Mapathon: Help Map Tanzania with Crowd2Map

At this hands-on Mapathon, we will be introduced to the work of “Crowd2Map”, a charity that exists to help girls at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Tanzania. The founder of Crowd2Map, Janet Chapman, will join us to briefly speak about the issue of FGM in Tanzania and what is being done to prevent it.

Janet’s main focus is the improvement of maps in Tanzania. This is a task that is currently managed through the Open Street Map editor, and volunteers from around the world help to identify roads and buildings so that this information can be used by those working on the ground.

Janet will teach us how to use the Open Street Map editor, so that we can spend a couple of hours helping out this project by adding information to maps. Please bring your own laptop so you can participate in this, drinks and Pizza will be provided.

For those who are interested in doing more, we will discuss ways for people to volunteer their time for Crowd2Map beyond this event. There are lots of interesting data projects that we have already identified, such as using open source data to learn more about Tanzania and the issue of FGM, analysing volunteer engagement and learning more about making the mapping process more efficient and accurate.

Find out more about Crowd2Map here.

What to Bring and Expect During the Evening

You'll need to bring your laptop with you so you can get hands-on, helping improve maps of Tanzania. Never used Open Street Map editor before? No problem! We'll teach you how to use it at the start of the evening.

Refreshments and pizzas will be provided.