The IRA is located at the Main Campus of the University of Dar es Salaam. It was formerly known as the Bureau of Resource Assessment and Land Use Planning (BRALUP) established in 1967 as an applied research wing of the University of Dar es Salaam to support the government in planning and assessment of both human and natural resources.

IRA’s main fields of expertise are: natural resources management including land, forest and wildlife; environment including Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); natural resource mapping using geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing techniques, population and human settlement; agricultural systems and livestock management, food security and poverty alleviation, and social policy analysis. The Institute has priority areas for research, which comply with the current government policies and issues of global concerns, such as climate change.  IRA is currently engaged in a number of action oriented research studies in different fields including Climate Change impacts and adaptations. Recently, IRA has developed a MSc Degree on Natural Resource Assessment and Management of which Climate Change impacts, adaptation and vulnerability is part of the elective courses.  The IRA research outputs comprise consultancy reports, monographs and research papers, journal articles and books Human Resources

The Institute of Resource Assessment being a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary organization has the following experienced members of staff:

Research Professors in: Agricultural Extension, Rural Development (1); Rural Water Supply (1); Applied Ecology (1)

Associate Research Professors in: Population & settlement (1); Water Resources & Env. (1); Appl. Geomorphology (1); Nat. Res. & Remote Sensing (1)

Senior Research Fellows in: Soil Science 1; Sociology and Environment, 2 Ph.D; Natural Resources and Environment, 1 PhD; Local Institutions and Rural Planning, 1 Ph.D; Social and Policy Analysis, 1 Ph.D          
    
Research Fellows in: Agricultural Economics and Development, 1 Ph.D; Soil Science, 1 Ph.D; Sociology & Public Health, 1 M.Sc; Natural Resources and Environment, 1 Ph.D; Agriculture, Poverty Alleviation and Food Security, 1Ph.D; Agricultural Systems, 1 Ph.D

Assistant Research Fellows in: Demography, 1 M.A; Forestry and Information Technology, 1 M.Sc.; Applied Ecology, 1 M.Sc.; Sociology, 1 M.A; Environmental Engineering, 1 M.Sc.
Technical Staff in: GIS Laboratory Scientists, 1 M.Sc; GIS/Cartography, 2 Diplomas; Land Resource Management & Image Data Processing, 1 Certificate; Crop Production, 1 Diploma; Laboratory Technicians, 1 Diploma; Field Officers, 1 Diploma

Physical Resources
Library Services and Documentation - IRA has a documentation unit, which provides reading materials and p/copying services to institute and other university staff, and students. The unit also provides good baseline data for research and consultancy services.
Computers and Related Facilities - The Institute has a total of 24 computers. The services include running a computerised information system in Natural Resources and the Environment; data processing and analysis of GIS activities; image processing; and database management.

The IRA houses the Tanzania Natural Resource Centre (TANRIC) that was established in 1994. The government’s decision to locate the TANRIC in IRA is another testimony of its strength in co-ordinating matters related to natural resource management in Tanzania. IRA has accumulated information for many years, which is gradually being incorporated into databases. Thus, IRA is an important source of information for storage, manipulation and supply to other users, including investors such mining companies, national, regional and international institutions. The data categories available in TANRIC include socio-economic data, population and settlement, meteorology, forestry, wildlife agriculture and various publications and GIS materials. In addition to TANRIC that holds databases on natural resources and environment for Tanzania it also houses the Environmental Impact Assessment database for Eastern Africa.

Remote Sensing and GIS Laboratory - The Institute has pioneered Remote Sensing in Tanzania since 1972 for land use planning, resource assessment and environmental monitoring and management. The Institute has a comprehensive collection of air photos dating from the 1950s, satellite images, and equipment for visual interpretation, image processing and photography.

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