KASOZI DENIS
Kasozi Denis is a geospatial enthusiast from Uganda with a background in community mapping and open data. His mapping journey began in his first year at university through the YouthMappers network, where he rose to leadership positions within his campus chapter. Through YouthMappers, Denis gained hands-on experience with GIS, collaborated with diverse teams, and received travel grants to attend international workshops in Ethiopia and Kenya.
After university, Denis began volunteering with OpenStreetMap Uganda, where his community involvement earned him an opportunity to support a mapping project in The Gambia. He now works with RippleNami as a Quality Assurance Tester.
KASOZI DENIS
Session
This talk presents my personal journey as a case study on how OpenStreetMap (OSM) and YouthMappers can shape the lives and careers of young people especially in the Global South through practical learning, leadership opportunities, and global connections. I will share how I discovered OSM as a first-year university student in Uganda, joined the YouthMappers chapter at my university, and gradually grew into a leader and mentor within the community.
Through mapping activities, training sessions, and fieldwork, I developed real-world GIS and data collection skills that I wouldn’t have learned in the classroom alone. YouthMappers gave me a platform not only to grow technically but also to gain leadership experience and become part of a vibrant global network of like-minded peers. These experiences opened doors: I received travel grants to attend mapping events in Ethiopia and Nairobi, where I met new people, broadened my perspective, and strengthened my commitment to open data.
After university, I continued volunteering with OpenStreetMap Uganda, where I was mentored and guided in how to contribute meaningfully to community-driven mapping. One of the most pivotal moments in my journey came when the Executive Director of OSM Uganda connected me to RippleNami Inc., a company working on a mapping project in The Gambia. What started as a short-term consultancy soon turned into a longer-term contract because of the skills and professionalism I brought skills I had learned entirely through my OSM and YouthMappers journey.
Today, I work as a Quality Assurance Tester at RippleNami, applying GIS knowledge daily to real-world problems. My career path is a direct result of the opportunities and mentorship I received through the open mapping community. This talk will show how platforms like YouthMappers and communities like OSM Uganda are not just training mappers they’re building careers and futures.
This session will appeal to students, community leaders, organizations, and anyone interested in how youth can engage with open data to gain valuable skills, unlock international opportunities, and make meaningful contributions to their communities. It’s also a call to invest more in youth mapping programs, mentorship, and open geospatial education across Africa and beyond.