Open Mapping as a support tool for Local Development in Africa. The State of the Map Africa (SotM Africa) is a bi-annual regional conference that celebrates the culture of open mapping, open data, GIS and its impact across Africa. The first SotM Africa conference was hosted by the OSM community in Uganda in 2017. In 2021, It was hosted in Abidjan and Grand-Bassam in Ivory Coast. The 2021 conference planned in Nairobi, Kenya was virtually hosted (online). This year’s conference in Yaounde, Cameroon will continue to build on the strategy envisioned for OpenStreetMap in Africa as a renewed, strong, and growing network, and as part of the global OpenStreetMap and Open GIS movement.

We create data on OpenStreetMap regularly but often very few re-use the data or know about ways to reuse it. This workshop will focus on how to get/re-use OpenStreetMap in an open source Desktop or Server GIS, etc.

OSGeoLive is a self-contained bootable DVD, USB thumb drive or Virtual Machine based on Lubuntu, that allows you to try a wide variety of open source geospatial software without installing anything. It is composed entirely of free software, allowing it to be freely distributed, duplicated and passed around.

OSGeoLive will be introduced and used as the Operating System for this workshop.

Some of the tools and data sources we might look at are:
- Geofrabrik Download - https://download.geofabrik.org
- osm2pgsql - https://osm2pgsql.org
- QGIS - https://qgis.org
- PostGIS - https://postgis.net

The OpenStreetMap project has evolved as a social product and forms a large community of people loosely connected through the joint work on a global geographic database. OSM is now used widely for applications such as web maps and navigation services and data from OSM has been used in domains such as urban planning [1], SDG monitoring [2], disaster management [3], public health [4], as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic [5].

In addition to contributions by individual volunteers (mappers), there is an intensifying trend that organized humanitarian [6] and corporate mapping communities contribute to OSM in general [7]. As of 2023 OSM is no longer an exclusive community of amateurs, but instead a community built of multiple smaller hobbyist, professional, amateur, and experienced mapping communities, in which professional stakeholders are sharply gaining influence on map data creation.

Recently, there have been discussions about a potential decline in OSM’s contributor base, e.g. [8] and [9]. We argue that it is important to better understand the various approaches to measure mapping activity. Together with the participants of our workshop, we want to discuss which measures are useful to understand “community health” and help to foster mapping motivation.

In this workshop we want to provide insights how we can measure and understand the evolution of the global and local OSM communities. We will provide several examples and hands-on exercise how the ohsome framework can be used to monitor mapping activity and community growth / stagnation / decline. For these examples we will prepare an online course book and jupyter notebooks, which can be used by the participants to run their own analyses and tackle their own research questions.

There is a need to integrate global and local perspectives about representation in OSM through interdisciplinary approaches. It has been outlined that it is not enough to describe the biased characteristics of map data or to simply assume that more data leads to better decisions and just transformations [10]. To overcome issues of representation, we argue that empowerment goes beyond involving local communities in the technical aspects of collecting map data.

We envision this workshop as a great opportunity to get in touch with OSM community members and learn more about their perspectives towards mapping in OSM and how to best build OSM communities. We would like to use some of the time of the workshop to form smaller groups (e.g. world cafe setting) to let as many people speak as possible and highlight diverse perspectives. As such we are looking forward to learn about the differences (and similarities) in OSM across continents and regions and how they could be measured from the “data perspective”.

References:

[1] Milojevic-Dupont, N., Hans, N., Kaack, L. H., Zumwald, M., Andrieux, F., de Barros Soares, D., Lohrey, S., Pichler, P. P., and Creutzig, F. (2020). Learning from urban form to predict building heights. PLoS ONE, 15(12 December):1–22.

[2] Hoek, J. V. D., Friedrich, H. K., Ballasiotes, A., Peters, L. E. R., and Wrathall, D. (2021). Development after displacement: Evaluating the utility of openstreetmap data for monitoring sustainable development goal progress in refugee settlements. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 10:153.

[3] Scholz, S., Knight, P., Eckle, M., Marx, S., and Zipf, A. (2018). Volunteered Geographic Information for Disaster Risk Reduction—The Missing Maps Approach and Its Potential within the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Remote Sensing, 10(8):1239.

[4] Bhatia, A., Mahmud, A., Fuller, A., Shin, R., Rahman, A., Shatil, T., Sultana, M., Morshed, K. A., Leaning, J., and Balsari, S. (2018). The Rohingya in cox’s bazar: When the stateless seek refuge. Health and Human Rights, 20(2):105–122.

[5] Marco Minghini, Serena Coetzee, Levente Juhasz, Godwin Yeboah, Peter Mooney, and A. Yair Grinberger (2020). Editorial: OpenStreetMap research in the COVID-19 era. Proceedings of the Academic Track at the State of the Map 2020, pages 1–4.

[6] Herfort, B., Lautenbach, S., Porto de Albuquerque, J., Anderson, J., and Zipf, A. (2021). The evolution of humanitarian mapping within the OpenStreetMap community. Scientific Reports, 11(1).

[7] Anderson, J., Sarkar, D., and Palen, L. (2019). Corporate Editors in the Evolving Landscape of OpenStreetMap. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 8(5):232.

[8] https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/SimonPoole/diary/400701

[9] https://www.hotosm.org/updates/driving-change-through-data-exploring-humanitarian-mapping-research-and-analysis-initiatives/

[10] Porto de Albuquerque, J., Anderson, L., Calvillo, N., Coaffee, J., Cunha, M. A., Degrossi, L. C., Dolif, G., Horita, F., Klonner, C., Lima-Silva, F., Marchezini, V., Martins, M. H. d. M., Pajarito-Grajales, D., Pitidis, V., Rudorff, C., Tkacz, N., Traijber, R., and Zipf, A. (2021). The role of data in transformations to sustainability: a critical research agenda. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 49(August 2020):153–163.

Governance in OpenStreetMap communities is a pivotal but often underexplored aspect that significantly influences their growth and long-term sustainability. This panel aims to shed light on the crucial role of governance within OpenStreetMap communities and initiate a thought-provoking discussion about its potential impact on community direction and resilience.

OpenStreetMap (OSM) communities are vibrant and collaborative ecosystems where contributors, enthusiasts, and organizations come together to map the world. While the focus often centers on mapping data and technical contributions, the importance of governance in ensuring efficient decision-making and equitable representation is equally crucial. This panel discussion seeks to elevate the significance of governance in OpenStreetMap communities and foster a deeper understanding of how it shapes their trajectory.

Key points of discussions
1. What does it mean to open mapping communities?
2. How does it affect direction and sustainability, success and failures of the community?
3. What are the challenges / limitations / reservations in building or formalizing governance in open communities?
4. Potential to get clearer idea on what is expected in governance for OSMF local chapters

Half of the world population currently resides in cities, with an expected growth of 60% by 2030, according to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Globally over 2 billion people reside in informal settlements, with high tenure insecurity due to fear of eviction. Countries are currently working on improving the conditions of informal settlements through the improvement and integration of informal settlements in the cities.

The Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia has been using geospatial data for over 20 years and do provide an interesting case on how communities can leverage OpenStreetMap for development. Maps have been a negotiating tool used by communities affiliated with the Slum/Shack Dwellers Federations for over 30 years. The activities of the Shack Dwellers Federation are to form voluntary groups focusing on financial savings to secure affordable land for housing development, community development efforts to ensure settlement upgrading and capacity development. Mapping activities focus on general settlement profiles, where data on informal settlement characteristics are organised in collaboration with community leaders and federation facilitators. The data ignites discussion on settlement depravations such as lack of water, sanitation, and adequate housing. Despite the rigorous data collection efforts, this data is often stored on local drives and only made available on demand through manual data sharing approaches. This way of sharing limits the visibility of settlements and often minimises the efforts of communities in availing data for development.

Namibia has over 235 informal settlements, housing approximately 40% of the urban population. Data on informal settlements have been collected since 1987 by shack dwellers federation saving groups across metropolitan areas in Namibia. This approach is replicated in over 18 countries covering 5000 slums globally. For many federations, data has been collected using manual methods of handheld GPS devices supported by printed aerial images. The data is stored on local disks in the NGO, and most often, sharing of the data is based on demand. OpenStreetMap provides an opportunity for the sharing and improved verification of settlement boundaries, location of services and visualisation of upgrading activities.

Tthe study highlights the challenges of introducing new approaches for communities and the opportunities that exist to scale up. Since the emergence of OSM Namibia, partnerships have been established that could be capitalised to ensure national coverage.

The Namibia OSM project had a high spinoff on capacitating youth with digital skills acquisition and an interest in pursuing studies in spatial sciences. Although there are significant benefits to using OpenStreetMap data, there were observed challenges to including older federation members in digital mapping activities. The Namibia Statistics Agency has shown support for mapping activities. However, the limited integration between the NGO and government has limited the scaling up of project coverage.

The discussion highlights the opportunities for using OSM data for informal settlement upgrading in Namibia. Utilising the expertise of federation members on ground truthing and the skills of youth in digital data collection, the case of OSM Namibia provides a conducive environment for increased updates on the Namibia OSM layer.

As we all and especially urban areas grapple with the challenges posed by climate change, the need for effective strategies and tools to promote climate action readiness and sustainable urban development has become paramount. This talk explores the potential of OpenStreetMap (OSM) as a powerful platform for generating high-resolution spatial indicators that facilitate climate action, support urban planning and in particular the vision of a 15-Minute City. This is based on a new major project at https://HeiGIT.org, that shall support developing relevant data, services and apps for the next years.
The concept of climate action readiness will be discussed, emphasizing the importance of assessing and understanding a city's preparedness to address climate change impacts. By harnessing the wealth of geospatial data available in OpenStreetMap, it becomes possible to derive spatial high-resolution indicators that reflect a city's climate action readiness, such as the distribution of renewable energy infrastructure, green spaces, and public transportation networks.
Also the potential of OSM for realising the concept of a 15-Minute City will be discussed. The 15-Minute City is an urban planning approach aimed at creating self-sufficient neighbourhoods where residents can access most essential services and amenities within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. Leveraging OpenStreetMap's data and tools like https://openrouteservice.org, it is possible to calculate and visualise the 15-minute accessibility of various amenities, including schools, healthcare facilities, grocery stores, and recreational areas. These indicators enable urban planners and policymakers to identify gaps in accessibility, prioritise infrastructure investments, and promote sustainable and equitable urban development. Openrouteservice by HeiGIT.org has already been used for many accessibility analyses, especially the global open healthcare access map based on OSM, which is a first example of analysing access to relevant public infrastructure. https://apps.heigit.org/healthcare_access/
The talk will showcase first examples and case studies where OpenStreetMap has been utilized to generate high-resolution spatial indicators for climate action readiness. It will discuss how the integration of OSM data with advanced analytical techniques and visualisation can empower decision-makers and communities to make informed choices and take proactive measures towards climate action and the realisation of a 15-Minute City.
By utilizing OpenStreetMap's collaborative and open nature, this talk will advocate for democratising geospatial data and its critical role in advancing climate action efforts. It will inspire participants to leverage OSM as a powerful tool for generating valuable insights, fostering community engagement, and promoting sustainable urban development in the face of climate change.
While OSM has a diverse community contributing to its dataset, variations in data coverage and quality across different regions can pose challenges when utilizing OSM for climate action planning. The talk will emphasize the need to understand the limitations and biases associated with OSM data and to adopt appropriate strategies to address data gaps.
To tackle these challenges, the presentation will also give an overview of services like https://ohsome.org by the Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology (HeiGIT). These services provide tools and methodologies for analysing OSM data quality, including assessing data completeness and identifying data gaps. By leveraging such services, climate action planners can gain insights into the reliability of OSM data in specific regions, enabling them to make informed decisions and augment missing data through targeted mapping efforts.
Local community mapping initiatives in OSM for climate action planning are key for the success of such undertaking. They contribute firsthand knowledge and can address data gaps, particularly in underrepresented areas. By collaborating with communities and supporting capacity building, OSM can become a more inclusive and comprehensive platform for generating climate action indicators and promoting sustainable urban development.
We emphasise the need for partnerships with local stakeholders to enhance data quality, accessibility, and coverage in underrepresented regions. By addressing these challenges and capitalising on the strengths of OSM, the community can leverage the platform to foster climate action readiness.

I am writing to formally propose a session for the State of the Map Africa conference that focuses on the activities of YouthMappers chapters in Uganda and our sustainability plans and initiatives to improve growth, diversity, and inclusion within the YouthMappers network. This proposal aligns with this year's theme, "Open mapping as a support tool for local development in Africa," and aims to highlight the significant impact of our work on local communities and the critical importance of fostering inclusivity.
Introduction:
YouthMappers is a global network of university-based chapters dedicated to utilizing geospatial technologies and open mapping for social and environmental impact. In Uganda, our chapters have actively engaged in mapping initiatives, fostering collaboration, and empowering local communities. In Uganda, we have 13 youth mapper chapters in 13 different higher education institutions, all aimed to use mapping tools as support tools for local development.
YouthMappers Activities in Uganda:
Our chapters in Uganda have undertaken numerous projects aimed at addressing local development challenges. Some notable initiatives include:
Mapping for Health Services: YouthMappers Uganda collaborated with local health organizations to map health facilities and improve access to healthcare services in underserved areas. These mapping efforts have facilitated targeted interventions, optimized resource allocation, and enhanced emergency response.
Environmental Conservation: Through partnerships with environmental organizations, the Geo YouthMappers chapter in Uganda has conducted a mapping project focused on ecosystem preservation, including mapping deforestation patterns, biodiversity hotspots, and protected areas in the Budongo forest. These initiatives have contributed to informed decision-making and sustainable land management practices.
Disaster Risk Mapping: YouthMappers Uganda has actively participated in disaster risk mapping projects to enhance preparedness and response strategies. By mapping vulnerable regions, hazards, and critical infrastructure, our chapters have supported local communities in mitigating the impact of natural disasters.
Innovative field mapping of health vulnerability in marginalized Kampala refugee communities. A group of geo youth mappers carried out a field data collection within kisenyi II parish, Kampala city as part of executing this project.
Spot light project: This project was carried out by Makerere University youth mappers and youth from Kampala informal settlements to map power distribution network infrastructure in 25 Kampala slums.
Collaboration with external collaborators(Youth Tech Solutions) to train young children in primary schools in northern Uganda about OSM and other open-source geospatial technologies.
Sustainability Plans:
Ensuring the continuity and growth of mapping initiatives is crucial for sustainable impact. To this end, YouthMappers chapters in Uganda have implemented the following sustainability plans:
Collaboration with Local Partners: Our chapters have forged strategic partnerships with local organizations such OSM- Uganda, government agencies, and academic institutions. These collaborations facilitate knowledge sharing, resource pooling, and long-term project sustainability.
Fundraising and Grant Opportunities: YouthMappers Uganda actively seeks grant opportunities and engages in fundraising efforts to secure financial resources for project implementation. By diversifying funding sources, our chapters ensure the availability of necessary tools, training, and infrastructure.
Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer: YouthMappers chapters in Uganda emphasize capacity building through training programs, workshops, and mentorship opportunities. By equipping local communities with mapping skills, we empower them to address their own development challenges effectively.
Initiatives for Growth, Diversity, and Inclusion:
YouthMappers is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion within our network. In Uganda, we have implemented several initiatives to foster a more inclusive environment:
Outreach to Underrepresented Groups: Our chapters actively engage with underrepresented groups, including women and marginalized communities, to encourage their participation in open mapping activities. Through targeted outreach efforts, we aim to bridge the gender and diversity gap in the field of geospatial technologies.
Training and Mentorship Programs: YouthMappers Uganda conducts training programs and mentorship initiatives, focusing on providing support and guidance to members from diverse backgrounds. By nurturing talent and providing equal opportunities, we create an inclusive space for personal and professional growth.
Awareness Campaigns: Our chapters organize awareness campaigns and events to promote diversity and inclusion. These initiatives aim to challenge stereotypes, encourage dialogue, and create a supportive and welcoming environment for all members.
Conclusion and Recommendations:
The activities of YouthMappers chapters in Uganda have made significant contributions to local development, utilizing open mapping as a support tool. To further enhance our impact and foster growth, diversity, and inclusion, we recommend the following:
Strengthening Partnerships: Continued collaboration with local organizations, government bodies, and academic institutions will ensure the sustainability and scalability of mapping initiatives.
Empowering Local Leadership: Encouraging and supporting the emergence of local leaders within YouthMappers chapters will foster ownership, self-reliance, and long-term project sustainability.
Scaling Best Practices: Sharing success stories, best practices and lessons learned within the YouthMappers network will inspire other chapters in Africa to replicate impactful projects and initiatives.
We believe that through our collective efforts and commitment to open mapping, we can drive positive change, support local development, and create a more inclusive and sustainable future.

