the actual outcome will be higher than this value and a 50% probability it will be lower. It serves as the baseline "best estimate."

• Coefficient of Performance (COP) [-]: A measure of efficiency, defined as the ratio of useful heating or cooling provided to the work (energy) required to operate the Chiller. Higher values indicate greater efficiency.

• Doublet Net Production [MW]: The actual useful power output (Megawatts) generated by the "doublet" (one production well + one injection well), subtracting any energy used by pumps or auxiliary equipment.

• Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) [US$ct/kWh]: The average revenue per unit of energy needed to recover the cost of building and operating the plant over its entire life cycle. It essentially represents the break-even price.

• Net Present Value (NPV) [million US$]: The current financial value of all future cash flows the project will generate, minus the initial investment costs. A positive NPV generally indicates a profitable project.

• Optimized Depth of the Aquifer [m]: The calculated ideal drilling depth (meters) to reach the geothermal reservoir that balances drilling costs with temperature/flow benefits.

• Pressure needed to drive pumps [Bar]: The total pressure difference required to drive the thermal loop through the reservoir and wellbore.

• Production Flow Rate [m³/h]: The volume of geothermal fluid extracted from the reservoir per hour (cubic meters per hour).

• Temperature at Reservoir [°C]: The natural temperature (Celsius) of the geothermal fluid within the subsurface rock formation before it is brought to the surface.

• Transmissivity [Dm]: A measure of how easily fluid flows through the porous aquifer. It is the product of hydraulic conductivity and aquifer thickness (often measured in Darcy-meters). High transmissivity means easier extraction.

• Well Distance [m]: The physical distance (meters) between the production well (extraction) and the injection well (return). Proper spacing prevents "short-circuiting," where cool injected water lowers the temperature of the production well too quickly.

This dataset provides the P50 projections for a Direct Heat geothermal system.

Direct Heat refers to the use of geothermal energy for applications such as space heating, industrial processes, or agriculture. In the utilized model, it is assumed a minimum production temperature of at least 60°C and a reinjection temperature of 40°C.

P50 is a statistical term used in risk analysis and forecasting. P50 represents the median scenario, meaning there is a 50% probability that the actual outcome will be higher than this value and a 50% probability it will be lower. It serves as the baseline "best estimate."

• Coefficient of Performance (COP) [-]: A measure of efficiency, defined as the ratio of useful heating or cooling provided to the work (energy) required to operate the Chiller. Higher values indicate greater efficiency.

• Doublet Net Production [MW]: The actual useful power output (Megawatts) generated by the ""doublet"" (one production well + one injection well), subtracting any energy used by pumps or auxiliary equipment.

• Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) [US$ct/kWh]: The average revenue per unit of energy needed to recover the cost of building and operating the plant over its entire life cycle. It essentially represents the break-even price.

• Net Present Value (NPV) [million US$]: The current financial value of all future cash flows the project will generate, minus the initial investment costs. A positive NPV generally indicates a profitable project.

• Optimized Depth of the Aquifer [m]: The calculated ideal drilling depth (meters) to reach the geothermal reservoir that balances drilling costs with temperature/flow benefits.

• Pressure needed to drive pumps [Bar]: The total pressure difference required to drive the thermal loop through the reservoir and wellbore.

• Production Flow Rate [m³/h]: The volume of geothermal fluid extracted from the reservoir per hour (cubic meters per hour).

• Temperature at Reservoir [°C]: The natural temperature (Celsius) of the geothermal fluid within the subsurface rock formation before it is brought to the surface.

• Transmissivity [Dm]: A measure of how easily fluid flows through the porous aquifer. It is the product of hydraulic conductivity and aquifer thickness (often measured in Darcy-meters). High transmissivity means easier extraction.

• Well Distance [m]: The physical distance (meters) between the production well (extraction) and the injection well (return). Proper spacing prevents ""short-circuiting,"" where cool injected water lowers the temperature of the production well too quickly.

This dataset provides the P50 projections for a Direct Heat with Heat Pump geothermal system.

Direct Heat with Heat Pump refers to a scenario where a geothermal system is integrated with an industrial heat pump to upgrade low-grade heat. This allows for production from geothermal temperatures as low as 40°C, which are then heated by the pump to a delivery temperature of 80°C. The reinjection temperature is set to the production temperature minus 20°C, with a absolute minimum of 15°C.

P50 is a statistical term used in risk analysis and forecasting. P50 represents the median scenario, meaning there is a 50% probability that the actual outcome will be higher than this value and a 50% probability it will be lower. It serves as the baseline ""best estimate.""

• Coefficient of Performance (COP) [-]: A measure of efficiency, defined as the ratio of useful heating or cooling provided to the work (energy) required to operate the Chiller. Higher values indicate greater efficiency.

• Doublet Net Production [MW]: The actual useful power output (Megawatts) generated by the ""doublet"" (one production well + one injection well), subtracting any energy used by pumps or auxiliary equipment.

• Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) [US$ct/kWh]: The average revenue per unit of energy needed to recover the cost of building and operating the plant over its entire life cycle. It essentially represents the break-even price.

