2025-11-30 –, Auditorium Language: English
Plastic pollution poses a significant environmental challenge in urban areas, contributing approximately 80% of marine litter and severely impacting cities like Nkumba, Uganda, where inadequate waste management amplifies ecological and public health risks. Traditional detection methods, such as field surveys, are labor-intensive, costly, and unscalable, making them impractical for large-scale monitoring in resource-constrained African contexts. Earth observation, particularly Sentinel-2 satellite imagery, offers a scalable, cost-effective alternative through spectral indices like the Plastic Index (PI) and Floating Debris Index (FDI). However, accurate visualization and spatial contextualization of detected plastic litter hotspots require reliable basemaps. OpenStreetMap (OSM), with its freely accessible, community-driven geospatial data, serves as an effective basemap for mapping detection results and defining study area boundaries. This study leverages Sentinel-2 imagery, processed in Google Earth Engine (GEE), to detect and map plastic litter hotspots in Nkumba, Uganda, from June 2024 to February 2025, using OSM as an a basemap and area location map to enhance the interpretability and access of findings for environmental management in African urban settings.
Umar Katongole is a Ugandan scholar and youth leader deeply engaged in geospatial technology, innovation, and community development. Born on October 28, 2002, he is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Land Surveying and Geomatics at Makerere University, one of Africa’s leading institutions. His academic journey began at Kibuli Secondary School, where he earned both his Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE).
A dynamic and proactive individual, Umar has taken on multiple leadership roles throughout his academic career. At Makerere University, he served as Vice President and now President of the Geo Youth Mappers and Speaker for the Makerere Association of Surveying Students. He is also Chairman of the Mitchellex Muslim Union and Class Representative for the Land Surveying and Geomatics program. His earlier leadership roles include serving as House Prefect at Kibuli Secondary School and Youth Representative for Busiro County in the National Youth Parliament.
Umar has accumulated valuable work experience through internships and part-time roles, including parcel mapping at Naviloca Consult, field mapping for the Spotlight Kampala Project, and business operations at Black Sapphire Group in the real estate sector. His professional interests lie at the intersection of geospatial analysis, artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, and community impact.
He is a recipient of several accolades, including recognition at the COP28 Essay Writing Competition and participation in high-impact initiatives like the African Green Leaders Summit, Geo Youth Mappers Gender-Based Violence Mapathon, and the National Science Week. Umar is multilingual, fluent in both English and Luganda, and possesses a range of skills such as content creation, team leadership, and data sensitivity.
With a keen interest in continuous learning and professional development, Umar Katongole is poised to make significant contributions in geospatial technology, environmental advocacy, and youth empowerment across Africa.