A total of 1,976 members from diverse regions of the country were trained as part of the OpenStreetMap (OSM) community to gather information on milling machines and schools and contribute it to the freely editable map known as OpenStreetMap. This map serves as a comprehensive global resource providing information on milling and the status of milling machines, as well as the school feeding program within a country. The initial phase of this intervention involved 1,091 community members who were assigned the task of mapping milling machines, while 885 community mappers were involved in the mapping of schools.
Open Map Development Tanzania (OMDTZ) was entrusted by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Tanzania to conduct two comprehensive mapping surveys. The first survey focused on to assess food security and production related to milling machines in Tanzania, while the second the survey aimed School Feeding Programme
The mapping surveys aimed to collect vital information pertaining to the location, distribution, capacity, fortifications, and commodities milled by specific machines. The primary objective of these surveys was to generate Geographic Information System (GIS) data on micro, small, medium, and large mill enterprises operating in Tanzania. The surveys successfully documented a total of 33,721 mills across the country. The nationwide school survey and mapping for the school feeding program in pre-primary and primary schools in Tanzania constituted a significant initiative. The main goal of this endeavor was to gather essential data on the feeding status of public pre-primary and primary schools throughout the nation. The primary objective of the study was to establish a comprehensive Geographical Information System dataset encompassing the school feeding status and nature of provision. To achieve this objective, open-source tools and a community mapping approach were employed to collect data from a total of 17,708 public pre-primary and primary schools spanning 31 regions in Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar.

METHODOLOGY

OMDTZ worked closely with local communities, and trained members to serve as data collectors.
Collaboration with central and local government officials, education officers, and teachers was vital to expedite the data collection exercise while ensuring the collected data is reliable. The trained mapping coordinators were assigned at district and regional levels to collaborate with local leaders and education officers to identify and train vibrant and diverse members who would serve as community mappers. These community mappers were trained and evaluated based on criteria such as education level, smartphone ownership, communication skills, familiarity with the area, and enthusiasm for collaboration