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Front L-R: OSM officers, Bernard Hakizimana, Camille Nyamihana and Rebecca Jeannette Nyinawumuntu celebrated the International Women’s Day 2025 with younger mappers.
After 15 years of constructing Rwanda seen, accessible and readable on the worldwide digital and geospatial maps, Rwanda’s group of mappers, OpenStreetMap Rwanda (OSM Rwanda) at the moment are searching for to broaden their actions to totally different sectors throughout the nation.
OpenStreetMap is a worldwide group of information collectors who create geospatial database platforms the place they map totally different infrastructure, environmental options and facilities with accuracy and actual information.
This free knowledge, largely utilized in aviation, tourism, navigation actions might be discovered online-on google maps and different digital platforms or functions such because the Mapillary- a platform that makes street-level photographs and map knowledge out there to scale and automate mapping.
Mapping is an artwork which requires a superb working surroundings, focus to supply correct, detailed information and options on maps.
In Rwanda, the Ecomappers group, as they’re regionally recognized, consists of over 300 men and women who volunteer to make it attainable for anybody to make use of digital mapping functions to search out avenue instructions, see, establish and expertise the precise options within the ecosystem in Kigali metropolis and different components of the nation.
This work shouldn’t be completed by computer systems however younger men and women who’ve been given a chance to do one thing with their lives, try to make a distinction locally but additionally form their futures. All this courtesy of the youth coaching applications on the OSM Rwanda- which goal at creating youth job alternatives contributing to the nation’s agenda of making 1.5million jobs yearly.
“Most of our mappers are students and fresh graduates who have no jobs but through our training programs, we give them an opportunity to learn new skills which have been impactful to the geospatial community but also provided incomes and employment for many,” says Rebecca Jeannette Nyinawumuntu, Founder and Community OSM Rwanda.
Rebecca Jeannette Nyinawumuntu, the girl behind OSM Rwanda initiative believes girls are one of the best pure mappers.
The mappers’ group has applied some main initiatives within the areas of humanitarian response, local weather mitigation and biodiversity safety, which have modified and improved the best way map customers navigate, perceive, establish places and key infrastructure but additionally reply to group environmental wants.
For occasion, following the 2023 flood catastrophe in Shyira in Nyabihu district, the group moved to the agricultural district to map actual time flood impression, dangers and response wants by amassing and presenting knowledge that was utilized by authorities and humanitarian organisations to evaluate the impression and make knowledgeable choices and responses.
Following the implementation of this knowledge assortment train, OSM Rwanda mappers say they learnt a lesson of empowering communities thus launched into coaching communities with primary mapping expertise but additionally foresee future disasters.
Jacque Niyigena (standing) with rural OSM members who got here all the best way from Ngororero district
“This enables the community to tell their own story and not have to wait for OSM to come in. For example we embarked on mapping the entire Ngororero district and train the community and formed the OSM Ngororero community to report the disaster and alert the district to respond effectively,” stated Kingsley Chika CHUKWU -a Remote Sensing Specialist, Geospatial Analyst, Data Scientist, and Researcher at OSM.
Chukwu, additionally named the “King of Mappers” is among the OSM Rwanda members who joined the group as a volunteer after finishing his research in Nigeria and was unsure of what subsequent to do, however after years on contributing to the digital platforms is present a staff lead within the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT).
Chukwu says that the OSM Rwanda has given him the chance to meaningfully contribute to the Rwandan information and knowledge platforms that are making a distinction in his life and of others.
“This information we are providing is for the entire world to be able to see Rwanda digitally. The difference is we are doing a community based mapping, where we give clear, accurate and detailed information (including local names) and features which you cannot see on the google map,” Chukwu stated.
Other initiatives carried out by OSM Rwanda embody mapping the Kimironko- Remera Gasabo casual settlement (city settlement and sustainable metropolis transport), Role of girls in agriculture and meals safety (in Kitabi), Rwanda Mountain Tea the place all tea plantations (8) owned by the corporate the place mapped to extend local weather and inexperienced development (ESG).