The Ohsome Dashboard has created an alternative way to understand OpenStreetMap (OSM) data, providing a user-friendly interface to the extensive history of OSM. In this lightning talk, we showcase the latest addition to the Ohsome Dashboard: quality metrics. With these metrics, users gain insights not only into the historical evolution but also the completeness of OSM objects in a region.

By seamlessly integrating quality metrics, such as saturations, into the Ohsome Dashboard, users can now obtain a comprehensive overview of OSM data. This enhancement enables users to better understand the completeness and accuracy of OSM data, uncover hidden patterns, identify data biases, and make more informed decisions.

Resources:

• ohsome Dashboard
• ohsome
• HeiGIT

As we're getting ready to host the first State of the Map Republic of Congo in 2024, it'll be a great occasion for us to showcase the upcoming state of the Map which will happen in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Our presentation will focus on explaning context and objectives of a state of the Map in Republic of Congo, call for sponsors and participants....

Camp's Turn est une initiative d'atelier communication impliquant la population locale d'Antoetra, pays des Zafimaniry, dans la collecte de données pour la ville. L'objectif principal est d'enrichir la base de données d'OpenStreetMap afin de fournir aux touristes des informations détaillées pour faciliter leur exploration de la région. Dans cette présentation, nous partagerons les défis et les expériences rencontrés, tant sur le plan technique que financier.

The talk is aimed on motivating, encourage and inspire more girls to participate on geospatial field of which apart from improving the gender balance but it is also accompanied with how these geospatial data help in solving challenges affecting women in general and also focusing on community development through solving the challenges but also educating

This year, 2023, as Unique Mappers Network-the Community NGO for OpenStreetMap Nigeria, hits her 6th year anniversary, a reminiscence of milestones, achievements and challenges is noteworthy. The emergence, evolution and sustainability of a community-driven and democratized geospatial data infrastructure such as OpenStreetMap is critical to local development support in Africa and Nigeria in particular. This talk shares the progress, opportunities, lessons and challenges of growing and sustaining an open mapping community as a local community of OpenStreetMap in Nigeria in the last six years. Conclusively, it advocates for a community-centric opportunities and beneficiary of Open mapping support dividends to local development in Africa.

With experience gained from various solid waste management projects in collaboration with partners like the World Bank, UNDP Accelerator Lab, BORDA Tanzania, and Green Waste Pro, OMDTZ has been actively testing and implementing innovative ideas to contribute to global initiatives addressing littering and solid waste challenges. Normary, waste (plastics, packaging, paper, bottles, building materials, biodegradable waste, and large objects) is discarded in the environment, often due to ineffective trash collection methods and direct human actions. It is dispersed by wind, water, and scavengers, originating from uncovered bins, open waste bags, and human dumping, spreading through landscapes via rivers and drainage systems, ultimately reaching the ocean.

The panel discussion will center around comprehending the waste ecosystem, covering waste production to disposal. The presentations will be categorized into four sections, highlighting OMDTZ's innovative use-cases and lessons learned, followed by discussions among the panelists on identified gaps and future directions. The presentations will focus on…

Community behavior, The team will share their collective experiences of conducting household surveys in various regions over a span of three years, focusing on community behavior, waste production, and storage at the household level. The presentation will delve into aspects such as community behavior patterns, satisfaction levels, willingness to pay for waste management services, understanding of the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) concept, and the team's recommendations based on their findings.

Waste Collection Services Provider; This will focus on waste collection service providers and identifying the challenges they typically face include understanding regarding the number of clients they serve, difficulties in route planning, and other pertinent situations. The presentation will also highlight how the utilization of GIS (Geographic Information System) and innovative solutions can assist in addressing some of these challenges.

Accessibility and transportation: In terms of accessibility and transportation, the team will share their experience of utilizing buildings and road data from OpenStreetMap for analyzing house accessibility during fecal sludge management. This analysis considers factors such as road width, proximity of buildings to accommodate the width of trucks and smaller vehicles, and the potential for extending truck pipes up to 100 meters, which will also be captured in the accessibility analysis.

Government, Policy and Data:This will focus on various interventions carried out in collaboration with the government. It will highlight how policies directly impact solid waste management, particularly in areas such as the placement of landfills and fecal sludge treatment centers. The presentation will also discuss policies related to taxes for recycling, waste collection services fee and all related costs

To support the Ugandan government's priorities, OSM Uganda provided geospatial data, that aim to: (i) estimate electricity demand from the agriculture sector including irrigation and agro-processing in key agricultural value chains, combining data from on the ground surveys in 200 sites across the country and GIS data); and (ii) to provide the recommended solutions to scale up and electrify the agriculture sector based on the assessment of the opportunities and challenges to realize the potential electricity demand on the ground.

Le Hub de l'Afrique de l'ouest et du nord de HOT a mis en place un programme de subvention pour les communautés OSM de la région. Il sera question ici de permettre au bénéficiaire de présenter les résultats de cette subvention dans un panel. Le panel sera formé des 10 pays bénéficiaires, et chacun va présenter en terme de chiffre les changements opérés, ainsi que les recommandations pour une réussite de ce genre d'appui

Abstract:
Urbanization is rapidly transforming Africa, presenting both opportunities and challenges for local development. Open mapping, facilitated by emerging technologies and collaborative approaches, has the potential to revolutionize urban planning, infrastructure development, and service delivery across the continent. This proposal aims to explore the valuable insights and practical applications of open mapping as a support tool for sustainable urban development in Africa.

Key Points to be Covered
1. Open Mapping for Transparent Governance:
Transparent governance is crucial for fostering accountable institutions and empowering citizens. Open mapping can play a transformative role in promoting transparency by providing access to geospatial data and enabling citizens to monitor and engage with public projects and decision-making processes. This section will discuss case studies where open mapping has helped improve governance, citizen participation, and accountability in Africa.

1. Enhancing Infrastructure Planning and Management:
   Efficient infrastructure planning and management are vital for sustainable development. Open mapping provides valuable insights for infrastructure planning, including transportation networks, utilities, and public services. This section will explore how open mapping has been used to optimize resource allocation, identify infrastructure gaps, and enhance connectivity and accessibility in African communities.

2. Open Mapping for Environmental Sustainability:
   Africa is rich in biodiversity and faces significant environmental challenges. Open mapping can contribute to environmental sustainability by supporting conservation efforts, land-use planning, and disaster risk reduction. This section will showcase examples of open mapping initiatives that have helped protect natural resources, mitigate climate change impacts, and enhance resilience in African communities.

3. Promoting Social Equity through Open Mapping:
   Addressing social inequities and promoting inclusive development are critical goals for Africa. Open mapping has the potential to bridge the information gap and empower marginalized communities by providing geospatial data for decision-making. This section will explore how open mapping can be leveraged to address issues such as urban poverty, informal settlements, access to education and healthcare, and land tenure insecurity.

4. Overcoming Challenges and Building Sustainable Open Mapping Communities:
   Open mapping initiatives face various challenges, including data quality, technological barriers, capacity constraints, and sustainability. This section will discuss strategies to overcome these challenges and build sustainable open mapping communities in Africa. It will highlight capacity-building programs, collaboration models, and the importance of engaging diverse stakeholders, including governments, civil society organizations, and the private sector.

Climate change resilience is the capacity to prepare for, respond to and recover from the impacts of hazardous climatic events while incurring minimal damage to societal wellbeing, the economy and the environment. Despite of several efforts taken by the Government and Non-governmental organization in reducing the impact of climate change like promoting and planting of trees with in the municipality, its observed that there were no proper strategies for monitoring of those planted trees. Therefore, mapping of trees using open-source tools in Morogoro municipality was way towards monitoring of planted trees. The project was done under SMCoSE Youthmappers with the aim of enhancing planning and monitoring of planted trees from afforestation campaigns that address climate action which enable to meet the sustainable goals number 13 (Climate action). This project was having three objectives which include Planning, Planting and Monitoring. Through planning we were able to collect data and identify places that afforestation is needed most. All areas where there was the scarcity of trees were identified. After identifying those places the planting of trees followed. In planting, together with tree planting campaigns we were conducting afforestation activities. However, in monitoring with the help of open-source mobile tracking applications we monitor the afforestation activities because this will make easy to track the location of the tree and also easy to monitor those trees. The use of open-source tools like Open Data Kit (ODK) was used to collect coordinates of the trees around Morogoro municipality. The collected data were entered in the GIS software (QGIS) in order for performing data classification, visualization and map creation. Over 440,000 tree coordinates were collected and then those data were entered in the QGIS for doing data cleaning and visualization. After the data collection, cleaning and visualization, the maps were produced through these maps enable to show where the trees allocated and the distribution of those trees, also, the area where trees were planted. Also, through these maps enable to locate area where need more afforestation. So, the use of open-source tools enables in the process of monitoring of the planted trees, this make easy to keep the records of places where tree planted so as make it easy to take care of those trees and to ensure that trees are growing well.

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.

This mapping project is part of a broader USAID campaign which aims to help Zambia shift more power to its local communities. By empowering local Zambian citizens, this will allow them to prioritize services that will have immediate and positive impacts on their daily lives, such as reduced waiting times in health clinics, better lighting, or improved solid waste management.
By mapping buildings and roads you are supporting the ability for local Zambians to identify where these services are needed, and providing an evidence base for them to seek future public or private sector support.
Existing gender dynamics in Zambia make equitable participation in this shift of power to local communities challenging. To counter this, the campaign aims to increase the capability of women and girls to realize their social, political and economic advancement at the local level. In addition, the campaign aims to reduce gender disparities in access to and control over local opportunities and services.

This talk proposal aims to present a comprehensive report on the current state of OpenStreetMap (OSM) in Africa, based on recent survey data and analysis. The talk will delve into the level of map data coverage, examine the factors driving the growth of OSM communities in different countries, discuss the challenges and successes of open mapping in Africa, and explore the membership and governance structures of OSM communities on the continent.

OpenStreetMap has gained significant traction in Africa, empowering local communities and facilitating access to accurate geospatial data. This talk will provide an up-to-date analysis of the state of OSM in Africa, highlighting the progress made since the 2020 survey and shedding light on the challenges, successes, and membership structures within OSM communities.

il s'agit ici de parler de l'apport de la cartographie dans les zones en guerres,
La cartographie entretient avec la guerre, avec l’art de la stratégie militaire, un lien consubstantiel. La connaissance du terrain, de l’environnement physique, de la topographie, des itinéraires.
on va essayer de repondre aux questions suivantes :
Est ce important de cartographier les zones en conflit ?
Qui sont les premiers bénéficiaires de données de cartographie dans le milieu en guerre ?

OSM Rwanda willing to share with the SOTEM Cameroon audience the achievements of OpenStreetMap (OSM) Rwanda's community engagement and partnership initiatives. We will explore how these efforts have played a pivotal role in disaster response, agriculture, and addressing planetary crises such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Furthermore, we will delve into the collaborations with key organizations like the Rwanda Mountain Tea, University of Rwanda, Rwanda Red Cross, and Experienced communities in Africa, to Stand on our feet and Impact Rwandan community again. after the pandemic and this year disaster outbreak in Rwanda.

Abstract
This talk aims to shed light on the critical challenges faced in physical mapping and the role of individuals and organizations in overcoming these obstacles. This submission will explore the unique perspective in tackling physical mapping challenges through innovative approaches and collaborative efforts. This challenge was identified during a field mapping activity we conducted for a prospective geospatial company.

YouthMappersFUTA, also known as the YouthMappers chapter at the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), is a dynamic and vibrant student organization dedicated to fostering geospatial skills and promoting open mapping in Nigeria. As part of the global YouthMappers network, YouthMappersFUTA brings together enthusiastic students from various disciplines who are passionate about leveraging geographic information systems (GIS) and mapping technologies for social impact. The chapter at FUTA is committed to empowering young people with the knowledge and tools needed to address local and global challenges through mapping. By harnessing the power of open data and collaborative mapping, YouthMappersFUTA aims to contribute to sustainable development initiatives, disaster response, urban planning, environmental conservation, and other critical areas.

The significance of physical mapping challenges in shaping sustainable development initiatives and decision-making processes

Physical mapping activities play a crucial role in shaping sustainable development initiatives and decision-making processes. Here are some key reasons why physical mapping is important:

Accurate Data for Planning: Physical mapping provides essential geospatial data that is vital for urban planning, infrastructure development, and land-use management. Accurate mapping helps decision-makers understand the existing physical landscape, identify suitable locations for infrastructure projects, and optimize resource allocation. This data-driven approach ensures that development initiatives are aligned with the physical realities on the ground, minimizing potential environmental impacts and enhancing sustainability.

Disaster Preparedness and Response: Physical mapping plays a significant role in disaster risk reduction and response efforts. Mapping areas prone to natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes, or wildfires helps identify vulnerable regions and facilitates the implementation of preventive measures. Additionally, accurate mapping enables emergency responders to efficiently navigate affected areas, assess damages, and plan rescue operations. This improves disaster management and aids in building resilient communities.

Environmental Conservation and Management: Physical mapping supports environmental conservation and natural resource management. It helps identify ecologically sensitive areas, wildlife habitats, and protected zones, enabling effective conservation planning and biodiversity preservation. Mapping also facilitates monitoring changes in land cover, deforestation, or habitat loss, aiding in the formulation of sustainable land management strategies and policies.

Infrastructure Development and Connectivity: Physical mapping is crucial for infrastructure planning and development. It helps identify suitable locations for roads, bridges, utilities, and transportation networks. Accurate mapping enables efficient routing and optimal placement of infrastructure projects, reducing costs, minimizing environmental impacts, and enhancing connectivity for communities. It also supports the development of smart cities and efficient transportation systems.

Land Rights and Tenure Security: Physical mapping plays a vital role in ensuring land rights and tenure security. Mapping helps establish clear boundaries, document land ownership, and resolve disputes. It provides evidence-based data that supports equitable distribution of land resources and enables effective land governance. By promoting transparency and accountability, physical mapping contributes to social justice and reduces conflicts related to land tenure.

Data-Driven Decision Making: Physical mapping provides a solid foundation of spatial data for evidence-based decision making. Accurate and up-to-date maps enable policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders to analyze geographic patterns, identify trends, and make informed decisions. By integrating physical mapping data with socioeconomic and environmental data, decision makers gain comprehensive insights that facilitate sustainable development planning and implementation.

Challenges Encountered During The Physical Mapping Activity.

Limited Resources and Funding: Physical mapping projects require resources such as trained personnel, equipment, and funding. Limited availability of these resources can hinder the scale and effectiveness of mapping initiatives.

Community Engagement and Participation: Engaging local communities in the mapping process is crucial for accurate data collection, validation, and sustainability. However, limited community participation or lack of awareness about the benefits of mapping can be a challenge to overcome.

Privacy and Security Concerns: Collecting and disseminating geospatial data raise privacy and security concerns. Protecting sensitive information while ensuring open access to relevant data can be a delicate balance to maintain.

Institutional Support and Collaboration: Establishing strong partnerships with government agencies, academic institutions, and other stakeholders is essential for successful physical mapping projects. Lack of institutional support or collaboration can hinder data sharing, coordination, and the long-term sustainability of mapping efforts.

