Personal Background:
I got selected to join Malawi University of Science and Technology in 2019, to pursue Geographical Information and Earth Observation Sciences (GIS). I never knew enough about GIS and neither did I had a passion for it. Later during my studies, I learned about YouthMappers. Also, I was not that curious to get in. I got in anyhow. That was in March 2021. My Chapter, MUST YouthMappers was not active, we did nothing for a year, and the team members were unwilling to volunteer. After a year of being a YouthMApper, I was voted as the President of the MUST Chapter. I rejected it, but no, I still was put to head the Chapter. This is the point that got me started as a real YouthMapper, a change that was seen by me and everyone. I started studying YouthMappers as a module outside my classroom but on the same path as my Career. The word 'YouthMappers' caught my attention each time I heard or think of it. Now, let's turn to what I want to communicate.
How did we get started?
Firstly, I and my team had to learn about our own targeted members. Many are pushed back by the term 'Volunteer'. What should we do? That is when my team and I suggested taking a deep dive into YouthMappers, learning more about it, and making content that can catch people's hearts. And we did. Soon as we did, a campus campaign was launched with the help of our mentor, Dr. Isaac Tchuwa. I was the main speaker at the main event, MUST Library Auditorium. We communicated to the large audience very well about YouthMappers. Their attention was drawn because we strongly clarified that the kind of volunteering we were talking about goes beyond being a volunteer. Soon as we were done, we saw a hundred-plus team joining the chapter.
My team and I communicated to the then YouthMappers Ambassador, Miss. Ndapile Mkuwu and Miss. Zola Manyungwa about our organization. Without hesitation, we were offered a two-hour long training workshop for three days. They focussed on YouthMappers' background and achievements, mapping with iD editor and JOSM, and a lot more lessons were covered. The turn-up was so impressive, having more than 70 attendees each day.
But from those training sessions, I did not learn the practical part of being a YouthMapper, I learned coordination. It got me really started.
As the head of the chapter, we had a lot of events organized. Our first milestone was to make the chapter active. We participated in a number of mapathons with both good and bad turn-ups.
Not long after our starting date, we received a communication from Miss. Zola Manyungwa to have three members registered for an International Training The Trainers Workshop. We attended the training with the blessing of Prof. Brent McCusker, Adele Birkenes, Christine Urbanowicz, Zola Manyungwa, South African Universities (two) students, and 5 Malawian Public universities including MUST. A number of issues were discussed during the workshop. It was worth it. It pushed my chapter a step further.
Now, Let's turn to my personal journey of being a YouthMapper and an OSM contributor.
I had my first contribution to OSM in March 2021. From there, I never contributed to OSM databases until July 2022. Again, I went on mute until around November.
I kept on coordinating events at my Chapter but I was not really contributing to the mapping.
Earlier this year, Malawi was hit by Cyclone Freddy. Nkhoma University, OSM Malawi, and Red Cross Malawi collaborated with Open Mapping Hub Eastern and Southern Africa in efforts to map the affected areas. I was one of the coordinators, helping with the mapping event alongside Miss. Ndapile Mkuwu and Tarcizio Kalaaundi. That was the time I started active contributions to OSM edits. I participated in a project 'Geospatial Data Completeness for Neno Malawi' to support the MedicMalawi team. During this project, I had 10000-plus edits on OSM, moving me from a beginner to an advanced Mapper. I finished 2 full projects, and validated another two full projects for my colleague, completing a total of about 180 tasks. I also contributed to Cyclone Freddy Chikwawa mapping, the newly opened project for the Philippines in response to the storm, Zambian Local Government Impact Mapping, and many more. Currently, I am working on Dzalanyama Community Mapping project on HOT Tasking Manager. During all the projects, I make use of JOSM and RAPiD mostly. iD editor comes as a support if I want to verify something. I have so far made very good progress with using JOSM.
As my OSM profile stands, I am ranked as the 5th most contributors for Malawi, the 2nd for Mocambique, and the 75th for Zambia. I have made more than a thousand changesets.
Going ahead, I have also started volunteering as a HOT Working Group Trainee. I have earned three badges from HOT's training courses. I aim at being a verified validator as I focus on data production and checking the quality of the data.
Also, I am volunteering with MapMalawi, which works for the same cause as OpenStreetMap and YouthMappers.
Despite contributing to data production, I am also working on Cartography and Geo-Visualization. As we are working on our winning 'Dzalanyama Project", it was part of our proposal to produce Deforestation Maps for Dzalanyama and the surrounding communities. We are using different data sources, combined methodologies, and different tools/platforms including Digital Earth Africa's SandBox and Maps.
As there is a lot I can write, I would like to draw attention to the Topic, What We Do Outside The Classroom: A Possible Future Re-Engineering.
Well, I have really grown from the time I joined YouthMappers. I have learned to cooperate, coordinate and communicate. It has and it is building my professional way of living. I have learned to listen. In my GIS Career, I have learned to contribute to the root of GIS, the Data. I enjoy doing it. I really feel that my future and career is being re-engineered. I can see different possibilities on this path.
I was told and I also thought, "YouthMappers will take you nowhere". But I now believe YothMappers will and is taking me everywhere.