Mapping Kenya: 15 Years of Map Kibera and beyond

Room: Maasai Mara

Saturday, 10:00
Duration: 40 minutes (plus Q&A)

no recording This event will not be recorded.

Presentation Slides

Change time zone:

Back to schedule
  • Joshua Ogure
  • Erica Hagen

Map Kibera arose from a desire to expand OSM beyond the confines of Europe and North America. In 2009, it pushed the boundaries of what then-new technologies could do. What have the mappers learned over the years? This talk will welcome you to Nairobi and through the ups and downs of mapping in Kenya - from the history of mapping in 20th Kenya, through Map Kibera’s start, into slums and rural parts of Kenya, and finally to current-day Kibera, where mappers are mapping street lights, waste disposal, schools, and more. How has Map Kibera and OSM had a community impact even as drones, satellite technology and AI are revolutionizing mapping? What has changed, and what has remained the same? We will discuss the global impact of Map Kibera, on community-based mapping in OSM and on the general application of technology in developing countries.

This talk will include a discussion of mapping in Kenya dating back to the colonial era, the establishment of Kibera as a region of Nairobi, and its growth into a massive informal settlement. Kibera has been viewed as a place to develop by the Kenya government, International aid agencies, charities, and missionaries. It was a flashpoint of the post-election violence of 2007/8. Map Kibera’s Kenyan leaders will discuss the most recent mapping and local impacts made by the use of OSM. Mapping of street lights in Kibera led to new and more street lights installed in Kibera. Mapping of waste management in Mukuru led to the placement of dumping waste bins. Data on schools has led to a pilot project to install solar panels on selected schools. None of these impacts have been easy, but we will share lessons learned about OSM, open data and communities. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of emerging and ever-changing technology, and the fate of the techno-optimism of the early 21st century.