The Informal settlements mapping in Musanze Secondary City; Digital Umuganda in Kimisagara and Nyarurama Umuganda challenge in Gatenga to gather attributes on every housing (how are they made); the Kinigi Tourism Zone for displaying the tourism info; and Data assortment challenge on well being facilities inside KIgali metropolis.
Mapping session in progress with steerage from among the finest feminine mappers
This work shouldn’t be solely completed by males, but additionally girls, who’re thought-about to be one of the best on the mapping job, regionally but additionally awarding profitable mappers on the worldwide degree, in keeping with the OSM officers.
To recognise the function of girls, OSM Rwanda, in collaboration with TomTom Technology, celebrated the International Women’s Day 2025, on March 8, the place the group highlighted the function of girls on this initiative.
Besides the humanitarian mapping actions, OSM Rwanda says that ladies have contributed to the local weather mitigation program of planting and mapping 500 timber of 4 totally different species for local weather mitigation motion.
Some of one of the best OSM mappers in Rwanda and globally had been recognised
These mapped timber might be monitored with use of a “EVERY DOOR” application-which allows future and progress monitoring of tree and allows the mapper to see coordinates or location of the tree, see forms of tree planted and names of tree (with a scientific and native identify) but additionally add different attributes like measurement, add image, elevation, kind of tree (fruit or non-fruit) amongst others.
Women have additionally contributed to the biodiversity safety program to keep away from environmental and biodiversity loss by mapping protected areas reminiscent of swamps, wetlands, water methods, and planting timber that particularly defend biodiversity. These are seen in 4 initiatives which embody: Kigali city wetland, Muhanga city mapping, Mpazi river catchment, Urban inexperienced mapping Nyarugenge.
Lillian Nishimirwe, who considers mapping as a profession of patriotism, believes girls might be higher mappers.
One of the ladies labored on these initiatives, Lillian Nishimirwe, who has 4 years expertise and has grown from a volunteer to a coach locally, says that mapping is patriotism.
Mapping is an act of patriotism and being a girl, this has been attainable due to engaged on totally different financed initiatives which have additionally supported my welfare. Even when girls are good at this job, the numbers are nonetheless minimal. However, if we get extra mapping jobs, extra girls will likely be inspired to hitch,” Nishimirwe stated.
Some of the OSM Rwanda group members and board members
The OSM group founder, Nyinawumuntu says that ladies engagement at OSM Rwanda is a key part to their success through the years.
“These projects have been successful because of engaging women. They are very focused and determined to deliver under all circumstances, and that is a very big quality of a mapper that we see in women,” Nyinawumuntu stated.
The girl behind this group since 2015 Nyinawumuntu J. Rebecca stated that primarily based on the truth that Rwanda promotes gender equality, there may be want to extend the variety of girls mappers (at the moment 40%) as a part of their future plan however this wants extra assist from authorities and personal sector to extend their recruitment and coaching applications within the subsequent 5 years.
This plan may face a financing hurdle as a lot of the volunteer mappers are educated and facilitated utilizing restricted funding collected by the OSM group from mapping jobs, co-space renting actions, donations amongst others.
Camille Nyamihana (middle) one of many OSM Board Members
Camille Nyamihana, one of many OSM Board Members, who officiated the ladies’s day celebration and skilled a stay mapathon (mapping day) competitors on a significant challenge to map unidentified homes in Kigali stated that the group has made progress and must broaden its actions to create extra impression in group and on volunteers.
“There is a need for awareness and advocacy to interest other communities. We need to engage and work with local community leadership organs but we also need other partners including NGOs to support this voluntary initiative that benefits youth in Rwanda,” Nyamihana said.
Currently the OSM is taking a look at tapping into the information assortment alternatives from the non-public sector, worldwide organisations, improvement companions to extend numbers of expert youth but additionally create extra jobs and alternatives.
Fresh feminine college volunteer mappers guided by one senior mapper, Cedric Musindi
Young OSM mappers who assist the coaching and administrative applications in Rwanda.
Female mappers say “Yes We Can” throughout the International Women’s Day 2025 celebrations
Men present their assist for feminine mappers throughout the International Women’s Day 2025 celebrations the place they shared items courtesy of TomTom Technology-a main unbiased location, navigation and map know-how specialist.