• Net Present Value (NPV) [million US$]: The current financial value of all future cash flows the project will generate, minus the initial investment costs. A positive NPV generally indicates a profitable project.

• Optimized Depth of the Aquifer [m]: The calculated ideal drilling depth (meters) to reach the geothermal reservoir that balances drilling costs with temperature/flow benefits.

• Pressure needed to drive pumps [Bar]: The total pressure difference required to drive the thermal loop through the reservoir and wellbore.

• Production Flow Rate [m³/h]: The volume of geothermal fluid extracted from the reservoir per hour (cubic meters per hour).

• Temperature at Reservoir [°C]: The natural temperature (Celsius) of the geothermal fluid within the subsurface rock formation before it is brought to the surface.

• Transmissivity [Dm]: A measure of how easily fluid flows through the porous aquifer. It is the product of hydraulic conductivity and aquifer thickness (often measured in Darcy-meters). High transmissivity means easier extraction.

• Well Distance [m]: The physical distance (meters) between the production well (extraction) and the injection well (return). Proper spacing prevents ""short-circuiting,"" where cool injected water lowers the temperature of the production well too quickly.

This dataset provides the P50 projections for an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) geothermal power plant.

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) refers to a binary power plant configuration where geothermal fluid (brine) is used to heat a secondary organic working fluid. This process allows for efficient electricity generation from medium-to-low temperature resources (typically 90°C to 150°C). The organic fluid vaporizes, drives a turbine, and is then condensed back into a liquid to repeat the cycle. The geothermal brine is reinjected into the reservoir after passing through the heat exchanger.

P50 is a statistical term used in risk analysis and forecasting. P50 represents the median scenario, meaning there is a 50% probability that the actual outcome will be higher than this value and a 50% probability it will be lower. It serves as the baseline ""best estimate.""

• Coefficient of Performance (COP) [-]: A measure of efficiency, defined as the ratio of useful heating or cooling provided to the work (energy) required to operate the Chiller. Higher values indicate greater efficiency.

• Doublet Net Production [MW]: The actual useful power output (Megawatts) generated by the ""doublet"" (one production well + one injection well), subtracting any energy used by pumps or auxiliary equipment.

• Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) [US$ct/kWh]: The average revenue per unit of energy needed to recover the cost of building and operating the plant over its entire life cycle. It essentially represents the break-even price.

• Net Present Value (NPV) [million US$]: The current financial value of all future cash flows the project will generate, minus the initial investment costs. A positive NPV generally indicates a profitable project.

• Optimized Depth of the Aquifer [m]: The calculated ideal drilling depth (meters) to reach the geothermal reservoir that balances drilling costs with temperature/flow benefits.

• Pressure needed to drive pumps [Bar]: The total pressure difference required to drive the thermal loop through the reservoir and wellbore.

• Production Flow Rate [m³/h]: The volume of geothermal fluid extracted from the reservoir per hour (cubic meters per hour).

• Temperature at Reservoir [°C]: The natural temperature (Celsius) of the geothermal fluid within the subsurface rock formation before it is brought to the surface.

• Transmissivity [Dm]: A measure of how easily fluid flows through the porous aquifer. It is the product of hydraulic conductivity and aquifer thickness (often measured in Darcy-meters). High transmissivity means easier extraction.

• Well Distance [m]: The physical distance (meters) between the production well (extraction) and the injection well (return). Proper spacing prevents ""short-circuiting,"" where cool injected water lowers the temperature of the production well too quickly.

Based on the Geothermal Atlas for Africa , the temperature models at 1 km, 2 km, 3 km, and 4 km depth are part of a 3D conductive thermal model of the African lithosphere.

These layers can be described as follows:

• Model Basis: The layers are derived from a 3D grid with a vertical resolution of 250 meters down to 15 km, constructed using a lithosphere-scale conductive mode. This model incorporates sediment thickness, heat flow, crustal structure, and the depth of the Lithosphere-Asthenosphere Boundary (LAB).
• Calibration: The models are calibrated using a dataset of 923 filtered temperature observations from the British Geological Survey, which were averaged per model grid cell to improve data assimilation.
• Environmental Adjustments:
  • Surface Reference: The ETOPO surface level is used as the top reference level.
  • Magmatic Areas: Magmatic areas have been treated as loci of elevated heat production at a depth range of 3 to 8 km, resulting in temperatures exceeding 200°C at 2 km depth.
• Application: These depth-specific temperature grids serve as primary inputs for assessing the technical performance of geothermal production scenarios across Africa, including direct heating, chilling, and power production (ORC).

This dataset comprises a collection of shapefiles detailing the geographical locations and attributes of various wells across Africa, with a strong focus on geothermal exploration and assessment. Together, these layers offer a valuable resource for geothermal energy planning, subsurface geological analysis, and infrastructure mapping. The collection includes the following spatial data layers:

• Wells: Maps the locations of various existing well types and provides critical geothermal metrics where available, including well names, temperature correction states, thermal gradients, heat flow, and heat production data.
• BGS Well: A compiled spatial layer derived from scientific literature that categorizes well locations and types.
• Planned wells: Highlights the prospective locations of future geothermal wells across the continent.

These layers are part of the Geothermal Atlas for Africa developed within the LEAP-RE project"