Innovative Approaches and Solutions to Physical Mapping Challenges.

Government Bodies: Educating government agencies about the importance of OpenStreetMap data and the importance of physical mapping to improve the quality of data used to build geospatial solutions for the communities. This involves informing the government agencies in the locality about the event, the role of the government here is to create sensitization and approve that the mapping activities will not encroach the privacy of its citizens.

Innovators and Companies: Among the above listed challenges encountered during physical mapping is lack of funds to get adequate materials and to compensate personnels. Companies using OpenStreetMap data should also sponsor some mapping events, this generally increases the engagement of individuals in mapping activities.

Abstract:

The MapKids project, conducted by Youth Tech Solution, aims to empower our children in Tanzania and Africa in general through the use of technology and mapping tools. The project seeks to address the lack of access to quality education and information about their local communities among the children below 18 years old. By leveraging technology and digital mapping platforms, MapKids enables young individuals to actively participate in mapping their neighborhoods, identifying resources, and documenting important landmarks.

Through a series of workshops and training sessions, the project equips participants with the necessary skills to utilize mapping tools and collect data about their surroundings. The collected information is then compiled into a comprehensive map, which serves as a valuable resource for the local community. The map not only showcases important locations and services but also highlights areas that require attention and improvement.

The MapKids project not only fosters a sense of ownership and pride among the kids but also promotes community engagement and collaboration. By involving young individuals in mapping their own communities, they become active contributors to the development process. Moreover, the project encourages interdisciplinary learning by incorporating elements of geography, technology, and community development.

Ultimately, the MapKids project aspires to empower the kids, enabling them to understand their local environment, identify community needs, and contribute to sustainable development. By harnessing the power of technology and mapping tools, the project aims to create a platform for young individuals to voice their concerns, participate in decision-making processes, and become catalysts for positive change within their communities.

This project is improving access to family planning services, which is an important aspect of public health in Uganda. High rates of unintended pregnancies and low contraceptive use contribute to maternal mortality and morbidity and the spread of sexually transmitted infections. By mapping contraceptive use, the project can identify areas with low access to family planning services and inform the design of targeted interventions that promote access and utilization of these services, ultimately leading to improved sexual and reproductive health outcomes.

Access to a full range of contraceptive options is a basic right. There is a need for reliable and authoritative information on contraception for people to consciously choose the method most appropriate for them at any given point in their lives. This information can empower them to proactively plan if and how many children they want at the time of their choosing and thus should be a priority for policy-makers and governments. However, policymaking has not kept up to speed with the digital age, especially in how young people access and consume vital information.

In this initiative, Amara Hub and the Ministry of Health sought to map contraceptive access sites in the newly formed cities in the northern region of Uganda to illustrate their location, and distribution, and to identify underserved areas. The target cities for this initiative were Lira, Gulu, and Arua. It also sought to provide a pathway for improved reproductive health planning by health officials and support healthcare workers to confidently refer clients to appropriate services in their proximity.

In an era where most public health information is derived from online channels, open-source and interactive OpenStreetMap (OSM) can be leveraged to ensure no missed opportunity to disseminate and access essential contraceptive health information and services.
The implementation of the project to map contraceptive access in Lira, Gulu, and Arua cities by Amara Hub involved the following activities undertaken to achieve the defined objectives, with four main strands of work packages: data collection, data analysis/visualization, map production and stakeholder engagement.

Data collection involved obtaining information on contraceptive availability from health facilities. This information was obtained using Kobotoolbox surveys administered by community health extension workers. The data collected should be accurate, reliable, and representative of the population in each city. This required coordination with local health authorities to ensure the data is collected in a culturally sensitive and appropriate manner. Our accomplishment in this phase was in being able to transfer this capacity to the 31 community health extension workers from Lira, Gulu, and Arua cities who owned the process.

Once the data was collected, it was analyzed to identify patterns and trends in contraceptive use. The data was visualized using QGIS software to create a digital map that illustrates the prevalence and distribution of contraceptive access in each city. This enabled the integration of various data sources to create interactive and dynamic OSM maps for each city. The resulting maps were designed to be user-friendly and accessible to a range of stakeholders, including policymakers, healthcare providers, and community organizations.

The access to and use of open data is very crucial in Refugee context in Uganda, this helps not only community members but also humanitarian organizations providing services to the persons of Concerns.
In this case Open street map data plays a huge role in the provision of services by humanitarian organizations supporting Refugees in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement in Uganda. I will give a light talk on how mapping has help improved services delivery by humanitarian organizations in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement in Uganda.

Bridging up Gender Gaps in OSM.

Background
The African OSM community is the fastest-growing organization that also aims at addressing the gender gaps and their co-existence around OSM. The reality remains gender biasedness is huge in technology and the OSM community. These gaps have been also observed in OSM Africa, where gender gaps are serious issues.
Therefore, addressing gender gaps in OSM should be prior at individual and organizational levels.
Campaign-MapHerWorld
In recent months, the HOT global, OSM community, YouthMappers, and other organizations have started different campaigns in addressing these gender gaps.

An organization like YouthMappers launched a program called EverywhereSheMaps, OSM Zimbabwe started Ladies in Maps, Crowd2Map Tanzania, Girls in Geospatial, etc.

The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team for Eastern and Southern Africa Hub (HOT-ESA-HUB) on the International Women's day it launched a program called #MapHerWorld campaign through the use of the EveryDoor mobile application. Speaking from a practical point of view, this campaign gave me immense time to be active and passionately contributed to the campaign in my country. I joined the campaign to encourage more females in OSM and am happy to be the top mapper for southern and Eastern Africa on this campaign.
This paper aimed at discussing bridging gaps in the OSM community and considering data inclusion. The speakers have been actively participating in MapHerWorld Campaign hosted by HOT ESA-HUB the campaign which aimed at improving gender gaps in OSM community.

Panel Discussion topic: HOW TO BRIDGE GENDER GAPS IN OSM AFRICA.
Q1: Why did you decide to actively participate in a campaign despite being a male?
Q2 What are some of the impacts did you achieve for gender gaps?
Q3 How best can we build an inclusive OSM Africa that addresses Gender Gaps?
Q4 How can other organizations work with OSM Africa to bridge Gender Gaps?
Panelists: Charles(Zambia), Letwin (Zimbabwe), Kelvin Manase (Tanzania). Note that we may change speakers depends on how many will be available in Cameroon among these listed.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an active member of the Missing Maps partnership, a collective of (humanitarian) organisations working towards the common goal of creating accessible map data in areas vulnerable for disaster and crises. (see https://www.missingmaps.org/)

During this talk MSF wants to share how they are actively collaborating with local OpenStreetMap (OSM) communities and individuals on the African continent to fulfil the data needs of MSF projects. This talk will show three different initiatives:

• The collaboration with OSM Uganda during the Uganda Ebola outbreak response in 2022.
• MSF’s involvement in the HOT data quality internship where they sponsored and mentored 2 interns.
• The sharing of MSF’s first experiences with the OSMer in residence at MSF initiative in collaboration with the West and North Africa Open Mapping Hub. (See https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Humanitarian_OSM_Team/Open_Mapping_Hub_West_and_Northern_Africa/Community/OSMer_in_Residence)

The goal of this project has been to provide updated Geospatial information about the aftermath of Cyclone Ana through analysis of key infrastructure affected in Chikwawa and Salima districts.

Cyclone Ana left the already vulnerable population to economic, health and sanitation risk to the aftershocks of disasters related to climate change.
Most information generated about the scale of the Cyclone has not been visualized fully using Geospatial data
The information that the government and stakeholders have is mainly focusing on the attribute data leaving out spatial aspect.
In that regard, there was a gap on up to date map data that can be used for decision making.
This project is specifically filling that gap.
The project focuses on two main aspects as follows:

To Generate up to date spatial data about the areas that have been hit hard by Cyclone Ana
To Collect household flood incidents, damaged infrastructure (roads, bridges, schools, health facilities, water and sanitation facilities, land resources, and hydro-generators).

Map My City campaign is a project led by OSM Community in Zambia aimed at remote mapping and adding of points of interest to the major cities in Zambia beginning with Lusaka the capital city. The campaign has brought together Youthmappers and community members to contribute to the OSM map in Zambia. A number of training sessions and Mapathon have been held so far to achieve this.

Cholera is endemic to Malawi and its transmission is evolving. We are observing changes in which cholera transmission dynamics have been reported. As of June 30, 2023, Malawi reported 58,912 cases, 1,763 deaths, and 4 hospitalized cases in all 29 districts of Malawi. Evidence from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Malawi Ministry of Health has shown that most cases have been reported during the rainy season, with the largest outbreak occurring from October 2001 to April 2002, affecting 26 of the 29 districts, with 33 546 cases and 968 deaths (Case Fatality Rate (CFR) 3%). However, the current outbreak has extended throughout the dry season, with cases being reported since March 2022. The outbreak, which was initially limited to the southern region and flood-affected areas, has now spread to all regions and districts in the country. One aspect contributing to the increased cholera cases in Malawi is climate change, which has caused flooding. Inadequate sanitation and insufficient access to safe drinking water have already impacted cholera transmission dynamics.
A novel computational tool is developed in which all cholera cases are hosted, and all interventions are put in place to provide a better understanding of cholera transmission trends to drive decision-making. Most of these cases are not hosted on interoperable systems such as interactive dashboards for effective communication. This presents an obstacle to better understanding the outbreak and overcoming its devastating effects. A customized dashboard is more than effective communication and has helped shape decision-making processes and provided real-time surveillance data to guide targeted public health interventions. Public health systems are unprepared, and customized tools to visualize the disease burden are utilized to help mobilize the right resources and inform early warning systems. A dashboard is a resource that helps advance the understanding of cholera, inform the public, and brief policymakers to guide responses, improve care, and save lives.

Despite the concurrent incidence of cholera in the country, no one has developed a customized dashboard that reports total trends, cases, deaths, or even the number of vaccines administered at the community level. Most of the reports generated come in pdf format which is not interactive in reporting cases of cholera. A high-quality and fine-scale interactive dashboard was developed to understand which communities and environments are disproportionally affected by surges of cholera transmission so that additional mitigation strategies and limited resources can be appropriately directed by humanitarian agencies and local governments. It is unique to have an interactive cholera dashboard with visual graphics and trends in cholera cases across communities in Blantyre.

Through collaboration with the Serosurveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in Malawi (Serosurv) project at the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme (MLW), Blantyre District Health Office (BDHO), Public Health Institution of Malawi (PHIM), and Digital Health Information (DHI). We were provided with the cholera line list that contained details about the patient’s name, age, sex, Traditional Authority (TA), date of onset of cholera, date seen at a health facility, village, RDT result, culture result, treatment given, and status whether alive or dead. Our data were summarized in the R programming language, and we obtained all villages from which the patients were reported from. With the help of the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) youth mappers, we geolocated all villages around Blantyre. An Open Data Kit (ODK) was used to collect the coordinates. This spatial aspect was then merged with the cholera data. R Shiny was used to develop and host the dashboard. A cholera hotspot map and graphs were created to convey cholera information by presenting location-based cases using intuitive and interactive data visualization for at-a-glance decision-making.

With the use of ODK, we managed to map all the villages around Blantyre District. The developed dashboard in R Shiny showed hotspots of cholera cases at the community level. The map shows that most cases were centralized in the urban areas, with decreasing cases as we moved to the outskirts of the district. Further, the dashboard visualized that the daily, weekly, and monthly cases came from a village called Bangwe, which is in the urban area of the Blantyre district.

The study has demonstrated the power of using Open Data resources to visualize disease burden to aid in decision-making. The cholera dashboard has enabled real-time data analysis, early detection of outbreaks, spatial mapping, and prediction modelling. Plotting the locations of reported cases on a map provided a clear picture of the affected areas, hotspots, and potential transmission routes. This spatial visualization enhanced our understanding of disease dynamics, helped to identify high-risk regions, and aided in resource allocation for disease control. Further, open mapping has enhanced the visualization of the spread of cholera outbreaks and highlights areas at risk. This has increased public understanding of the disease and encouraged proactive measures such as water and sanitation improvements, hygiene practices, and vaccination campaigns. This has empowered communities to take preventive action and reduce the burden of cholera.

The OSM Africa monthly mapathon is an initiative to support OSM community development in Africa. The aim is to bring OSM communities across Africa together to learn from each other, network, and grow the spirit of collaboration while contributing data to OpenStreet Map.

We plan to host December's mapathon at the conference and virtually with other participants. During the Mapathon, participants will join breakout rooms tailored to their mapping experience, ensuring that beginners receive guidance on mapping fundamentals while experienced mappers explore advanced techniques. Language-specific breakout rooms, including English, French, Swahili, and Arabic, will facilitate seamless communication and enhance participation.

The mapathon will also be a needed break from attending talks and presentations, allowing participants to actively engage in mapping activities, connect with fellow mappers, and contribute to the growth of OpenStreetMap!

In recent years, the fusion of geospatial intelligence and artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a game-changer, offering unprecedented opportunities for advancing sustainable development in Africa. This panel will aim at shedding light on how AI-powered mapping can be harnessed as a powerful tool to empower Africa's development. Africa faces unique challenges in areas such as infrastructure development, resource management, urban planning, healthcare, and disaster response. Geospatial intelligence, leveraging AI techniques, offers a transformative approach to tackle these challenges by providing real-time, high-resolution data insights for informed decision-making. The panels that are at the forefront of geospatial intelligence and AI technologies will share groundbreaking research and innovative applications.

Exploring how open mapping / OpenStreetMap can support improved lives and livelihoods for slum communities and how we can mobilise as a humanitarian mapping community towards this goal.

Including an opening talk on the past, present and future of OpenStreetMap as an impactful tool for slum and informal settlement communities, as well as an expert panel discussion on the topic, with:

Royal Mabakeng (NUST, Namibia)
Jacob Nwachan (Bamenda City Council, Cameroon)
Noukoua Simon (Président de l'ARZON : Association des Résidents de la Zone Nkolbikok, Cameroon)
Emmanuel Bama (HOT & Open Mapping Hub - WNA, Ivory Coast)
Jorieke Vyncke (MSF, Belgium) - HOST

The four Humanitarian Open Mapping Sessions at State of the Map Africa bring a focus on different aspects of humanitarian open mapping and OpenStreetMap, covering mapping informal settlements, mapping for climate resilience and new humanitarian open mapping technologies.

Informal transport is a key pillar of transport systems in most African cities, providing up to 95% of the public transport trips in some sub-Saharan cities. However, they are often unreliable, unregulated, and unsafe. One of the causes of this gap is the lack of transport data and data infrastructure for public transport systems, presenting a massive barrier for African cities, users, and public transport operators who hope to navigate and plan for better and more efficient services. Lack of data also makes it impossible to measure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 11.2, which calls for "safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all." Mapping cities' transit networks can also foster ecosystems and skills that can enable cities to better leverage the data revolution and potentially fill existing data gaps in urban mobility.

The DigitalTransport4Africa (DT4A) initiative implemented by the World Resources Institute (WRI), funded by Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) implemented by GIZ and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Eco­nomic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) share a common objective of supporting mobility data for sustainable urban mobility planning and implementation. DT4A is a common digital data community supporting improved public transport and access in Africa. On the other hand, TUMI, through its pillar TUMI Data, has developed a comprehensive mobility data hub that consolidates urban mobility data from over 2,000 sources worldwide, fostering the open sharing of data among cities and institutions. DT4A and TUMI are committed to promoting open source solutions and how they can be used around the world to efficiently collect, organize, and share data, provide technical assistance, clearly demonstrate that it is possible to generate valuable transport data in a standardized form and bring innovative ideas and data-driven solutions as opportunities to improve paratransit and boost overall urban mobility.

During this workshop, the DT4A and TUMI teams will convene Innovation Challenge winners and representative transport officials from African cities for an insightful panel discussion. We will discuss field-mapping experiences and share innovative use cases of open mapping that leverage digital technologies. We will also discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of these innovative solutions.

