State of the Map Africa 2021

OSM in Comoros - Challenges and Opportunities
11-21, 16:15–16:35 (UTC), Room 2
Language: English

OSM activities have started with the National Agency for Civil Security with simply digitization of a few infrastructure in the country.
However, while different initiatives were undertaken to advance these activities, OSM has failed to take off. This talk will present Open Street Map activities in Comoros, the challenges and opportunities to advance it further as a community tool for the country development and for disaster risk reduction.


OSM activities in Comoros with simple digitization of local infrastructure in the Center for Information Analysis and Treatment of the National Agency for Civil Security. In 2016, a pilot project funded by the World Bank under the project Open Data for Resilience Initiative introduced OpenStreetMap to the Agency. In this project, a number of local government agents, mainly from the Civil Security Agency and the Urbanism Ministry were trained in OSM tools and conducted some field surveys in 2 pilot villages. However, after that pilot project, despite different initiatives undertaken to continue and build on its achievements including the creation of OpenStreetMap Comoros, OSM failed to take off. This presentation will discuss the challenges and opportunities to advance this community drive as a tool for development and for disaster risk reduction.

Im an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas. My work is in Water Resources and Climate as well as Disaster Risk and Mitigation.
In addition, I am a member of the Africa Science and Technology Advisory Group of the African Union for Disaster Risk Reduction in Africa.
I also work as an international consultant in project related to my professional field.
I am from Comoros.