30/11/2025 –, Auditorium Langue: English
My Name is Ashok Thakulla, and I'm a geomatics Engineer from Nepal. My Journey in the OpenStreetMap (OSM) community began in 2020 as a second-year university student Mapper, driven by questions: Why are some places and communities still missing from the Maps? Since then, I have grown from a student mapper to a Global validator, Trainer, and Project Lead, a YouthMappers Leadership Fellow, and now, the YouthMappers Volunteer Regional Ambassador for Asia Region(2025).
In this lightning talk, I will share how youth-led mapping initiatives in Nepal have transformed both Communities and Mappers. I will reflect on how my journey from learner to mentor can resonate with African mappers, and how we can collaborate across continents.
Let’s imagine a future where Kathmandu and Kisumu co-host mapping campaigns, and student mentors from Nepal and Nigeria learn together.
Hello! I am Ashok Thakulla, a geomatics engineer from Nepal. Additionally, I'm a YouthMappers Volunteer Regional Ambassador for the Asia Region 2025, an Open Mapping Guru, and a member of the USYC 2024 Cohort. I began my journey as a beginner mapper in 2020 and have since advanced to become an open mapping guru with over four years of experience in mapping and inspiring new mappers. I served as an Executive Committee member (2019-2020) and Vice President (2020-2021) of the Geomatics Engineering Society (GES), a student club and YouthMappers chapter within the Department of Geomatics Engineering at Kathmandu University. During my tenure, I gained valuable experience as a Program Coordinator for the "Mapping Chepang Communities" project and as a Mapathon Analyst for the Booster Grant project focused on "Mapping Banepa Municipality in OSM and Its Applications in Mitigating Effects of Urbanization – A Case Study of Urban Rooftop Farming." I have provided extensive training sessions for new mappers in Nepal, helping to foster the next generation of open mapping enthusiasts. In 2023, I was honored to be a YouthMappers Leadership Fellow and received the OSM Mapper of the Year award from the State of the Map Asia Community Awards. I’m So Excited as we gather at the State of the Map Africa to connect, learn, and celebrate our diverse cultures,
Let's remember that together, we have the power to transform our world through open mapping.