Depuis la création du premier chapitre Youthmappers dans une université francophone en Afrique en 2016, nous avons initialement constaté un engouement qui s'est progressivement estompé. Malgré les efforts de certains pionniers, notamment des ambassadeurs francophones régionaux, nous observons des difficultés persistantes à assurer la durabilité des chapitres et la continuité des activités au sein des universités francophones, qui semblent être en retard par rapport au Anglo-saxon. Ce panel vise à fournir une plateforme d'échange entre les membres des chapitres YouthMappers et spécialement ceux des universités francophones, afin de mieux comprendre et discuter du développement de leurs chapitres, ainsi que d'organiser la réflexion sur des programmes visant à encourager une meilleure intégration des francophones dans ce mouvement mondial, et à favoriser le développement de nouveaux chapitres dans les universités francophones en Afrique et dans le reste du monde.

This proposal aims to outline a comprehensive plan to map all African countries on OpenStreetMap (OSM) while simultaneously documenting the journey through captivating video content on YouTube. The primary objective of this project is to contribute to the improvement of geographical data in Africa while promoting knowledge sharing, community engagement, and the benefits of open-source mapping. Additionally, I am learning about other people's cultures and ways of life through mapping. Needless to say, satellite imageries reveal the religion (sometimes), the climate, the infrastructure and the population density of the place, among other information.

The methodology for this project involves careful planning and preparation. A detailed roadmap will be developed, dividing the mapping process into manageable segments for each African country.
Data will be contributed to OpenStreetMap for every country, where the challenge is to map at least 10 minutes a day in a different country in Africa for one hundred days (Some videos are already on YoutUbe on my channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTbM-j6H3ZOtquzRbulEbvQ).

This project is targeting small villages in every African Country, as it assumes most cities are well-mapped. However, some countries may be spacely populated hence difficult to find a small village, lest one is familiar with the country.
Most data will be contributed directly to the OpenStreetMap as it is difficult to create tasks for each country and finish them in at least 10 minutes. The MAXAR imagery will be used throughout, encouraging consistency and accuracy.

Video documentation will play a crucial role in this project, as it will capture the mapping process, challenges faced, and achievements made. These high-quality video episodes will provide educational and informative narratives, explaining the importance of each mapping step and showcasing the cultural and geographic diversity of African countries. The videos will serve as a valuable resource, inspiring and educating viewers about the benefits of open-source mapping and the significance of accurate geospatial data. The channel provides a platform for engagement, allowing viewers to comment, provide suggestions, and offer feedback. The engagement will help foster a sense of community and collaboration, further enhancing the project's impact.

The deliverables of this project include the complete and accurate mapping of some villages in all African countries on OpenStreetMap, detailed and up-to-date geographic data available for public use, a series of engaging video episodes documenting the mapping journey, collaborative engagement with the OpenStreetMap community, and increased visibility and engagement on the YouTube channel.

This project has the potential to make a significant impact. It will improve the accuracy and completeness of geospatial data for African countries, supporting various applications such as urban planning, disaster management, and sustainable development. Additionally, it will empower local communities by enabling them to actively participate in mapping their own neighbourhoods and contribute to the accuracy and relevance of geospatial data. It will also promote open-source mapping principles, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing within the global mapping community. Furthermore, it will increase awareness and appreciation of Africa's cultural, historical, and natural diversity, challenging stereotypes and promoting cross-cultural dialogue.

In conclusion, this proposal presents an ambitious plan to map all African countries on OpenStreetMap while documenting the journey through captivating video content on YouTube. The project aims to contribute to the improvement of geospatial data in Africa, inspire and educate viewers about the benefits of open-source mapping, and foster collaboration and empowerment within local communities. Through the combined efforts of accurate data collection and compelling storytelling, this initiative has the potential to create a more inclusive and connected mapping ecosystem for Africa.

Saloum Islands are situated in the South west of Senegal, near the coastline. These fishing communities have been suffering from the effect of climate change; especially women who are at the heart of the activities in the community. Through a community centered approach, the West and Northern Africa Hub and OSM Senegal have created a partnership with REFEPAS (Senegalese Network of Artisanal Fishing Women), to develop solutions using open mapping. This presentation will talk about the journey of this project with women from Saloum Islands.

This proposal aims to present our work in South Sudan, where we have leveraged open geospatial data and mapping tools to empower communities and address pressing challenges. South Sudan, a country recovering from conflict, grapples with recurring floods, climate change impacts, and environmental pollution. Through our initiatives, we have utilized open mapping to foster resilience, enhance disaster preparedness, and drive sustainable development.

Rapid (formerly RapiD) is a web-based modern editor for OpenStreetMap. Rapid integrates advanced mapping tools, authoritative geospatial open data, and cutting-edge technology to empower mappers at all levels to get started quickly, making accurate and fresh edits.

Rapid is an open source project developed by Meta. It originated as RapiD, a modified and forked version of the popular OSM editing tool, iD editor, with tools to add and edit map features generated by AI predictions. While initially designed as a tool to add roads, Rapid has subsequently been used to add buildings and various open data layers such as sidewalks, address points, and trees. Rapid includes validation checks (in addition to checks within iD) to detect potential errors.

Exploring the role of OpenStreetMap / open mapping in providing spatial intelligence and community representation for decision-making and action in response to the effects of climate change in Africa.

Including two presentations from HOT's African Open Mapping Hubs on their experience and ambitions in the open mapping / climate space, as well as an expert panel discussion on the topic, with representatives from GEOTE, Heigit Institute, FAO Somalia and OMDTZ (Tanzania).

Geoffrey Kateregga is an ardent advocate for open mapping and community building, embarking on his journey in 2012 when he joined OpenStreetMap following a memorable Mapping Party in Kampala. Since then, he has been an active and influential contributor to the local community in Uganda, playing a key role in its transformation into a thriving non-profit organisation. In 2015, he joined the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, where he currently serves as the Community Projects Lead.

Marie Makuate recently joined HOT (Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team) as Senior Associate in Disaster Services and Training. She is a Ph.D. candidate and researcher in Geomatics at the ministry of scientific research and innovation in Cameroon; her work focuses on using computer science in geographic information science for environmental management.

Kennedy Jomokela is an environmentalist, senior mapping supervisor, projects team lead, active member & trainer osm community, data analyst and consultant. He works for HOT at the Open Mapping Hub - East & Southern Africa

Omowonuola Akintola is a Geospatial Data Analyst highly involved in utilising geospatial technology for good. She works for HOT at the Open Mapping Hub - West and Northern Africa

Janeth Mwakisole is a graduate with a degree in Environmental Sciences and Management and an ADDA-certified drone pilot and geospatial data analyst. She is secretary and drone pilot of a non-profit organization (GEOTE) that is aiming to solve environmental problems using geospatial technology and open data for sustainable development.

Benjamin Herfort is a researcher at HeiGIT and Heidelberg University. He has recently finished his PhD, for which he investigated questions of representation and data quality in OpenStreetMap from the perspectives of humanitarian and machine learning-assisted mapping in order to map what is not mapped.

Emanuel Kombe works for OMDTZ and is a highly skilled professional in Geography and Environmental studies, known for his expertise in OpenStreetMap (OSM) and his role as an OSM Advanced Level, Project Manager, and GIS Person. With a passion for geospatial technology and a deep understanding of its applications, Emanuel has made significant contributions to the mapping community.

Michael Makokha is Deputy Head of the FAO SWALIM Geospatial Unit and accomplished International GIS Specialist. Holding a Bachelor's Degree in Geospatial Engineering and a Master's Degree in Geographic Information Systems he is passionate about utilizing GIS/RS Mapping for humanitarian support, early warning, anticipatory action, post-disaster impact analysis & recovery, GIS/RS capacity building, land tenure systems, community participatory mapping, and urban governance mapping.

The four Humanitarian Open Mapping Sessions at State of the Map Africa bring a focus on different aspects of humanitarian open mapping and OpenStreetMap, covering mapping informal settlements, mapping for climate resilience and new humanitarian open mapping technologies.

The main object of the workshop is to deploy a web map which utilizes ODK Central server and its API to visualize points data collected from the field. Participants will also have a chance to learn how OMDTZ effectively utilized the ODK Application, ODK Central, and its API to construct a dynamic web-map platform which played a pivotal role in the successful implementation of nationwide data collection on two occasions which is national wide mapping of mills machines and local government offices and the second focused on public primary schools and District offices. During the data collection process, ODK was employed for data collection, ODK Central for data storage, and a live interactive map was created to directly query data from the server. This map was utilized by the project manager and quality assurance team to monitor and assess the data's quality in real-time.

The workshop will be highly interactive and hands-on. Before the sessions we will deploy the ODK Central server, all participants will be granted access to a remote host server (Digital ocean or Amazon Web Services) and they will receive guidance on the deployment procedure for their web-maps. Upon completion, participants will have the chance to test their web-maps by collecting data in their respective locations, while simultaneously observing live updates on the map.

OpenStreetMap is a collaborative mapping project that enables people to contribute, update, and use open-source geographic data. SDG4 focuses on guaranteeing inclusive and high-quality education for everyone and encouraging opportunities for lifelong learning. By providing great materials and opportunities for students and educators, OpenStreetMap has emerged as a significant tool to support SDG4.
Throw this program, OSM Uganda has supported students in improving their geospatial literacy and knowledge by allowing them to interact with and evaluate real-world geographic data. Students are using up-to-date and freely available maps to investigate themes such as urban planning, environmental studies, and community development. Students improve their critical thinking abilities and obtain a better knowledge of the interdependence of their environment and society by using OpenStreetMap.
This is an ongoing project with results and impact to showcase

The devastating impact of Cyclone Freddy in Malawi prompted an urgent and coordinated response to provide assistance and relief to affected communities. This presented an opportunity to perform an in-depth analysis of the utilization of drone & data technology during the emergency response and how the technology can be efficiently stream lined in the future responses.

Cyclone Freddy made its initial landfall in Malawi on March 13, 2023, primarily affecting the southern region. The cyclone brought record-breaking rainfall to most areas, which caused flooding and mudslides that affected thousands of households, claimed so many lives, and made access extremely difficult. Due to the growing popularity of drones, the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) engaged the African Drone and Data Academy via the Emergency Response Unit to join the Malawi Red Cross and WFP team with drone mapping efforts in the affected areas. The primary objective was to provide preliminary information in the form of still images, videos, and orthomosaics to the EOC for use in logistical programming for the distribution of relief supplies and to visually assess the magnitude of damage that the cyclone had left behind. The integration of drone technology into the emergency response operations yielded significant benefits and outcomes such as:

• Rapid Data Collection: Drones facilitated the collection of high-resolution imagery and videos in a relatively short span of time, providing quick and accurate situational awareness for decision-makers.

• Improved Damage Assessment: The orthomosaics generated from the drone imagery allowed for a comprehensive understanding of the extent and severity of the damage caused by the cyclone, aiding in prioritizing response efforts.

While the drone-based emergency response demonstrated significant potential, several data and operational gaps were identified during the process and these insights serve as valuable lessons for future emergency responses.

Lorsque les femmes sont conviées à des rencontre où elles sont avec une majorité d’hommes pour établir des priorités pour la communauté , elles prennent peu la parole, paraissent passives. Elles ne sont pas habituées à ce qu’on leur demande de prendre position; pourtant Les hommes, comme les femmes, détiennent les connaissances et savoir-faire qui leur sont propres, d’où la nécessité de considérer la contribution de tous les groupes sociaux dans les processus de collecte de données (de l’implication des femmes dans la cartographie.

Accessibility is a vital subject in the daily lives of people, the absence of it could be a disaster experienced on a daily basis, which could be experienced in any country in the world. In this spite, OpenStreetMap has all the capabilities to map the most important features for accessibility, security, and comfort for pedestrian displacement, which is important for UN SDGs realization, by promoting healthy and sustainable mobility, as well as universal inclusion. The workshop is divided into 3 sections: 1) Introduction (10 minutes): The general importance of concepts like accessibility, inclusion, universal design, and combating ableism. 2) Mapping Geometries (15 minutes talk, 25 minutes mapping): mapping sidewalks and other footpath networks, including crosswalks and access points, the main tool will be the iD editor; 3) Mapping attributes (15 minutes talk, 25 minutes mapping), we will map, using iD and Mapillary Imagery, at least: surface material; surface smoothness; the presence of curb ramps; type of tactile paving; type of crosswalk. The general idea is to train people in the mapping of sidewalks and make the community more aware of the importance of this subject.

The challenges of open mapping in global communities are daunting, but the opportunities provided by innovative Free and Open technology are tremendous. Open mapping relies upon imagery, digitization tools, field mapping tools, and various technologies to display, share, and use the data.

Many of the technologies for mapping have, in the past, failed to empower local communities. Satellite data is often old, cloudy, and low-resolution outside of wealthy countries. Drones seem expensive and require extensive training and licensing to operate. AI tools seem to be the province of large corporations with huge engineering and computing resources. Field mapping is difficult to coordinate at scale.

We have been working on many of these challenges. In this overview session, we’ll discuss current and future tools designed and built for communities to take the lead in open mapping; platforms to use inexpensive drones and GNSS receivers for high-quality imagery, community-based, local AI tools, and better coordination for mobile-based field mapping tools.

** This was previously scheduled to be a series of two in-person, hands on sessions / workshops but due to unfortunate visa issues, our presenter, Ivan Gayton, can no longer be physically at the conference, so will run a shorter session virtually.

This workshop explores the seamless integration of a powerful open-source GIS tool with mobile phones to facilitate a smooth transition from office-based work to field operations. By integrating QGIS, a desktop-based GIS tool, with Mergin maps, a mobile application, users can efficiently store and track changes to geodata in a collaborative manner.
One of the key advantages of this integration is the ability to store and synchronize projects across multiple mobile and desktop clients. This collaborative feature enhances teamwork and simplifies project coordination, ensuring that everyone has access to the most up-to-date information.
Additionally, the workshop emphasizes the elimination of manual tasks that often plague fieldwork. Participants will learn how to overcome the challenges of transcribing paper field notes, georeferencing photos, and transcribing GPS coordinates by leveraging the integrated solutions provided by QGIS and Mergin maps.
The workshop also places a strong emphasis on data accuracy, security, and efficient project management in field environments. Participants will gain insights into best practices for ensuring data integrity, implementing robust security measures, and streamlining project workflows to optimize efficiency.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to seamlessly integrate QGIS and Mergin maps, transforming their fieldwork processes and enhancing productivity.

Accessibility analyses have proven to be a successful concept of spatial analysis, offering valuable insights into various domains. One widely used application is the assessment of accessibility to health infrastructure with isochrone methods on local [1], regional [2] and global [3] scale as well as contexts of disaster [1, 4]. Moreover, these analyses have evolved beyond simple metrics, incorporating potential demand and capacity to generate more comprehensive insights [5].

Such analyses, often based on open-source routing engines like openrouteservice [6] with OpenStreetMap as a data source, have enabled researchers to evaluate access to essential services. However, many of these analyses suffer from limitations that hinder their real-world impact. They rely on global assumptions about road networks and routing priorities, lacking consideration for the local context, and frequently ignore traffic conditions [6].

In this talk, we will present an improved approach to isochrone accessibility analysis with openrouteservice by incorporating traffic speed data from Uber in the context of Nairobi, Kenya. By addressing the limitations of existing methods, which tend to underestimate travel time by neglecting traffic conditions, we aim to provide more accurate and realistic insights into accessibility for necessary services within the city.

The global nature of OpenStreetMap and the tools based on it allow us to easily evaluate accessibility phenomena on a global scale. However, to achieve meaningful impact, it is crucial to bridge the gap between these analyses and the real world. By integrating traffic speed data into accessibility analysis, we can overcome part of the challenge.

The integration of traffic speed data into accessibility analysis holds substantial real-world implications. Accurately representing travel time empowers urban planners, policymakers, and transportation authorities to make informed decisions regarding infrastructure development, public transportation routes, and traffic management strategies.

