The project involves strengthening capacity and boosting the Togo OpenStreetMap community by advanced training on mapping OpenStreetMap and Quantum GIS. The goal is, through a program of activities aimed at the creation of the map of the University of Lomé and the production of useful information guides, provide to the OSM TG community an important background in the creation and use of free geographic data to demonstrate their usefulness and in turn promote the support of national and international community to OSM mappers in Togo.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Lomé
Describe the specific population with whom you will be working.
Having volunteered for the implementation of OpenStreetMap in Togo through the “Espace OpenStreetMap Francophone” project from 24th June to September 3rd, 2013 I have a good knowledge of the local ecosystem cartographers.
Participants will be students in Geography (license especially) at the University of Lomé and Kara, the most dynamic contributors to OSM Togo.
Who else will be on your team to help implement the project?
I would work in collaboration with all the OSM community, including NGOs HOT I am a member but also with the Togolese Association Geovision that supports the practical training of students in geography . UL by training sessions on software mapping and OpenStreetMap.
I will work in collaboration with all the OSM community, including NGOs such as the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) whcih I am a member but also with the Togolese Association Geovision (http://www.geovision-togo.org) that supports the practical training of students in geography by training sessions on software mapping and OpenStreetMap.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
We will document all work on the OpenStreetMap wiki and especially on the wiki page of the OpenStreetMap project in Togo.
We will produce (available online):
maps of and around the University of Lomé
guides on Lomé campus
manual of learning cartography with openstreetmap
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established or plan to establish that will contribute to the success of the project.
The “Espace OpenStreetMap Francophone” project (EOF) is a program for implementation and support OpenStreetMap mapping in the countries of West Africa (Senegal, Togo, Burkina Faso) supported by the “ Direction de la Francophonie Numérique” of Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. In Togo where I was sent, I've met a lot of actors from the field of geography, geomatics and humanitarian to spread the openstreetmap practice and advocate the free, open data/source concepts..
I worked a lot with some laboratories of the University of Lomé as LARBE (Laboratory of Studies and Research in Biogeography) or CGILE (Centre for Integrated Coastal Management and Environment) which can support us both in human or material resources.
How many participants do you think will be trained in your project?
There will be 30 participants including 6 from the University of Kara, the second university in Togo.
At the end of the project, the inhabitants of the city of Lomé will conduct activities in Lome, while students of University of Kara, with my support, will try to develop a community in this region located 300 km from the capital of Togo.
The target population is very large, the idea is that from the project, participants help to disseminate the techniques and OpenStreetMap technology by organizing other training sessions.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
I participated in a sprint of translation of the learning OpenStreetMap website www.learnosm.org organized by the OIF with 10 others mappers from Burkina, Niger, Canada, Belgium and France. I intend to print the contents translated into French in a manual that participants will receive.
We will use JOSM, the most complete OpenStreetMap database editor and Quantum Gis 2.0.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
We use the training room of the Campus Numérique Francophone de Lomé. This room is equipped with 22 PCs all connected to the internet and on which we have already installed JOSM and QGIS.
we have a hardware kit containing 4 Garmin GPS with the EOF project.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
I did a volunteer mission in Togo within the ” Espace OpenStreetMap Francophone” project of the NGO Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) in June 2013, I conducted the first OpenStreetMap mapping activities in Togo; I trained several young students and professionals and I also met during this mission many actors in the field of geography and GIS (General Directorate of Cartography, Office of Development and Exploitation of Forests) and humanitarian (Togolese Red Cross).
Selected by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie as International Volunteer of the Francophonie (VIF) for anchoring the OpenStreetMap project in Togo, I work within the Togolese Free Software Users ‘ Association (ATULL) which is part of the first associations to promote open source culture in West Africa.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
Connectivity to internet.
Accessibility to the internet can be a significant problem. Most participants will not have access to an internet connection and the risk they forget and do not master the acquis is present ; it is why the idea of producing textbooks learning but still it is that without practice the effectiveness may be missing.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
- a ease of orientation in the University of Lomé for new graduates and foreign
– a better knowledge and mastery of OpenStreetMap and QGis and promotion within the University of Lomé
– a significant OpenStreetMap mapping activity in Togo (Lomé and Kara)
– the birth of OpenStreetMap Togo association for the OSM project development and use of free GIS data by actors in Togo
– the development of the OpenStreetMap mapping in the region of Kara
– replication of the project in university of Kara
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2014?
- Realisation of OpenStreetMap guides 19 May
– Selection and training of participants 2 June
– Mapping of the University of Lomé 23 June
– Making maps and guides 7 July
Detail a specific budget of up to $2,500 USD for operating costs.
Manuals and training (Phase 1 : Preparing participants) : 1002.73 $ USD
Participant’s transportation (from Kara) :
QGIS trainer :
Printing learnosm manuals :
Mapping (Phase 2 : Mapping active phase) : 254.85 $ USD
Maps and Guides (Phase 3 : Deliverables, Production) : 919.16 $ USD
Printing guides :
Printing 1×1 meter maps :
map display support :
Besides the microgrant funding, what other support can Rising Voices provide for your project to ensure its success?
- presence in the web, relay our activities for more visibility
– institutional support in our other projects
Contact name
Amadou Ndong