Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)¶

General Questions¶

What is CEMA Warehouse?¶

CEMA Warehouse is a centralized data repository for health-related datasets. It serves as a one-stop platform for accessing, sharing, and analyzing health data across multiple domains including demographics, health systems, disease surveillance, and more.

Who can access the warehouse?¶

The warehouse offers different levels of access:

Public Access: Browse and download most datasets without registration
API Access: Free programmatic access to datasets via REST API
Upload Access: Requires account registration and approval for verified users only
Administrative Access: Limited to CEMA team members for data curation

Is the data free to use?¶

Yes, most datasets in the warehouse are freely accessible for research, analysis, and educational purposes. However, the restricted datasets are available to registered users and can be requested by contacting support.

Data Access Questions¶

How do I find specific datasets?¶

You can find datasets through several methods:

Browse by Category: Visit category pages (Demography, Health Systems, etc.)
Use CAIA Assistant: Ask our AI chatbot for dataset recommendations
Search Function: Use keywords to search across all datasets
API Discovery: Query available datasets programmatically

What file formats are available?¶

We support multiple formats for different use cases:

CSV: For data analysis and spreadsheet applications
Excel: For business users and detailed data viewing
Shapefiles: For geospatial analysis
PDF: For publications and reports
Raster Files: For geographic and spatial analysis

How do I use the API?¶

Our REST API provides programmatic access to datasets. Basic usage:

Python Example:

import pandas as pd
df = pd.read_csv("https://warehouse.cema.africa/api/tables/2019_birth_rates?format=csv")

R Example:

library(data.table)
df = fread("https://warehouse.cema.africa/api/tables/2019_birth_rates?format=csv")

See our API Reference for complete documentation.

Can I integrate warehouse data into my application?¶

Absolutely! The warehouse is designed for integration:

REST API: Direct data access for web and mobile applications
Data Formats: The APIs return CSV data formats.
No Downloads Required: Reduce data management overhead

Data Upload Questions¶

How can I contribute data to the warehouse?¶

To contribute data:

Login: Login to the account using the given credentials
Upload: Use category-specific or individual based upload forms from the Upload data section on the nav bar

What types of data can I upload?¶

We accept various health-related datasets:

Tabular Data: CSV, Excel files with health indicators
Geospatial Data: Shapefiles, raster files for geographic analysis
Publications: Research papers, policy briefs, reports
Surveillance Data: Disease outbreak and monitoring data
Infrastructure Data: Health facility and accessibility information

What are the quality requirements?¶

All uploaded data must meet our quality standards:

Complete Metadata: Comprehensive descriptions and source information
Clean Format: Consistent structure and formatting, make sure your data has headers
Verified Sources: Data from trusted, credible organizations
No Duplicates: Check for existing similar datasets. This however is being checked in the backend and the system will not allow usesr to upload duplicate data
Proper Documentation: Clear variable definitions and methodology

Technical Questions¶

What happens if I encounter errors?¶

If you experience issues:

Check Your Connection: Ensure stable internet connectivity
Try Different Browser: Currently Safari is not workng correctly with the logins and access to the API. Default to Chrome, Edge and firefox
Check File Format: Verify your data meets format requirements for the different upload sections
Contact support: Reach out to systems adminis for technical help

Why is the API slow sometimes?¶

API performance can be affected by:

Dataset Size: Large datasets take longer to transfer
Network Conditions: Your internet connection speed

For better performance:

Cache frequently used datasets locally
Use CSV format for faster transfers
Request only needed columns when possible

Can I download entire categories of data?¶

Currently, downloads are available per dataset.

Account and Access Questions¶

How do I get upload permissions?¶

Upload permissions require:

Account Login: Use the provided password and your CEMA email

Can I update or delete my uploaded data?¶

Data management options:

Updates: Contact admin to update existing datasets or add the current date of any new uploads for version control ie 24_9_2025_child_mortality
Corrections: Report errors through the feedback system

How do you handle data privacy?¶

No Personal Data: Individual-level data with personal identifiers is not accepted, this can be added as private data from admin side.
Aggregated Data Only: Focus on population-level and summary statistics data. Upload clean and comprehensible data to other people other than you.
Source Compliance: Ensure all data complies with original privacy requirements and you should acknowledge the source in the description section.
Secure Storage: All data stored securely with appropriate access controls either private or public access. It is also guarded by user authentication.

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