In addition, we will discuss the transferability of our results to other regions, given the scarcity of open traffic data sets from Uber and the commercial nature of other providers. This talk aims to shed light on opportunities for opening or crowdsourcing such data, facilitating broader applicability and knowledge sharing.

References:

[1] Klipper, I. G., Zipf, A., and Lautenbach, S.: Flood Impact Assessment on Road Network and Healthcare Access at the example of Jakarta, Indonesia, AGILE GIScience Ser., 2, 4, , 2021. https://doi.org/10.5194/agile-giss-2-4-2021

[2] Geldsetzer, P.; Reinmuth, M.; Ouma, P. O., Lautenbach, S.; Okiro E. A.; Bärnighausen, T.; Zipf, A. Mapping physical access to health care for older adults in sub-Saharan Africa and implications for the COVID-19 response: a cross-sectional analysis. The Lancet Healthy Longevity. 2020;1(1):e32-e42. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-7568(20)30010-6))

[3] Reinmuth, M.: Open Healthcare Access Map. Isochrone based accessibility and population estimates globally. HeiGIT 2022. https://apps.heigit.org/healthcare_access/#/

[4] Petricola, S., Reinmuth, M., Lautenbach, S. et al. Assessing road criticality and loss of healthcare accessibility during floods: the case of Cyclone Idai, Mozambique 2019. Int J Health Geogr 21, 14 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12942-022-00315-2

[5]Reinmuth, M., Kitzinger M. and Zipf, A.:Access to safe abortion in Germany: An overview of current accessibility by car. How will the situation evolve after the removal of §219a? State of the Map 2022, FIrenze, Italy. https://files.osmfoundation.org/s/MfweMaQyzaZiQ4p

[7] Zia M, Fürle J, Ludwig C, Lautenbach S, Gumbrich S, Zipf A. SocialMedia2Traffic: Derivation of Traffic Information from Social Media Data. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 2022; 11(9):482. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11090482

This session is the founding General Assembly of the OpenStreetMap Africa association. Some background:

• OSM Africa, as it currently stands, is great, however, it will be very difficult for us to have a significant and organized impact on the state of business on the continent. Our strong current activity is the #SOTMAfrica conference currently being organized.

• The biggest challenge for OSM Africa at the moment is the absence of a dedicated steering committee, committed to driving the ideas discussed. What we have now is a kind of ad hoc committee, making things work. We don't think this is sustainable.

• A Constitutive General Assembly should enable a Committee to be set up to take this idea forward with a roadmap so that activities can start in 2024.

Mapillary is the platform that makes street-level images and map data available to scale and automate mapping. Mapillary uses computer vision and machine learning technology to build 3D reconstruction of the world and extract map data from street-level imagery. Mapillary began in 2013. More than 2 Billion images have been contributed from around the world.

In this talk; we will walk you through Mapillary and its technology, how you get started with Mapillary and make your imagery available for everyone with an open license and enrich OpenStreetMap with the latest features on Mapillary. Join us and let’s map the world together!

Join Michael Makokha from FAO Somalia, Benni Herfort from Heigit and Isabell Klipper from the German Red Cross in this special two-part humanitarian open mapping session.

Michael will talk us through the work of FAO SWALIM and specifically a recent collaboration with HOT's Open Mapping Hub - East and Southern Africa on El Niño early warning and anticipatory action in Somalia.

Benni and Isabell will introdcue us to the Sketch Map Tool, a low-tech, open-source and free of charge application which can be used to support the digitization process of local community mapping. OpenStreetMap basemaps, layouted and created with the tool, can be printed out and used for analogue and offline data collection to map the communities experience and perception of risk in their neighbourhood. Uploading a picture or scan of those paper maps, the tool identifies and selects the marked information and provides them, georeferenced, in different geodata files for further usage and analysis in the own preferred GIS system.

** This was previously scheduled to be a hands on session focusing on the Field Mapping Tasking Manager but due to unfortunate visa issues, our presenter, Ivan Gayton, can no longer be physically at the conference.

Dans cet exposé, nous nous concentrerons spécifiquement sur l'impact de la cartographie participative d'OpenStreetMap en Afrique de l'Ouest au cours des 10 dernières années. Nous examinerons comment la communauté OSM dans la région a joué un rôle crucial dans la création de données géographiques précieuses et dans l'amélioration de la connaissance de la région.

Nous explorerons les différentes initiatives de cartographie participative en Afrique de l'Ouest et mettrons en évidence les projets qui ont eu un impact significatif sur les communautés locales. Par exemple, nous discuterons des efforts de cartographie pour la planification urbaine, la gestion des catastrophes naturelles, l'accès aux services de base tels que l'eau potable et l'électricité, ainsi que l'amélioration de la connectivité routière.

En outre, nous aborderons les défis spécifiques auxquels sont confrontés les contributeurs d'OpenStreetMap en Afrique de l'Ouest, tels que la disponibilité des ressources, l'accès à Internet et la formation. Nous discuterons également des partenariats entre la communauté OSM et d'autres acteurs locaux, tels que les gouvernements, les organisations non gouvernementales et les entreprises, pour renforcer l'impact de la cartographie participative.

Local community investment monitoring refers to the process of tracking, evaluating, and assessing investments made within a specific local community. It involves systematically monitoring the progress, outcomes and impacts of various investment projects such as infrastructure development, business investments, social programs and public initiatives.
This becomes crucial in ensuring transparency, accountability and the effective utilization of resources to benefit the community. Open mapping can therefore be leveraged in this process through mapping and visualization of investment projects, citizen reporting, spatial analysis and data integration from various sources including citizen generated data, government data and official reports.
This study utilized open mapping tools including OSM, QGIS and kobo collect toolbox to assess the economic impact of residential infrastructure development in Chileka township of Blantyre in Malawi. The study involved mapping residential buildings using OSM platform and QGIS, mapping business infrastructures that included private schools, shops, clinics among others(2017-2023).
This data was then integrated with economic data collected using Kobo collect toolbox through household and market interviews. The study findings show that residential infrastructure development increased siginificantly in chileka and consequently led to the expansion of private educational facilities, shops, markets as well as development of new businesses eg motocycle taxis.
The study also showed that some businesses failed to thrive (e.g cosmetic businesses) because most of the new residents prefer to go to the city center because of the perception that the area is rural and therefore deprived to offer such services.
This study highlights the role of open data mapping in facilitating data collection, analysis and visualization for investment monitoring. By utilizing open mapping for local community investment monitoring, communities can enhance their decision-making processes, ensure the alignment of investments with community needs and foster sustainable and inclusive development.
Furthermore the study also underscores the significance of community participation and feedback mechanisms in the monitoring process.

In the Lower Omo Valley in Ethiopia, a food security crisis is unfolding. According to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET), the situation in the area has passed ‘stressed’ to reach the ‘crisis’ stage. Against this background, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) has been supporting a few affected agro-pastoralist communities in mapping the facilities and the natural resources, as part of an effort to manage these resources better and provide evidence to assess the scale of the disaster. The results from a pilot project (2021) demonstrate that the data generated by those affected is more accurate, complete, and locally relevant than authoritative maps or global machine-generated maps. The Crowdmapping For Food Security in Ethiopia (2023) Project aims to support agro-pastoralist communities in mapping the natural resources and facilities they have access to and monitoring the state of such resources. The project further aims at integrating the land user-generated data (in whole or partially, depending on the communities’ decision) into OpenStreetMap. The South Omo Valley area in Ethiopia faces low agricultural productivity due to limited access to land and water resources, which is further compounded by natural disasters like floods and droughts that worsen food insecurity. To address these challenges, #OSM_Ethiopia organized a series of events at three universities in the region, namely Wolaita Soddo University, Arbaminch University, and Jinka University. The events aimed to explore the potential of open-source mapping to create resilient and food-secure communities, focusing on crowd-sourced mapping for food security.

The food security crisis mapping project aimed to improve resource management practices and evaluate the food security crisis in the Lower Omo Valley region of Ethiopia. Volunteers used a customized Sapelli mapping app to collect data in three formats (point, line, and polygon data). The data analysis team conducted a data-cleaning process to ensure consistency and accuracy. The objective of the cleaning process was to eliminate duplicate entries, fill in any missing data values, and standardize the data format. The Food Security Mapping project is an initiative to map food security data in the NYNGATOM district of the OMO zone in Ethiopia. The project is conducted remotely, with OSM Ethiopia mappers and volunteers from around the world contributing their time and skills to map the food security data. To achieve these goals, the project used satellite imagery and other open-source data sources to collect information on crop production, livestock, and other
relevant food security indicators and Create a map of the data collected to provide a visual
representation of the food security situation in the NYNGATOM district. OSM Ethiopia handled the project by collaborating with the University College of London (UCL) Grand Challenges funded project and HOT to ensure the successful implementation of the crowd mapping project for food security in Ethiopia.

Le projet Sunu Wer Gye Yaram a pour objectif de travailler directement avec et à travers les communautés au niveau local pour stimuler et renforcer la capacité des acteurs clés à protéger les moyens de subsistance, améliorer la résilience et préserver leur mode de vie tout en promouvant la justice sociale, l'accès aux données ouvertes et aux logiciels libres.
En tant que plaque tournante, le Western North Africa Hub (WNAH) a identifié un large éventail d'initiatives pour aider les communautés et les villes de notre région à devenir plus durables en travaillant avec des partenaires, Marie Stopes, des ONG, des organisations humanitaires, des acteurs du développement, des secteurs privés, des OSC et des communautés. Utiliser les données et les produits de cartographie pour améliorer la prestation des services de santé :
. Afin d'autonomiser la communauté et de soutenir les activités du projet, le projet mènera un renforcement des capacités pour toutes les parties prenantes, y compris les groupes de femmes et de jeunes de la communauté OSM et les chapitres des jeunes cartographes de diverses universités.
. Collecter des données, cartographier les établissements de santé avec des caractéristiques détaillées, des routes ; risques sanitaires et épidémies, campagnes de vaccination,
. Développer des produits de données (ensembles de données, produits cartographiques) pour soutenir la gestion de la chaîne d'approvisionnement, les services des établissements de santé publique avec des détails disponibles pour une variété d'acteurs.

Campaigning And Engaging Young Girls and Women Towards Positive Change Using Open Mapping Tech in Nigeria
Over the years, young girls and women have faced various challenges related to both social, economic, and political empowerment. They most often have limited access to education, healthcare, safe public spaces, and decision-making processes. This shows that there is need for driving young girls and women towards positive change.
Positive change is a move in the right direction that impacts lives and as well brings development. Positive change is geared towards all aspects of life ranging from social, political, environmental, religion, technology etc. Positive change is meant to bring growth and development in all spheres of life.
Open mapping is one of the means through which positive change can be achieved. Though, mapping is not an end, it is a means to an end and as a result, paves way for solution when utilized effectively and efficiently. Many Young girls and women in Nigeria face a lot of obscurity to positive change and open mapping can be used to address the problems by producing open data that are accessible for both public, private and government utilization. Open mapping technology, which includes crowd-sourced mapping platforms and GIS, offers new possibilities for addressing these challenges by enabling individuals to actively participate in data collection, data analysis, and community development efforts. Open mapping technology allows users to contribute geospatial information, map resources, document infrastructure, and visualize data in an accessible and interactive manner. It harnesses the power of collective intelligence and empowers individuals, including young girls and women, to actively engage in shaping their communities.
Before joining Unique Mappers community, my key interest has been on inspiring young girls to maintain focus in their studies and career. One of the major challenges among young girls in my area is the issue of teenage pregnancy which bring setbacks in the education of the girl child. I took this as a challenge upon myself to engage and educate young girls through outreaches and sensitization on a better career path which would lead to a more successful life and a better future.
With this prior interest in community engagement in women/girls empowerment, joining Unique Mappers Network Nigeria, which is known for its volunteering and humanitarian services, using mapping tech is an avenue for me to make more impact. Over time, I have contributed to driving young girls and women towards positive change and engaging them in learning, using open mapping tech which are geared towards meeting up the Sustainable Development Goals and social good through outreaches and campaigns.
In International Day of the Girl Child and International Women's Day 2021, I sensitized over 100 young girls and women teaching them mapping skills like organic map, map.me. The girls and women were taught on using innovations and technology for gender equality. My bunch of outreach experiences is what I want to share in my talk along with my OpenStreetMap (OSM), journey as a member and women program associate of Unique Mappers Network Nigeria. It's worthy to speak on how we are working collectively in reaching more young girls and women to join the community and make useful contributions in OSM and our openness for collaboration.

The HOT Data Quality Internship is a 3-month program that involves the interns being undertaken comprehensive training on various geospatial tools, including iD editor, JOSM, OSMCha, Osmose, keep right, QGIS, Overpass turbo, ODK, and Mapbox. These trainings enabled them to confidently validate the work of other mappers and improve their geospatial data analysis and storytelling skills. In addition to the technical training, the interns participated in sessions aimed at improving their community engagement potential. These sessions included tips, tricks, and challenges related to the Local OSM Community Working Group, presentations and demos on OSM community channels, and "ask me anything" meetings with Youthmappers Regional Ambassadors and HOT Working Group chairpersons/members. These meetings provided the interns with insight into how to get involved in various OSM communities and encouraged their active participation.

Security lights are a significant component of any security measure. As part of the election-security mapping project last year, we as Map Kibera became aware of how the presence of working security lights directly affects an area's security in one way or another. Thugs will sometimes go so far as to vandalize the lights to encourage their activities in the early morning hours. This also applies to how well-lit the roadways are. Compared to areas with well-lit streets, areas with darker roads are likely to have more accidents.

While this is a worldwide issue, it affects more African countries, especially in informal and rural settlements and steps need to be made to create comprehensive data which can be used to advocate for the installation of new security lights and maintenance of existing ones.

In my talk, I shall be sharing the pilot project we did on the mapping of security lights in Kibera and share the outcomes of the project including the various challenges faced when it comes to security lights (such as power connectivity) and the feedback from the community. From the pilot, we saw an opportunity for expanding the work, starting with the major towns in Nairobi.

Additionally, I would also like to discuss with the larger mapping community how we can take the initiative of mapping the security lights in other cities in Africa and possibly chart a way forward on how meeting this need will look like. Though the first step has been taken, I recognize that this initiative requires the input of my fellow mapping community and would also like to include a section where this input can be received and see how the OSM mapping community can work towards such a challenge.

Open Mapping as a support tool for Local Development in Africa. The State of the Map Africa (SotM Africa) is a bi-annual regional conference that celebrates the culture of open mapping, open data, GIS and its impact across Africa. The first SotM Africa conference was hosted by the OSM community in Uganda in 2017. In 2021, It was hosted in Abidjan and Grand-Bassam in Ivory Coast. The 2021 conference planned in Nairobi, Kenya was virtually hosted (online). This year’s conference in Yaounde, Cameroon will continue to build on the strategy envisioned for OpenStreetMap in Africa as a renewed, strong, and growing network, and as part of the global OpenStreetMap and Open GIS movement.

This paper presents the learning experience and outcomes of a Mini-Mapathon course developed, implemented, and evaluated for the first time in a population of 28 Junior high school ELL students in three Human Geography courses at an international high school in Beijing, China. The Mini-Mapathon curriculum was designed and developed to answer three key research questions below. 1. Was the Mini-Mapathon curriculum effective in increasing geospatial knowledge and skills. 2. What is the interest in participating in crisis mapping events in the future? 3. Does gender play a role in self-assessment of mapping skills? The paper concludes with an analysis of students’ knowledge and skill gains, and attitudes towards map making. Other variables measured included students’ interest and motivation for participating in future Mapathons or starting Youth Mapper chapters in their future colleges or universities and their mapping skills growth before and after the Mini-Mapathon. The role of gender in self-assessment of mapping skills was also examined. Students’ survey responses were analyzed using mixed methods. In conclusion, the paper proposes that the Mini-Mapathon course could be implemented in other schools with a larger sample size to investigate learning outcomes and experiences. A website was built (www.crisismapping.weebly.com) to turn the Mini-Mapathon experience into an exportable educational activity that could be replicated or delivered in formal and informal learning environments. A recommendation for further research is proposed.

