Background

The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-Habitat, is the agency for human settlements. It is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all. UN-Habitat helps the urban poor by transforming cities into safer, healthier, greener places with better opportunities where everyone can live in with dignity. It works with organizations at every level, including all spheres of government, civil society and the private sector to help build, manage, plan and finance sustainable urban development. UN- Habitat established the Data and Analytics Unit (DAU) under the Knowledge and Innovation branch as a specialized statistical unit in charge of global monitoring of the Habitat Agenda and other agendas with an urban linkage. DAU has more than 20 years' experience in the collection, analysis and production of urban data at the world level and in specific cities. In line with UN-Habitat's mandate, DAU is working to a) Improve the capacity of countries and cities to access relevant information, setting global standards in the design analysis and collection of urban data, and supports the translation of data/information into policy formulation; b) Guide methodological developments of the urban related indicators and targets used by the international development community to monitor global progress towards implementation of the NUA and the urban SDGs; c) Improve worldwide urban knowledge base by supporting governments, local authorities and civil societies in the development and application of policy-oriented urban indicators, statistics and other urban information. The Data and Analytics Unit is currently leading SDG 11, the NUA monitoring and overall guidance and support for urban trends monitoring at the global level. As postulated in the SDG monitoring framework, the structures for data collection, and the resulting data should be disaggregated across several thematic areas – gender, age, persons with disability, and location variables. Additional activities include applying the national sample of cities approach and the degree of urbanization methodology as the recommended approach for defining cities, urban and rural areas. The monitoring tasks for these two global agendas have now been consolidated through the Global Urban Monitoring Framework (UMF), which covers 77 urban-level indicators. The Greater Busia Metro (GBM) is a vital cross-border economic zone shared by Kenya and Uganda. Informal women and youth traders (IWYTs) play a significant role in local economies but face insecurity in land tenure and limited access to formal trading spaces. To strengthen evidence-based planning and support tenure reforms, the project includes a dedicated data pillar focused on observatory development, data collection, spatial analytics, and digital monitoring. This work will directly inform policy, planning, and infrastructure investment. UN-Habitat’s Data and Analytics Unit (DAU) will oversee this process in close coordination with regional office for Africa, Busia local authorities, statistical offices, and community-based organizations.

Purpose

UN-Habitat seeks the services of a consultant to lead the development and operationalization of the data systems and Urban Observatory for the “Harnessing Property Rights: Building Resilience of Local Government and Women and Youth Informal Traders in the Greater Busia Metro” project. During the inception phase, core groundwork was completed – baseline study tools were developed, the GBM baseline survey launched, and initial data products, spatial datasets, and Observatory planning documents prepared. Over the next 12 months, the consultant will transition this foundation into a fully functional Urban Observatory by establishing its core systems, operationalizing governance structures, and end-to-end data workflows; developing the online data repository; and building integrated GIS and UMF-aligned analytical tools. This will include producing decision-support dashboards for planning and project M&E, integrating spatial and statistical datasets, and ensuring routine systems and data updates. The consultant will also enhance monitoring and reporting mechanisms, support local and cross-border capacity building, and strengthen coordination among government departments and partners to ensure the Observatory becomes a sustainable and trusted decision-support platform for the GBM.

Duties and responsibilities

The consultant would work under the direct supervision of the project manager and in close collaboration with the Data and Analytics Unit (DAU). He/She will perform the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Data Systems, Analytics and Automation

• Build and maintain R/Python pipelines for: Data cleaning, validation, and integration; Indicator computation automation (cross-border metrics, UMF, SDG 11); Statistical analysis and modelling; Reproducible analytics for dashboards and reports.
• Maintain a data dictionary, metadata standards, and script repositories for all workflows.
• Develop modular, open-source scripts for long-term use by county and district staff.

2. Decision-Support Systems & Dashboard Development

• Design, build, automate, and maintain decision-support dashboards for the Greater Busia Metro Urban Observatory (GBMUO), including: Market, mobility, facilities and infrastructure dashboards; Cross-border service delivery dashboards; Project-level M&E dashboards for GBM reporting; UMF & SDG 11 indicator dashboards
• Develop interactive map viewers integrating GIS layers, indicators, and analytics.
• Build data pipelines that update dashboards automatically using R/Python scripts.
• Develop the public-facing GBMUO Data Portal with map viewers, APIs, open data policy, and role-based access to government, partners, and the public

3. GIS & Spatial Intelligence

• Develop and maintain GIS dashboards and lead all spatial data operations including: Spatial data integration; Digitizing, geocoding, data cleaning; Land-use analysis, buffers, clusters, hotspots; Public service ccessibility and location-allocation models; Flood risk and environmental overlays; Market catchment analysis and mobility corridor mapping.
• Maintain and expand the GBMUO spatial database and ensure geospatial standards are followed.

4. Urban Observatory Operations & Governance

• Oversee daily operationalization of the GBMUO as a decentralized data-driven hub.
• Establish and operationalize governance bodies (Steering Committee, Technical Working Group).
• Align data workflows with UN-Habitat’s Global Urban Monito

• Build and maintain R/Python pipelines for: Data cleaning, validation, and integration; Indicator computation automation (cross-border metrics, UMF, SDG 11); Statistical analysis and modelling; Reproducible analytics for dashboards and reports.
• Maintain a data dictionary, metadata standards, and script repositories for all workflows.
• Develop modular, open-source scripts for long-term use by county and district staff.
• Design, build, automate, and maintain decision-support dashboards for the Greater Busia Metro Urban Observatory (GBMUO), including: Market, mobility, facilities and infrastructure dashboards; Cross-border service delivery dashboards; Project-level M&E dashboards for GBM reporting; UMF & SDG 11 indicator dashboards
• Develop interactive map viewers integrating GIS layers, indicators, and analytics.
• Build data pipelines that update dashboards automatically using R/Python scripts.
• Develop the public-facing GBMUO Data Portal with map viewers, APIs, open data policy, and role-based access to government, partners, and the public
• Develop and maintain GIS dashboards and lead all spatial data operations including: Spatial data integration; Digitizing, geocoding, data cleaning; Land-use analysis, buffers, clusters, hotspots; Public service ccessibility and location-allocation models; Flood risk and environmental overlays; Market catchment analysis and mobility corridor mapping.
• Maintain and expand the GBMUO spatial database and ensure geospatial standards are followed.
• Oversee daily operationalization of the GBMUO as a decentralized data-driven hub.
• Establish and operationalize governance bodies (Steering Committee, Technical Working Group).
• Align data workflows with UN-Habitat’s Global Urban Monito

• R/Python pipelines
• Data cleaning, validation, and integration
• Indicator computation automation
• Statistical analysis and modelling
• Reproducible analytics
• Data dictionary and metadata standards
• Open-source script development
• Decision-support dashboard design and development
• Interactive map viewers
• GIS data operations
• Spatial data integration
• Digitizing, geocoding, data cleaning
• Land-use analysis
• Location-allocation models
• Geospatial standards
• Urban Observatory operationalization
• Governance body establishment

• Experience in developing and operationalizing data systems and Urban Observatories.
• Proficiency in R/Python for data analysis and pipeline development.
• Experience with GIS software and spatial data operations.
• Familiarity with urban indicators, UMF, and SDG 11 monitoring frameworks.
• Experience in developing decision-support dashboards and data portals.
• Understanding of urban development challenges, particularly in cross-border economic zones.
• Experience in capacity building and stakeholder coordination.