State of the Map Africa 2025/Call for venues/Malawi

Vision

Imagine an Africa that is a leader in the geospatial field especially by pioneering open-source technologies and collaborative approaches that prove to take African countries towards the path of verifiable sustainable development. The OpenStreetMap Malawi intends to create a bring together mapping enthusiast, developers, OpenStreetMap contributors, and experts from various fields in one room, to share about their experiences and charter innovative projects that will accelerate the use of geospatial technologies as a tool to achieve sustainable development in Africa. This platform will also provide opportunities for side discussions on customizing and standardizing the use of geospatial technologies to be tailored for addressing problems facing Africa today. As such, we intend to host the 2025 State of the Map Africa (SoTM) to provide such a platform. We intend to host the conference by focusing on the methods and improving the existing approaches towards addressing challenges not limited to climate change crisis, food security woes, health access, and physical planning.

The Team Hosting – OpenStreetMap Malawi

OpenStreetMap Malawi (OSM Malawi) is a community of free and open-source software (FOSS), open mapping, open data enthusiasts and volunteer mappers in Malawi. It was established in 2019 as a WhatsApp group and it has grown into a community with over 200 members. The team comprises professionals in the fields of GIS and remote sensing, university students, as well as other interested members. The community has carried out humanitarian mapping projects both in country and outside, such as flood mapping, cholera response, development of healthy delivery systems, malaria larva detection, vulnerability assessments, disaster search and rescue among others. It has organized mapathons to respond to geospatial data collection needed for humanitarian interventions by institutions like the Malawi Red Cross Society, Department of Disaster Management Affairs, UNICEF, Malawi Liverpool Welcome Programme, and other government departments and agencies. It is a committee led with executive structure consisting of the national coordinator, director of programs, director of finance, administrative officer, General secretary, and five committee members.

The Applicants’ Information

• Tarcizio Kalaundi: A Climate Change Science and Natural Resources Management professional. Graduate student of Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
• Patrick Ken Kalonde: A geospatial professional with a background in health research. He was trained in geospatial sciences at Saint Cloud State University and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
• Christian Mhone: An urban planner at Evolve Limited, where she designs master plans and detailed layout plans for new cities. She serves as the Malawi ambassador for the African Smart Cities Innovation Foundation, promoting innovative urban solutions, and as the Malawi country chair for the G100 Smart and Sustainable Cities Wing, advocating for sustainable urban development globally.
• Blessings Chiepa: An experienced GIS and Remote Sensing expert with proven leadership, communication and organizational skills. he has over 6 years of experience leading, implementing and applying geospatial projects, he holds an MSc in GIS and Remote sensing from Cranfield University, UK
• Rachel Kaunda: An earth scientist, graduate student of University of Malawi, Chancellor College.
• Zola Manyungwa: Lecturer of geography education at University of Malawi

Experience of the applicants

Malawi intends to build from the experiences of the last four state of the map events that have happened in Uganda, Ivory Coast, Kenya and Cameroon. The group members making this application have either presented or participated in all four State of the Map Africa Conferences, State of the Map Global, Foss4G, YouthMappers Leadership Fellowship and Regional as well as National Space Conferences. They have played various roles by holding strategic positions in the organizing committees of the events mentioned above. OpenStreetMap Malawi organizes monthly online talks bringing experts to speak on various topics to influence peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchange experiences on mapping, leadership, technology and innovation. Most importantly , this team is leading the organization of the first -ever State of the Map Conference in Malawi, where it will leverage local experiences and skills in organizing similar conferences at a continental level. The application team is working with Goesm Family in Cameroon, the organizer of the State of the Map Africa 2023, to build lessons that advance the aspirations of hosting the State of the Map Africa 2025, vehemently justifying an exiting framework to organize a regional event.

Scope of State of the Map 2025

Lessons from Previous SOTMs

The first State of Map conference that was held in 2017 at Makerere University in Uganda emphasized narrowing gaps and strengthening OpenStreetMap communities across Africa. Such led to the creation of the first-ever OpenStreetMap community platforms to foster collaborations as well as growing female-led and women focused campaigns across YouthMapper chapters to narrow down identified gender gaps in mapping.