GeOsm is a Free and Open Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure operating on a global scale aiming to bring together, on a single platform , free geographic information of each country and pursue the objective of empowering local communities and unlocking their potential. On the one hand by ensuring a knowledge/visualization of existing data and on the other hand by allowing spatial dialogue between stakeholders around the territory through a located social network.
HOT and GeoSM Family signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2022 in which both parties, having understood the need to improve location data for decision-making, intend to work together to support both the WNAH Hub and GeoSM Family's missions, particularly with the aim of ensuring up-to-date, high-quality geospatial data, visualization and digital community building and engagement through online tools and development initiatives. Today, GeoSM Family wishes to work in collaboration with key national and international partners in Africa and beyond to execute activities through formal agreements. These activities will include, but are not limited to, community building, open and participatory mapping, software development, data cleansing and uploading to OSM, training local partners in GeOSM, organizing webinars, user testing, workshops, mapathons and more.

The aim of this session is to present the new version of geosm, train communities in its use, receive feedback and formalize partnership agreements between geOsm Family and local communities attending SOTM Africa.

Getting to know about OSM comes in several forms. We all contribute to OpenStreetMap because of a reason. What was your first point of contact to contributing to OpenStreetMap? In this workshop, I dive into both the best and worst of OpenStreetMap contributions using Ghana as case study as we learn together.

We will explore best practices and also take a look at topics such as but not limited to:
- Issues arising from organised mapping activities
- Imagery offsets
- Importance of GPS traces
- reusing existing objects, etc

La gouvernance dans les communautés ouvertes n'est pas largement débattue, mais elle pourrait jouer un rôle potentiel dans l'orientation et la durabilité des communautés.
Points clés des discussions
1. Que signifie l'ouverture des communautés cartographiques ?
2. Comment cela affecte-t-il l'orientation et la durabilité, le succès et les échecs de la communauté ?
3. Quels sont les défis, les limites et les réserves liés à la mise en place ou à la formalisation de la gouvernance dans les communautés ouvertes ?
4. Possibilité d'avoir une idée plus claire de ce qui est attendu en matière de gouvernance pour les chapitres locaux de l'OSMF.

ABSTRACT
The rate of unemployment and the lack of job in the society has triggered an increase of crime in Nigeria. Crime cases and criminal acts like Kidnapping, home-breaking, theft, robbery, murder and rape cases are prohibited by law but still exists around the world. Nigeria is one major country with has recorded an increase in the rate of crime. This research study deals with crime mapping and analysis of Ngurore village using geospatial approach. The study is aim at mapping and analyzing crime so as to identify the spatial distribution of crime incidence and the pattern of crime occurrence in Ngurore village. Information from questionnaire administered formed the secondary data, software and instrument used were QGIS 3.8 and smartphone GPS aid to capture the coordinate of crime location, GIS database was design to query, analysis and visualized maps, OpenStreetMap (OSM) data, Google earth imagery data was used as based Map during ground truthing, existing road network were used for analysis showing the shortest paths to crime location, hotspots analysis shows rate crimes occurrence overtime. Proximity analysis of crimes to police station and community police post. This study will give insights and in-depth understanding to police and other relevant security agencies with view of planning, strategizing, deploying security operative in tackling and reducing crime rate in Ngurore village and environs.

Key Word: Crime rate, Geospatial, Mapping, Hotspot, Crime Analysis

La Cartographie Communautaire à Bamako ou encore OpenCities Africa Bamako est une initiative de la Banque Mondiale pilotée par Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team HOT et OSMMali pour renforcer la capacité des gouvernements locaux et des communautés à développer de nouvelles données sur les risques de catastrophe pour la prise de décision basée sur les données.

Health Facility catchment area refers to geographical area that covers the population that utilizes its services. Knowledge of health facility catchment area helps to calculate population-based rates of diseases and interrogate effects of socio-economic and environmental covariates on disease transmission. Additionally, facility catchment areas provide opportunity for public health authorities to track indicators such as vaccine distributions. In Malawi information on facility catchment areas is outdated, and mapping activities to generate catchment areas is an expensive activity that cannot be done periodically. Our team previously utilized a 1 square kilometer global friction cost surface generated by the Malaria Atlas Project to generate catchment areas for health facilities across Malawi. We used Least Coast Algorithm to assign the pixels of the friction surface to health facilities. While that this approach enabled us to generate catchment areas for health facilities across the country, we observed that this approach was inadequate at generating catchments areas for communities with high density of facilities. This challenge was observed in urban communities. Urban communities offer unique public health challenges particularly because of existence of huge inequitable in health care access and increased environmental hazards. Especially in Africa, the population of urban communities is expected to grow, with the majority living in informal settlements, most of them with limited sanitation and basic health care services.

In this work, we explored the potential of generating better health catchment areas using open data resources. We aimed at generating catchment areas for Blantyre city in Southern Malawi. To achieve this, we mapped all access roads to health facilities in Blantyre City by creating a collaborative mapping task on Humanitarian OpenStreetMap (HOTOSM) Tasking Manager. Using five randomly selected residential communities in Blantyre city, we observed travel speed associated with different means of transportation.

AccessMod version 5 was used for further processing of the generated data. Here the mapped roads were were merged with other open data resources including a 10-meter resolution land cover map for Blantyre city and 30-meter resolution elevation data. The merged layer was used to generate a 30-meter resolution friction cost surface. To generate catchment areas, a Least cost Algorithm was applied to generate facility catchment areas. We intend to validate the catchment areas using health records in three selected facilities within the city and government records from Health Surveillance Assistants. Furthermore, based on road distances to facilities, we quantified time the travel time to health facilities, a step that enabled us to identify locations that are relatively far from existing health facilities.

With the use of HOTOSM tasking manager, we have been able to map all all the possible access roads to health facilities in Blantyre (including footpaths). Also from the travel speed observations, we have noted that that travel speed varies with road surface, means of transportation and location. While we have observed that road users generally travel faster on tarmac road, than earth road, people who walk, travel faster on footpaths. Furthermore, our observations reveal that motorcycles exhibit similar speeds to vehicles on tarmac roads. However, on earth roads, motorcycles surpass other modes of transportation in terms of speed. Regarding the use of AccessMod, a 30-meter resolution friction cost surface was generated. This friction surface enabled generation of catchment areas of health facilities, and quantification of travel time to health facilities.

The study has demonstrated the practical usage of Open Data in understanding health care access in urban communities. The friction surface that has been generated from the study has potential to be used for studying physical accessibility of other basic services (i.e., security). The generated catchment areas, once they are validated they can be used by public health officials for planning and disease burden estimation.

As the world increasingly focuses on sustainable development, the pressing issue of climate change, primarily caused by a combination of diverse anthropogenic activities, continues to pose the greatest threat to the African continent. Climate change has become the most pressing issue facing the world today, and Nigeria is one of those countries most vulnerable to its effects, as exemplified by the extensive flooding that affected over twenty-two (22) states, including Gombe State, and displaced a significant population in 2022. These disasters have caused enormous damage and displacement, and have had a massive impact on the lives of Nigerians. Panguru, a community located in Kashere, Gombe State, stands as an exemplary case of a community facing numerous climate related challenges. Additionally, there has been inconclusive debate about the significance of OpenStreetMap data in Nigeria and its useability. However, OpenStreetMap (OSM) data holds the potential to significantly improve the livelihoods of Panguru and other similar communities, enabling them to better prepare for climate induced disasters while building their resilience towards climate change. Addressing the complex challenges posed by climate change requires a collaborative effort that surpasses the capacity of any single entity, whether government, NGOs, or individuals.

The constant shifting dynamics of our environment, coupled with rapid development in some communities, make comprehensive monitoring difficult for the government and corporate bodies. In the face of these challenges, it is now paramount to prioritize efficient documentation and monitoring of these vulnerable communities for more effective disaster response and climate resilience. Additionally, the challenges faced in disaster management in Nigeria stem from a lack of reliable and accurate open-source data. This limitation inhibits the efforts of response teams and organizations in offering emergency related assistance to affected communities due to a lack of essential information to access those areas. There have also been initiatives set up to encourage increased volunteer participation in mapping structure, but their current number is insufficient. As a result, the need to encourage volunteers and prioritize the use of OpenStreetMap data to effectively document and monitor the vulnerability of these communities is essential in these times.

The goal of this study is to look into the potential of open street mapping in gathering and documenting information about vulnerable communities, with the primary aim of improving disaster response and building climate resilience in similar communities across the country, using Panguru community in Gombe State, Nigeria, as an example. The primary data was gathered through community engagement, while secondary data was gathered and integrated from sources such as OSM, Google Earth, OCHA, and Landsat. This study's methodology began with a review of data on vulnerability indices, disaster response rates, and current OpenStreetMap data on Nigeria's vulnerable communities. The Panguru community leaders were tasked with gathering detailed information on the communities’ environmental and socioeconomic conditions. Geospatial software was used to conduct spatial analysis to identify infrastructure distribution and gaps in Gombe State.

According to the findings, the Panguru community faces challenges due to a lack of data and access to essential infrastructure, resulting in isolation from major communities due to frequent flooding. The area is prone to flooding, and the only connecting road is a frequently flooded valley that has killed over five (5) people in the past. OpenStreetMap (OSM) data has the potential to guide government bodies in making decisions about where to locate critical structures such as road networks, clean water facilities, and hospitals, which can aid in disaster response. OSM provides alternative ways to help vulnerable and underdeveloped communities build climate resilience. Openstreetmapping participation and inclusivity encourage local knowledge and community mapping, which allows the residents to identify prone risk zones that are not visible on satellite imagery and also learn about their own vulnerability. The crowd sourced data allows for more flexibility to provide current information on things. The potential of OpenStreetMap data extends beyond its ability to document infrastructure but also to attract development by providing accurate and current information by mapping existing structures, highlighting the potential for economic activities, and showcasing the community's unique cultural heritage. These data can help to generate interest among investors, tourists, and development parastatals, leading to increased opportunities for social and economic development.

This study emphasized the significance of using OSM data to improve the lives of communities like Panguru. More data can be collected in previously inaccessible areas by increasing volunteer engagement and capacity building. This would help build the communities' efforts toward sustainable development and climate resilience. The combination of OSM data and GIS data can provide valuable information for the relocation of small communities, particularly those located in floodplains or flood risk zones.

Keywords: Climate resilience, Disaster response, OpenStreetMap (OSM), Nigeria, Vulnerable communities

Humanitarian medical action generally targets victims of unpredictable disasters. However, it is possible to anticipate disasters and plan a rapid and effective response, when the areas are well known. In this sense, visual knowledge of climatic or human hazards, combined with the identification of important resources and livelihoods through community mapping in areas where MSF carries out community health activities is essential. In the mayo sava, considered a red zone, communities are exposed to hazards due to increasing climate change or man. To anticipate, a mapping of the community, with the main actor representing the areas and indicator resources threatened by climatic, natural or anthropogenic hazards, is a very powerful tool. It is a decision support tool in case of intervention.

Map4Kids est une initiative de OSM Togo qui a pour objectif de promouvoir la cartographie numérique OSM vers une cible particulière et inhabituelle, les enfants. Cette session permettra de présenter l'objectif d'une telle initiative, les actions déjà menées, les leçons apprises ainsi que nos perspectives pour le futur.

Distance analysis plays a crucial role in understanding spatial relationships and patterns within geographic datasets. This presentation introduces the use of QGIS (Quantum GIS), an open-source geographic information system software, for conducting distance analysis. The presentation covers various types of distance analysis, including point-to-point distance, distance matrix, nearest neighbor analysis, and line-of-sight analysis. Each type of analysis is explained, highlighting its applications and benefits. The presentation also outlines the step-by-step process of performing distance analysis in QGIS, from loading data to configuring analysis parameters and interpreting the results. By leveraging the power of QGIS, users can gain valuable insights into proximity relationships and make informed decisions in fields such as urban planning, transportation, and environmental studies.

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative platform for mapping and data collection that allows contributors to express their perspectives on the world. However, this bottom-up approach results in varying levels of data quality and heterogeneity due to differences in mapping competence, local knowledge, and interests of the contributors. The lack of standardization and consistency in the tagging system of OSM further complicates the usability of the data, especially for end users such as field health workers. This research aims to develop a user-oriented assessment framework, focusing on OSM data related to health services, to improve the fitness-for-use of the data.
The research objectives include determining the parts of OSM datasets that need quality assessment, unifying the existing vocabulary using Semantic Web Technology, analyzing the correlation between mapping events/projects and data quality, and providing a web application for field health workers to assess and edit OSM data. The main research question addresses the effectiveness of a user-oriented approach in assisting health services in the Global South. The study focuses on two Kenyan counties, Nairobi and Wajir, and their specific needs for health-related data. It aims to evaluate the fitness of OSM data for the specific needs of health workers and analyze the vocabularies used in OSM. It also examines the quality of the data, particularly in relation to health facilities, water and sanitation points, and road networks. It identifies the role of humanitarian mapping projects in improving the quality and completeness of OSM data and proposes the use of ontologies and semantic web technologies to enhance the data analysis process. Additionally, the study explores the potential development of a web application for accessing OSM health services data.
The present research involves several stages in the way to reaching its objectives. The user’s needs analysis is the first part which builds the context for all the other parts and consists of a Questionnaire, several interviews, and a report analysis from the Kenyan Red Cross. Based on that the test datasets are were produced with the source being Kenya’s OSM dataset in RDF format. Using Qlever SPARQL engine and RDFlib for Python the aim is to construct the most complete test dataset possible containing all hidden information. These datasets were then compared to authoritative data to assess health services OSM data. The queries used for the assessment were also a guide to building an ontology for promoting existing vocabulary. Then by using OSMCha and querying for humanitarian hashtags, the goal was to find areas of the use cases where humanitarian mapping projects have been implemented and see if they are correlated with high-quality health services data. Finally, the setup of a web application was proposed using the outcomes of the previous stages.
The assessment of OSM data is guided by a users' needs analysis for health field workers, which prioritizes the completeness of health facilities data, their level according to the Kenya Essential Package for Health (KEPH), the services and equipment they provide, and their contact details. It finds out that the existing methods for assessing OSM data lack domain-level sensitivity, and therefore, a user-focused approach is adopted.
The analysis of the vocabularies used in OSM reveals that there is a lack of tags representing the classification of health facilities and the equipment they use in Kenya. While Nairobi has an extensive vocabulary for services and contact information, Wajir has a limited vocabulary but ongoing mapping projects from HOT in collaboration with the Kenyan Red Cross have contributed to improving the data quality. However, in areas where humanitarian mapping projects have already taken place, such as the informal settlements of Nairobi, the vocabulary is more extensive. The research suggests that mapping projects can improve the quality of OSM data by creating a taxonomy that future contributors can follow.
Quality assessments of OSM data are conducted to determine the completeness and attribute accuracy of health facilities, water and sanitation points, and road networks. The study compares OSM data with authoritative sources and finds that humanitarian mapping projects contribute significantly to the completeness of health facilities data, particularly in informal settlements. However, the attribute completeness of OSM data is relatively low, indicating room for improvement. In terms of water and sanitation points, OSM data in Nairobi's informal settlements are more complete than UN-Habitat data, while for Wajir, there is limited reference data available. The road networks in both Nairobi and Wajir counties are more extensive in OSM compared to authoritative data, suggesting that OSM can support navigation for health services.
The study highlights the importance of using all available data sources, including OSM and authoritative data, for a common humanitarian cause in the Global South. It proposes the use of humanitarian mapping projects as a proxy for assessing the quality of OSM data and suggests that the credibility of contributors can be an indicator of data quality. The research also explores the use of ontologies and SPARQL queries to build a classification system for health facilities and suggests the development of a web application for accessing OSM health services data.
In conclusion, this research emphasizes the importance of user-focused assessments, the role of humanitarian mapping projects in improving data quality, and the potential of ontologies and web applications to enhance the use of OSM data for supporting health services in the Global South. By leveraging these approaches, OSM can become a valuable tool for addressing healthcare challenges in vulnerable environments.

