Amour Nyalusi
I am a dedicated GIS and open data enthusiast with a strong passion for open mapping and open datasets in the context of humanitarian development and urban resilience. Throughout my career, I have actively participated in numerous OMDTZ projects in Tanzania, contributing to data creation initiatives and ensuring high standards of data quality management. Additionally, I have gained experience in data visualization, analysis, map creation, and promoting map literacy to enhance evidence-based decision-making. Currently, I serve as a GIS and Data Manager at OpenMap Development Tanzania (OMDTZ). Previously, for a duration of six years starting in 2015, I played a key role in coordinating data collection processes and overseeing data quality management using open-source GIS tools for various projects within the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) and OpenMap Development Tanzania (OMDTZ) community in Tanzania.
Session
OpenStreetMap is often built with strong community participation, yet too often, the communities whose environments are mapped don’t get to see or use the final products. In this talk, I’ll reflect on real experiences from Tanzania where maps were created to support flood resilience, litter monitoring, and public service access, and examine whether and how those maps were shared back with the people who contributed.
I will share lessons on what has worked, including printed maps shared through ward leaders, participatory validation sessions, and local cleanup initiatives as well as challenges around closing the feedback loop. I’ll also propose practical, low-tech strategies for making community maps more accessible, understandable, and usable by local people.