The second State of the Map Africa that was hosted in 2019, capitalized on the growing momentum resulting from the OpenStreetMap community across Africa embarking on mapping-related projects. Stories emanating from the project undertaking of the communities were shared to inspire learning.

The first online State of the Map took place in 2021 hosted by Kenya, with a key focus on community action amidst COVID-19 outbreak. key presentations such as 'Best practices for meaningful online sessions with open geospatial communities', 'OSM mapping for people living in protracted crisis' and 'Mapping impacts of COVID-19 in Nairobi', provided new learnings on how free and open-source software can be used to address global crisis shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic to build resilience of communities.

African OpenStreetMap communities were given another chance to re-unite during the fourth State of the Map Africa that was held in Bankomo, Cameroon in 2023. It was geared to explore avenues for open mapping as a support tool for local development in Africa, building from the COVID-19 crisis.

The past four State of the Map Africa events have offered a diverse range of presentations, interactions , and learnings that highlighted the potential for practical utilization of GIS and remote sensing to accelerate Africa's path towards sustainable development. While the previous events have improved the ecosystem for geospatial sciences in Africa, OpenStreetMap Malawi strongly calls for a paradigm shift in how future State-of-the-map events could be organized. Such a proposition has translated to the following objectives for the expression of interest to host the 2025 State of the Map Africa Conference in Malawi.

1. To develop an integrated OpenStreetMap Africa that becomes a repository for talks, presentations, data and research.
2. To devise a standardized framework that is expert-led on how user case applications of OpenStreetMap and free open-source software can be applied across Africa.
3. To define new mandates for OpenStreetMap Africa institutional structure to foster research and publication of African-based innovations and solutions to the geospatial industry.
4. To develop an OpenStreetMap Africa strategy

Justification

The African Union vision 2063 calls upon sound institutional structures that govern the line of action to foster sustainable development. OpenStreetMap Malawi, governed by this African Vision of 2063, intends to set the path for institutional capacity development for OpenStreetMap Africa, to foster the interest of the African tailor-made geospatial solutions to development. The State of the Map Africa 2025 therefore, provides an opportunity to establish such sustainable structures that speak to the continent's interest, while building from the previous conferences.

Outcomes

1. A developed integrated OpenStreetMap Africa platform that becomes a repository for talks data, and presentations for every state of the map Africa Event and other interested researchers interested in sharing their work.
2. A standardized framework on user case applications of OpenStreetMap and free and open-source software across Africa
3. A revised institutional structure of OpenStreetMap Africa that fosters research and publications of African- based innovations and solutions to the geospatial industry.
4. A developed OpenStreetMap Africa strategy.

Venue

LUANAR Teaching Complex housing Auditoriums and conference rooms that are to be used for SoTM

OpenStreetMap Malawi intends to host the State of the Map Africa in Lilongwe, the Capital City of Malawi. Lilongwe is accessible through Kamuzu International Airport, M1 road that connects Malawi and Tanzania, Nacala road corridor connecting Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia. Zambia, Mozambique, and Tanzania can access Lilongwe by road in less than 24 hours of travel, while South Africa, Zimbabwe and Uganda have a road access time of 24 hours or more. Lilongwe is home to the diplomatic corps, and headquarters of most of Malawi’s administrative ministries, departments, and agencies. It boasts of five and four- star internationally rated hotels such as Sunbird, the President Hotel, Golden Peacock, and Crossroads. It has a booming industry and an internationally recognized set of lodges located in the most decent areas of the country such as are 9, 10, 11, 12 and 43. Lilongwe City reaffirms the spirit of Malawi being the warm heart of Africa with its unique cultural values, recreation activities and celebrated food and drinks. It is home to two nationally celebrated dances of Gulewakulu and Chisamba of the Chewa tribe. Lilongwe offers a multiversity of dishes that cuts across the interest of south, eastern and central Africa, including its unique local varieties such as the celebrated Malawi Chambo and Batala fish, Malawi goat meat, Kirombero rice and Mikolongwe chicken, which are best served with Carlsberg beer, the only Copenhagen beer manufacturing establishment outside Denmark. Lilongwe boasts of internationally celebrated drinks such as the Malawi Orange Squash, Malawi Gin, Premium Brandy and Mzuzu Coffee. Malawi gold provides a spectacular allure of cigars, reflecting an identity of farmers in Lilongwe whose majority grow tobacco, Malawi’s main cash crop. Lilongwe is an hour drive to Lake Malawi, the third largest in Africa and the ninth largest freshwater lake in the world. Lake Malawi is home to the highest number of fish species that are estimated between 800 to 1000, of any lake in the world, with 90% of those species being cichlids that are only found in this lake. More information about Malawi, culture and logistical arrangements can be found here