La cartographie participative est un outil très important pour l'implication de la communauté dans le développement locale. Les outils et les données open sources facilitent la population des pays moins développés à avoir accès facile aux informations cartographique des entités où elle vie. Le cas typique est la cartographie des cours d'eau en République Démocratique du Congo. En RDC la problématique des routes est palpable dans le sens que bon nombre des routes ne sont pas entretenues. Les cours d'eau servent de communication dans plusieurs parties du pays.
Plusieurs limites sanitaires et administratives se reposent sur les cours d'eaux, malheureusement ces cours d'eaux, dans la majorité ne sont pas cartographiées. Cet exposé soulignera l'importance et l'urgence de cartographier les cours d'eau en RDC ainsi que les méthodes pratiques pour y parvenir.

Introduction:

Access to accurate and navigable road network data is crucial for both personal transportation and corporate logistics, as well as for efficient humanitarian and relief efforts. META (previously known as FACEBOOK) has been contributing to the mapping and technology ecosystem, improving the quality and coverage of data in OpenStreetMap and supporting the development of Free Software tools. The AI-Assisted Road project introduced by META in 2019 allows the community to make use of predicted roads from satellite imagery, facilitating road mapping in OpenStreetMap. Skilled mappers from OpenMap Development Tanzania (OMDTZ) have been consistently working on digitization and validation of the Tanzania road network data, leading to successful implementation of various projects in the region.

Tools and Methodology:

• MapwithAI Tasking Manager: Used for mapping projects.

• Rapid editor: An AI-assisted road mapping tool available in the tasking manager.

• JOSM: An advanced OpenStreetMap editor for data validation.

• OSMAnd: A map and navigation application for Android and iOS.

• Open Data Kit (ODK): A free application used for data collection, combined with Kobo toolbox servers and ODK central servers.

Mapping initiatives carried out in Tanzania:

1. Crop Mapping Project:
   Funded by GEOGLAM, this project involves identifying crops in selected areas through field validation. The collected data is used for monitoring and improving crop forecasting models and agricultural assessments, as well as promoting modern agricultural techniques and adaptation to climate change.

2. Solid Waste Management/Litter Mapping Projects:
   Roads were digitized and updated to facilitate surveys and assessments of solid waste practices. Roads were included in the basemap along with buildings for easier navigation to areas of interest.

3. School Feeding Programme Mapping:
   A project financed by WFP to capture food program practices in pre and primary schools. Existing road information in OpenStreetMap was used to reach school locations, and data was collected using ODK and OSMAnd.

4. Mills Census Study:
   A nationwide survey to obtain the spatial distribution of mill machines. FOSS tools like ODK and OSMAnd were used for data collection, and QGIS for data cleaning and analysis. Road networks supported navigation and travel cost estimation.

Contributions of OpenStreetMap roads to project success:

• Locality navigation.

• Estimation of transport costs.

• Prediction of the mode of transport.

• Calculation of travel time, reducing costs and increasing comfort.

Challenges and Solutions:
- Quality checking controls: Errors in road data required mass validation by skilled mappers and validators.

• Imagery clarity: Blurry Maxar imagery made it difficult to distinguish between highways and waterways in some projects.

• Data conflicts with other OSM users: Flagging issues to Meta tech experts helped resolve conflicts.

• Remoteness of some areas: Poorly constructed roads in rural areas hindered data collection.

• Unpredictable climatic weather conditions: Unfamiliar climate and unpredictable rain seasons affected data collection.

• Presence of wild animals: Precautions needed in areas with wildlife, requiring additional details for road connectivity and navigation.

Everyone knows about OpenStreetMap, but not everyone knows what is the OpenStreetMap Foundation.

The OpenStreetMap Foundation is an international not-for-profit organization supporting, but not controlling, the OpenStreetMap Project. It is dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free geospatial data and to providing geospatial data for anyone to use and share.

In this session, we will talk about who we are, what we do, how you can join and grow the OpenStreetMap Foundation, Working Groups and initiatives, and how we can take action for the future of the OpenStreetMap project.

Mapping individual dwellings is important for emergency management, population mapping, planning and maintenance of off-grid services particularly for unplanned settlements but the process is manual & time consuming. The aim of this study was to automatically map building footprints from high resolution satellite and aerial images using artificial intelligence in unplanned urban settlements. A deep learning model called Mask Region-based Convolutional Neural Network (Mask R-CNN) was implemented to automatically extract dwellings in unplanned settlements of Nairobi (Kenya), Cap-Haïtien (Haiti) & Lima (Peru). The model was first trained using SpaceNet global dataset and further retrained using customised dataset of the study sites. Results show that the retrained model performed with an overall accuracy of 0.88 and F1 score of 0.63 representing a 35% and 37% improvement respectively compared with Mask R-CNN trained on SpaceNet data. When the retrained model was fine-tuned, the F1 score further improved from 0.63 to 0.66 whilst overall accuracy remained the same. Despite achieving a high precision (0.69) for detecting dwellings, the model struggled to differentiate classes achieving a recall of 0.64 when fine-tuned. This is because buildings in study sites had different sizes, patterns, shapes, and roof colours that made it difficult to differentiate them from background objects. The results also demonstrate that it is possible to automatically map unplanned dwellings using Mask R-CNN provided parameters are fine-tuned and model is trained on customised data. This project contributes to a broader understanding of applications of artificial intelligence in remote sensing for objects detection which in turn can improve off-grid service provision in unplanned settlements.

One of the sіgnіfіcant drivers of socіo-economic development of a country іs the access to electricity which contributes a lot in health, education, agriculture and environmental sustaіnabіlіty(Kemausuor, Obeng, Brew-Hammond, & Duker, 2011). In Zimbabwe, the current approach of designing of electrical power lines is flawed and leads to time consuming and wastage of resources.
Since the beginning of 2010s, OSM has developed into an advanced system for preserving and analyzing geographical and thematic data on spatial objects. The need for 3D information is rising quickly. In some circumstances, such as those involving noise prediction models, water flood models, air pollution models, and geological models, 2D analysis has proven to have drawbacks. The requirement for 3D geo-information has also been answered by 3D urban planning, environmental monitoring, telecommunications, public rescue operations, and landscape design, among other fields(Stoter & Zlatanova, 2003).

Access to reliable and up-to-date geospatial information is crucial for informed decision-making and sustainable development. However, African countries face significant challenges in accessing GIS data, including limited availability, high costs, and technological barriers. This abstract presents a proposal to revolutionize GIS data access in Africa by leveraging the power of OpenStreetMap (OSM), Leaflet, OpenLayers, and GeoServer.
OpenStreetMap (OSM) offers a crowd-sourced, freely available mapping platform that empowers local communities to contribute and maintain geospatial data. By harnessing the collaborative nature of OSM, African countries can overcome limitations in data availability and engage local communities in data collection and updates. This inclusive approach enhances the richness and accuracy of GIS data in Africa.
Leaflet and OpenLayers are user-friendly JavaScript libraries for web mapping. They provide intuitive and interactive map interfaces, enabling users to visualize and interact with OpenStreetMap data. By incorporating Leaflet and OpenLayers into GIS applications, African countries can overcome technological barriers and provide user-friendly access to geospatial information, even on mobile devices.
GeoServer, an open-source server for publishing geospatial data, plays a crucial role in overcoming data access challenges in Africa. It allows the integration of OpenStreetMap data into the system, enabling seamless collaboration with other geospatial datasets. GeoServer offers standard geospatial web services, such as Web Map Service (WMS) and Web Feature Service (WFS), making OpenStreetMap data accessible through various protocols.
Through GeoServer, African countries can customize the styling of OpenStreetMap data to suit their specific requirements. This flexibility enables users to create visually appealing and informative maps, supporting effective decision-making processes. Additionally, GeoServer incorporates performance optimization techniques, data security measures, and supports multiple data formats, ensuring efficiency, accessibility, and interoperability.
To overcome the challenges of GIS data access in Africa, it is crucial to foster collaboration, capacity building, and data sharing. By promoting open-source solutions like OpenStreetMap, Leaflet, OpenLayers, and GeoServer, African countries can enhance data accessibility, transparency, and empower local communities. The cost-effectiveness of these tools ensures that financial constraints do not hinder access to geospatial information.
This abstract presents a comprehensive framework to revolutionize GIS data access in Africa. By leveraging the power of OpenStreetMap, Leaflet, OpenLayers, and GeoServer, African countries can bridge the gap in data availability, promote inclusive decision-making processes, and drive sustainable development initiatives. Through collaboration and capacity building, we can unlock the potential of geospatial information in Africa and build a brighter future for the continent.

Open mapping is a concept defined as “a global movement to create free and open geographic data” that is centered around OpenStreetMap (OSM - https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Main_Page) project. The concept had become more relatable and useful in the early and mid-2010s in Africa and elsewhere in the world. With the largest proof-of-concept open mapping initiatives such as the Ramani Huria (https://ramanihuria.org/) in Tanzania, it has helped transform how governments and citizens work together by allowing them to co-create and support critical government functions with geographic maps and data. The availability of open data and maps has not only helped the government, community at large, and public and private sectors to co-create solutions but also transform the way decisions are made through informed procedures to solve local community’s problems and create sustainable impacts through community engagement.

Open mapping communities have continued to grow ever since across Africa, some examples being local OSM communities and chapters, chapters in universities across the African continent through YouthMappers network (https://www.youthmappers.org/), local and international open mapping groups (both non-profit organizations and for-profit companies), etc. While it is important to think about the sustainability of these communities in terms of their future existence and the intended impacts, there are a number of outstanding challenges that limit their ability to reach their full potential. While the intended impacts can be subsidized and supported through collaborations with African governments as well as local and international partners, the future existence of these communities is uncertain due to several reasons such as challenges in the formality of how these teams are composed and organized, accessing funds to support their designed programs, and technical and management expertise.

This panel session aims at highlighting and discussing the challenges, opportunities, and learning from vividly and relatively successful African open mapping communities that are working to bring positive impact and success to their localities and enhance local development. The overall purpose of this panel discussion will be to provide an opportunity for participants of SotM Africa 2023 to hear knowledgeable selected experts discuss issues and opportunities around building open mapping communities, working with African governments and partners, and discussing their personal views and experiences. The panel discussion will help the audience further clarify and evaluate their positions and understanding regarding the topic discussed and increase their understanding of the positions of others.

The panel will be led by Innocent Maholi from OpenMap Development Tanzania (OMDTZ - http://omdtz.or.tz/) and will be composed of about 4 - 6 experienced and knowledgeable experts on the topic with a well-balanced gender ratio, a good representation of all parts of Africa to diversify context, etc.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON THE TOPIC “OPENSTREETMAP EDUCATION-TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS”.
ABSTRACT
OpenStreetMap is a collaborative mapping project that allows individuals to contribute and access free geospatial data. The platform has grown and gained significant popularity and become an integral source of data for various applications including navigation, urban planning, and disaster management. Notwithstanding, its potential in the field of education remains largely untapped. This research aims to investigate the use of OpenStreetMap in education, with a specific focus on the role of teachers in schools. The role of teachers is vital in shaping students’ learning experiences and is well positioned to integrate innovative technologies and resources into the curriculum. By incorporating OpenStreetMap into their teaching practices, teachers can enhance students’ geospatial literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. OpenStreetMap can promote active learning collaboration and community engagement among students. Numerous research has examined the use of OpenStreetMap in education and highlighted both its advantages and disadvantages. For instance, Goodchild (2007) highlighted the idea of "volunteered geography," highlighting the significant contribution that individuals may make to the geospatial knowledge available on websites like OpenStreetMap. Haklay (2010) carried out a comparison between OpenStreetMap and conventional datasets, emphasizing the correctness and dependability of contributed geographic data. Additionally, Hochmair and Zielstra (2012) evaluated the OpenStreetMap bike paths' completeness, highlighting the potential for crowdsourced data to supplement and improve current datasets. These studies demonstrate OpenStreetMap's important educational potential, especially when teachers use it to promote student learning. Despite the potential advantages, there are several difficulties in incorporating OpenStreetMap into the curriculum. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been implemented and are beneficial in secondary education, according to Kerski (2003), who emphasized the significance of teacher preparation and professional development for seamless integration. This result implies that when integrating OpenStreetMap into the educational context, comparable issues can be relevant. This research project intends to add to the corpus of knowledge on geospatial education and its implications for teaching and learning by conducting a thorough inquiry into the usage of OpenStreetMap in education. The objectives, methodology, anticipated results, and suggestions for this study are described in the following sections. Despite OpenStreetMap's (OSM) immense potential as a formidable geospatial tool, its integration into the education sector, notably in schools, is still only partially complete. This raises questions regarding the teachers' lack of knowledge of and use of OSM, which results in a loss of opportunity to integrate practical mapping experiences and spatial data literacy into the curriculum. Furthermore, its widespread implementation is hampered by the lack of thorough rules and efficient methods for incorporating OSM instruction in schools. There are two issues at hand: First and foremost, it's important to gauge teachers' awareness of, familiarity with, and perceptions of OpenStreetMap education. Teachers might not see the advantages of OSM and its possible uses without a strong understanding of it, and they could be hesitant to use it in their lesson plans. Second, the integration and use of OSM in schools may be hampered by the absence of thorough rules and efficient approaches for incorporating it into the curriculum. Teachers could find it difficult to negotiate the difficulties of efficiently using OSM in their classrooms without clear instructions. The educational potential of OpenStreetMap must be unlocked in order to enable teachers to take advantage of its advantages for improving students' spatial comprehension, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. This study seeks to offer helpful insights and recommendations for boosting OpenStreetMap education among teachers in schools by researching teachers' knowledge, examining the advantages and limitations, and finding effective techniques for incorporating OSM into the curriculum. The primary objectives of the research are as follows: To assess the awareness and knowledge of teachers regarding OpenStreetMap and its potential applications in education, to identify effective strategies and best practices for incorporating OpenStreetMap into teaching and learning. to explore the perceived benefits and challenges associated with integrating OpenStreetMap into the curriculum. to evaluate the impact of OpenStreetMap education on student learning outcomes and engagement. This research will be guided by the following question:
• What are is the knowledge and awareness level of teachers regarding OpenStreetmap and its potential application in education curriculum?
• What strategies and practices are best suitable for incorporating OpenStreetmap into teaching and learning?
• What are the benefits and challenges associated with integrating OpenStreetMap into school curriculum?
• What are the impacts of OpenStreetmap education on students learning outcomes and engagement?
The research proposal will employ a mixed method approach combining quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques. The study will be conducted in three phases. Phase one which will involve survey and interviews. Semi structured interviews will be conducted with a subset of teachers to gain in-depth understanding into their experiences, strategies, and recommendations regarding OpenStreetMap education. Phase two will involve curriculum analysis. Reviewing and analyzing existing curriculum documents and guidelines. Interviews with focus groups and curriculum developers and education policy makers will be conducted. The interview will shed lights on the integration of OSM into the curriculum, challenges faced, and strategies for successful implementation. Phase three will involve classroom implementation and evaluation. OpenStreetMap will be integrated into a smaple of classrooms and data will be collected on learning outcomes of students, their engagements and attitudes towards the use of OSM. This research will be important to multiple stakeholders, including educators, policymakers, curriculum developers, and students empowering them towards advanced geospatial education research. It has the potential to drive positive change in educational practices and foster the development of a geospatially literate society. After the research is concluded, the expected outcomes of the research are to promote the integration of OpenStreetMap into education. Equip teachers and students with geospatial literacy and enhance their critical thinking skills.