OSM Malawi intends to host the State of Map Africa at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) in September of 2025. The university has hosted regional and international summits including but not limited to those from the Southern African Development Community. The university has an existing relationship with the OSM community through LUANAR YouthMappers, Malawi's second registered chapter of seven. More details about the university can be found here.

Organization and Participation

The state of Map Africa 2025 is to target 150 participants comprising both national and international delegations. The selection criteria for participants would strictly be on identifying individuals who could facilitate the process of achieving the outcomes beyond the conference. OpenStreetMap Malawi will be building on its experience of organizing the State of the Map Malawi scheduled on July 18 to 19, 2024 to graduate organizing responsibilities for next year’s state of the map Africa.

Working with the existing participants and partners that are involved in the planning of Malawi’s State of the Map would facilitate an easy transition to organizing a conference that is of Africa's interest, as the structures to help in the organization are already in place. Examples of such existing structures are the programs committee responsible for event program design, academics committee responsible for abstracts submission and review, finance committee responsible for resource mobilization, logistics committee responsible for catering, transportation and accommodation, communications, and publication committee responsible for public relations. The OpenStreetMap community believes that the successful organization of the state of the map Africa would not fall short of these existing structures hence the inspiration to build on the same by extending this application to host such in 2025.

Budget

The cost for hosting State of Map 2025 are estimated as follows;

OSM MALAWI BUDGET FOR THE STATE OF THE MAP 2025

Item	Particulars	Pax	Days/frequency	Unit Cost (USD)	Amount (USD)
A	Air tickets & Travels
1	Airtickets (Return)-Eastern Africa_International	5	1	725	3,624
2	Airtickets (Return)-Southern Africa_International	5	1	613	3,065
3	Airtickets (Return)-Central Africa_ International	5	1	1,037	5,187
4	Airtickets (Return)-North /West Africa_ International	5	2	1,607	8,036
5	Airport Picking & Drop_International	20	2	250	500
6	Transportation to and from Conference Venue	20	3	100	300
7	Transport reimbursement (Return)-Southern Region _National	10	1	129	1,287
8	Transport reimbursement (Return)Northern Region_National	10	1	118	1,184
	Sub total -a				23,183
B	Others
9	Accommodation for four days _International	20	4	148	11,840
10	Lunch & Refreshments for participants	150	3	15	6,750
11	Hire of PA system and projectors	3	3	100	900
12	Per Diem_International	20	3	30	1,800
13	Per Diem-National Participants	130	4	24	12,649
14	Translation services	1	3	500	1,500
15	Internet service for participants - Airtel Malawi	1	3	200	600
16	Moderation fees	2	2	108	432
17	T-shirts	150	1	8	1,200
18	Visibility - Roll Up Banners, Wall Banner, folders & Name Tags	150	1	2,000	2,000
19	Motor vehicle hire & fuel for local running_National	1	4	108	432
20	Miscellenous	1	1	2,000	2,000
	Sub total - b				42,104
	Grand Total				65,287