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

The dynamics and logistics in developing 'complete' and sustainable communities are not so simple phenomena but rather ones that require planning, determination, and external influence. From the onset of establishing a community of individuals to the holding of a successful meeting, the organizers and founders need to have a clear understanding of what a community should look like in its incubation period until its maturity. The dynamics of assessing the merits might keep changing as one observes the trends within the community members as he provides the visionary role. This usually comes in the form of a well-structured vision, mission, and subsequent objectives. With the establishment of the following, a community will most likely have a strong holding in forthcoming years in case of a change of leadership and the general growth and development of the community.
OSM is a powerful tool in the continent of Africa bringing together individuals, institutions, and governments in generating and maintaining geospatial data. To ensure longevity and relevance it is important to focus on capacity building for communities. This talk will dwell on the topic using the case study of OSM Kenya as we discuss the ways to empower African mappers and provide practical approaches and strategies for enhancing community participation in providing open data. Ultimately, this talk aims to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the empowerment of local communities in driving the future of mapping in Africa. Redefining the concept of inclusion and diversity in mapping communities, highlighting the potential of emerging technologies and innovative approaches in growing sustainable communities.
At the end of the talk, attendees should have a clear understanding of what a community is, the main pillars of a community, how to grow a community and empower its members, challenges, and limitations likely to be faced, and how to overcome them, the significant role of collaborations and partnerships, registration of an entity with local governments and the importance of knowledge sharing.

Abstract:
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a powerful tool for spatial understanding and community engagement. This project aims to promote OSM education among teachers in schools, equipping them with the knowledge and resources to integrate mapping into their curricula. By empowering educators with OSM skills, we can foster spatial literacy, critical thinking, and active citizenship among students. The project outlines a comprehensive approach that includes teacher training programs, curriculum development, and collaborative mapping projects, enabling teachers to effectively incorporate OSM into various subjects and inspire the next generation of mappers and geospatial thinkers.

Introduction:
OpenStreetMap, a collaborative mapping platform, offers immense potential for educational purposes. By introducing OSM education to schools and training teachers in its application, we can enhance spatial awareness, data literacy, and community engagement among students.

Teacher Training Programs:
The project begins with comprehensive teacher training programs, designed to familiarize educators with OpenStreetMap and its functionalities. These programs can be conducted through workshops, webinars, or online modules. Training sessions should cover topics such as map editing, data collection, quality assurance, and the integration of OSM in various subjects. Teachers will gain hands-on experience, enabling them to confidently incorporate OSM into their teaching practice.

Curriculum Development:
To integrate OSM into the school curriculum, dedicated efforts should be made to develop subject-specific lesson plans and activities. This can involve collaboration between educators, mapping experts, and curriculum specialists. Lesson plans can be designed to align with existing subjects such as geography, social studies, environmental science, mathematics, and civic education. These curriculum resources should incorporate interactive mapping exercises, data analysis projects, and community mapping initiatives to enhance students' understanding of spatial concepts, data interpretation, and civic participation.

Collaborative Mapping Projects:
Engaging students in collaborative mapping projects can foster a sense of ownership, community engagement, and active learning. Teachers can organize mapping campaigns that focus on local communities, historical landmarks, or environmental issues. Students can contribute to mapping their school campus, local neighborhoods, or areas of interest, collecting data, verifying existing information, and adding valuable details to the map. This hands-on experience encourages students to explore their surroundings, understand local contexts, and make meaningful contributions to the shared knowledge resource of OpenStreetMap.

Experiential Learning and Fieldwork:
OSM education can be further enhanced through experiential learning and fieldwork. Teachers can organize field trips to explore the local area, enabling students to collect data, document points of interest, and contribute to the mapping process. This immersive experience enhances students' spatial observation skills, data collection techniques, and encourages them to view their environment through a geospatial lens.

Cross-Curricular Integration:
To maximize the impact of OSM education, it is essential to promote cross-curricular integration. Teachers can collaborate across subjects to create interdisciplinary projects that incorporate mapping into various disciplines. For example, students can analyze population data in social studies, calculate distances and travel times in mathematics, study environmental changes in science, or explore historical routes and landmarks in history. This multidisciplinary approach strengthens students' critical thinking skills, data analysis abilities, and understanding of the interconnectedness of different subjects.

Local Community Engagement:
By integrating OSM education, schools can actively engage with their local communities. Students can collaborate with local organizations, municipalities, or community groups to address local mapping needs or contribute to civic initiatives. This collaboration fosters a sense of responsibility, active citizenship, and an appreciation for the role of spatial data in community development.

Assessing Learning Outcomes:
To evaluate the effectiveness of OSM education, appropriate assessment methods should be implemented. This can include project-based assessments, presentations and map analysis.

The Open Mapping Hub Eastern and Southern Africa, presents insights and learnings from our Open Mapping Grants program in the region. Through this program, local organizations and groups of mappers identified local challenges and designed projects that utilized open mapping processes and tools to address these challenges. In this talk, we will showcase insights in setting up a granting program, and present our learning from funding, and supporting the implementation of 8 projects, across 3 implementation themes in 5 countries across Eastern and Southern Africa.

We will discuss key themes of this granting program such as project selection, community engagement, local knowledge and context awareness, capacity development efforts, collaboration strategies involving diverse stakeholders, data quality and data sharing, and impact evaluation through outcome documentation. The presentation invites participants to leverage these learnings and insights to implement open mapping grants and projects in their own regions, addressing local challenges.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), flash floods are defined as floods of “short duration with a relatively high peak discharge”. This rainfall driven flash floods are accelerated by a range of non-climatic factors such as unplanned settlement patterns and solid waste dumping into rivers, streams and channels. Lack of effective disaster response capabilities to flash floods events in Morogoro municipality and Ifakara Town Council in Tanzania has been linked to lack of updated maps and enough data that addresses risks and vulnerability of local communities to flash floods. In this context, local communities who are at risk and first responders might not be aware of evacuation routes and safe areas. This project was granted by WMO and Global Water Partnership (GWP) to SMCoSE YouthMappers as winners of Integrated drought management program (IDMP) and Associated Programme of Flood Management (APFM) Initiative for Youth led projects. The specific objectives were (1) Field and remote (OSM) community data gathering (2) Flood protection zones and evacuation routes mapping using GIS techniques (3) Project findings dissemination through workshops to stakeholders. The results are both web maps and base maps that show the evacuation routes and flood extent zones that will assist the local government in response to flash floods in Morogoro and Ifakara Town council. This project is at its final stages and seeks to share the knowledge and methodology to stakeholders and out scaling it in vulnerable communities in Tanzania and Africa at large. The proposed talk is a continuous effort by SMCoSE YouthMappers, a YouthMappers chapter at Sokoine University of agriculture who have been addressing flash floods challenges through community mapping programs.

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is well-known as a collaborative mapping tool and a clear illustration of citizen science and crowd-sourced geographic data. It exists through a decentralized platform. Since its inception in 2004, it has been open to all individuals around the world enabling all to contribute towards the production, editing, and distribution of geospatial data. The OSM community has been rigorous in terms of technical issues such as data quality and accuracy. However, little has been done on the organizational; political; and cultural issues impacting data production within the OpenStreetMap community. It has been revealed that the types of features mapped, and the extent of the mapping are greatly influenced by local cultures; customs; and knowledge systems (Haklay, 2010). The means of interaction and use of geospatial data are affected by the way they interpret the world geographically and culturally (Elwood & Leszczynski, 2018). Having a clear idea of these cultural impacts can be instrumental to understand the variety of viewpoints and potential inequalities that may arise in the OSM database. The OSM community is not immune to political implications and power dynamism despite its open participatory nature. Due to its highly inclusive nature, it is open to debates and differences associated with data representation and territorial restrictions (Mooney & Corcoran, 2013). Flexibility in power dynamics within the community can alter decision-making and procedures thus affecting the inclusion or exclusion made by specific groups and regions (Girres & Touya, 2010). The effectiveness of the OSM community has been linked to the organizational setup and governance procedures as well as its crowd-sourced mapping initiative. The community manages volunteer contributions through online platforms and social networks (Budhathoki & Haythornthwaite, 2013). OpenStreetMap has emerged as a leading example of crowd-sourced mapping. Understanding the cultural; political; and organizational factors that influence data generation and usage habits within the OSM community is lacking. This research proposal seeks to fill the knowledge gap and explore the following issues that will tend to broaden our understanding of the cultural; political; and organizational aspects that serve as impediments to data generation and consumption patterns within the OSM community. Thus making it difficult to appreciate a variety of viewpoints; power relationships; and the governance structure within the OSM community. The objectives of this research are as follows: To examine the cultural factors that influence data production and usage practices in OpenStreetMap; to analyze the political implications and power dynamics within the OpenStreetMap community regarding data creation and usage; and to explore the organizational structures, processes, and governance mechanisms that shape data production and usage in OpenStreetmap. In that regard, the research will be guided by the following questions:
• What are the cultural factors that influence data production and usage practices in OSM?
• What are the political factors that influence data production and usage practices in OSM?
• What are the organizational factors that influence data production and usage practices in OSM?
The proposed research would use a mixed-methods approach to thoroughly carry out the project’s objectives. This will require qualitative and quantitative techniques. Qualitative techniques will involve: Focus group discussions and interviewing; examining online forums and discussions; and case studies. Quantitative technique on the other hand will involve: OSM database analysis; and examining social networks. During the data collection process, informed consent will be sought from all participants before data collection commenced. Qualitative data obtained from interviews, focus group discussions, and online discussions will be analyzed through thematic analysis. Quantitative data obtained from the analysis of the OSM database and social network analysis will be statistically analyzed. With the application of the mixed method, the research aims to provide a comprehensive insight into the cultural; political; and organizational dynamics of data production and usage practices in OpenStreetMap. The research will be significant because of the following reasons: Increasing grasp of Open mapping initiatives, assuring the accuracy and quality of the data, dealing with poor dynamics and inclusivity, developing best practices; guidelines; and policies for data generation; usage; and governance in crowd-source mapping projects, promoting participatory mapping and citizen science. The research as a whole will be beneficial to the crowd-sourced mapping community, academia, policymakers, and practitioners. It will also give an insight into the social dynamics, problems, and opportunities related to open mapping projects which will ultimately aid the creation of more inclusive, trustworthy, and useful spatial data sources. When the research would have concluded its outcomes will add a thorough understanding of the organizational, political, and cultural processes involved in the creation and use of data in OSM. These findings can be integral to facilitating the establishment of best practices and guidelines for improving data quality, inclusivity, and other related components to the crowd-sourced mapping activity. The results from this research may facilitate collaborative mapping initiatives and add to the large convention on citizen science, crowd-sourced geospatial data, and participative decision-making in the digital age. It will add a body of knowledge and also serve as a benchmark for further research-related topics.

Nous souhaitons profiter de cette présentation pour vous faire part de notre expérience en ce qui concerne la liaison entre OpenStreetMap (OSM) et les projets wikimedia, et pour mettre en lumière les différentes façons de valoriser les données OSM dans les activités wikimedia.

La collaboration entre OSM et les projets wikimedia est une combinaison passionnante qui permet de tirer parti de la richesse des données géographiques disponibles et de les utiliser de manière créative et informative. Les deux plateformes offrent des ressources précieuses, chacune dans leur domaine spécifique, et leur association peut conduire à des résultats remarquables.

En reliant OSM et les projets wikimedia, nous avons pu exploiter la vaste base de données géographiques d'OSM afin d'améliorer les informations géographiques disponibles sur les projets wikimedia. Les contributeurs des projets wikimedia peuvent ainsi tirer parti de ces données pour enrichir leurs articles et leurs cartes, offrant ainsi aux lecteurs une expérience plus détaillée et immersive.

En outre, les projets wikimedia offrent également une plateforme idéale pour valoriser les données OSM et les rendre plus accessibles au public. Nous avons pu développer des outils et des interfaces permettant de visualiser et d'explorer les données OSM dans le cadre des projets wikimedia, facilitant ainsi la compréhension et l'utilisation de ces informations pour les contributeurs et les utilisateurs de ces projets.

Cette liaison entre OSM et les projets wikimedia s'inscrit parfaitement dans la philosophie de l'ouverture et de la collaboration : elle permet de mutualiser les ressources et les connaissances des deux communautés, tout en renforçant la visibilité et l'impact de chaque projet.

En résumé, notre présentation vise à partager notre expérience dans la mise en relation d'OSM et des projets wikimedia, en mettant en avant les différentes façons dont les données OSM peuvent être valorisées dans le contexte des activités wikimedia. En harmonisant ces deux plateformes, nous espérons encourager la création et l'utilisation de cartes et d'informations géographiques de haute qualité, pour le bénéfice de tous les utilisateurs des projets wikimedia.

As essential as it is to increase map data on OpenStreetMap, it is equally important to increase the quality of data produced by contributors. This is necessary due to the increasing number of OSM contributors ranging from YouthMappers to country-specific OSM members. Using OpenStreetMap Ghana and the University of Ghana YouthMappers as a Case Study, this session seeks to discuss the challenges of increased quantity but less quality map data by beginner mappers, the measures put in place to address this as well as guidelines and shortcuts for beginners to produce quality Map data on OpenStreetMap.
This session will highlight, 'A Node At A Time'.

In this collaborative session, sponsors from various backgrounds and industries will converge to delve into a meaningful discourse on the pivotal role of sponsorship in bolstering community events. The overarching aim is not only to underscore the significance of their current support but also to ignite a collective spark that inspires a continued commitment to community engagement.

The agenda for the session is carefully curated to foster insightful discussions, with the intention of creating a dynamic platform for sponsors to share their experiences, successes, and challenges in supporting community events. By delving into real-world examples, the session aims to illustrate the tangible impact that sponsorship can have on the vitality and success of these events.

Moreover, the forum will provide a space for sponsors to articulate the intrinsic value they derive from aligning their brand with community initiatives. This could range from heightened brand visibility and positive public relations to the deepened sense of purpose that comes from contributing to the well-being of the communities in which they operate.

The session will also explore innovative ways in which sponsors can collaborate to maximize their collective impact. Through collaborative efforts, sponsors can pool resources, share best practices, and strategize on how to create enduring partnerships that extend beyond individual events. The goal is to foster a sense of camaraderie among sponsors, emphasizing that their collective influence can be transformative, not only for the events they support but for the communities they serve.

Furthermore, the session will feature inspirational stories and testimonials, showcasing the ripple effect of sponsorship on community development. By highlighting how sponsorship has catalyzed positive change, sponsors will be encouraged to view their involvement not just as a financial contribution but as an investment in the social fabric and well-being of the communities they serve.

To ensure the session is both informative and engaging, a panel discussion format may be employed, allowing sponsors to interact with each other and respond to questions from the audience. This interactive format aims to foster a sense of connection and shared purpose among sponsors, promoting a collaborative spirit that extends beyond the confines of the session itself.

In conclusion, the session seeks to be a catalyst for inspiration, urging sponsors to view themselves as integral partners in the growth and enrichment of their communities. By coming together in this collaborative space, sponsors can amplify their impact, creating a legacy of positive change that extends far beyond the events they support.

Open Mapping as a support tool for Local Development in Africa. The State of the Map Africa (SotM Africa) is a bi-annual regional conference that celebrates the culture of open mapping, open data, GIS and its impact across Africa. The first SotM Africa conference was hosted by the OSM community in Uganda in 2017. In 2021, It was hosted in Abidjan and Grand-Bassam in Ivory Coast. The 2021 conference planned in Nairobi, Kenya was virtually hosted (online). This year’s conference in Yaounde, Cameroon will continue to build on the strategy envisioned for OpenStreetMap in Africa as a renewed, strong, and growing network, and as part of the global OpenStreetMap and Open GIS movement.

Open Mapping as a support tool for Local Development in Africa. The State of the Map Africa (SotM Africa) is a bi-annual regional conference that celebrates the culture of open mapping, open data, GIS and its impact across Africa. The first SotM Africa conference was hosted by the OSM community in Uganda in 2017. In 2021, It was hosted in Abidjan and Grand-Bassam in Ivory Coast. The 2021 conference planned in Nairobi, Kenya was virtually hosted (online). This year’s conference in Yaounde, Cameroon will continue to build on the strategy envisioned for OpenStreetMap in Africa as a renewed, strong, and growing network, and as part of the global OpenStreetMap and Open GIS movement.