UAS or drone mapping versus conventional methods - cost and benefit analysis - two cases in Africa

The use of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) in aerial mapping applications is increasingly being used as an appropriate surveying method in many sectors, particularly for agriculture.
Since the use of sUAS is new to many agricultural sector players, it is useful to reflect on the costs and benefits, and related technical and operational challenges, as well as the advantages that present themselves in the practical implementation of this technology.

Download full publication: http://bit.ly/2rFD26M

Author(s): Volkmann, Walter
Published: 2017
Series: CTA Working Paper
Publisher(s): CTA www.cta.int
Type: Technical publication 

Powerful maps: how building 3D models is helping rural communities to make their voices heard

A process of building three-dimensional physical models in a village setting is helping to bring together traditional and modern scientific knowledge to tackle challenges ranging from soil degradation to land use planning, and from forest management to climate change. The technique, known as Participatory 3-dimensional modelling (P3DM) enables marginalised communities to present their territory – together with their own valuable knowledge – in a visual form, offering them the opportunity to protect precious natural resources from outside threats and preserve them for future generations. Some of the field experiences have been published in a new report. The Power of Maps: Bringing the third dimension to the negotiation table is published by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), which has been in the forefront of promoting the practice across African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

Developed in the early 1990s in Southeast Asia, P3DM is rapidly gaining ground in other parts of the developing world. Participatory 3D models, made out of cardboard and illustrated with coloured paints, pushpins and yarn, portray land cover, such as farmland, rivers and forests, as well as other features, including coastal resources and sea depth. Uniquely, they also depict traditional knowledge, such as ancestral land rights and sacred places. These features are generally supplied by elders in the community, while younger members build the map itself. The result is a free standing relief model which provides tangible evidence of local knowledge, serving as an effective tool for analysis, decision-making, advocacy, action and monitoring.

“Knowledge built up over time and passed from generation to generation represents a unique asset for rural communities when it comes to their land, forest and aquatic resources,” said CTA Director Michael Hailu. “The ability to collate and geo-reference local knowledge and represent it in the form of 3-dimensional maps offers a unique opportunity for local communities to have a voice in decisions on how to sustainably manage their resources.”

Often, the process of participatory 3-dimensional modelling is in itself empowering, bringing communities and generations together and helping them to visualise the extent of their resources, and how climate change and other threats, such as mining and deforestation, may be affecting them. Once completed, the physical model remains with the community.

Case studies presented from Ethiopia, Fiji and Madagascar show how P3DM has led to the development of community-driven natural resource management plans. Other examples of P3DM initiatives described in the book demonstrate how the technique can give marginalised rural people a voice to make their case heard. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Bambuti-Batwa pygmy community used a P3DM exercise to drive talks on what they claim is the injustice of being evicted from the territory they had inhabited for generations.

Three-dimensional mapping has helped the Kenyan hunter-gatherer Ogiek tribe to document its ancestral land rights and knowledge systems. Meanwhile, In Tobago, a Caribbean island that has suffered a series of extreme climate events in recent years, P3DM has been used to guide community-driven disaster risk reduction strategies.

South-South cooperation is helping to make the practice of participatory 3-dimensional modelling become better known and CTA has been closely involved in efforts to share training and facilitation between Caribbean and Pacific Islands and a range of African countries.

Experiences of P3DM can generate other benefits, such as offering new skills and self-confidence to individuals engaged in the process and funding for communities to implement activities. A case in point is Grenada, where a participatory 3D model had a direct impact on the community that created it, by mobilising donor funding for climate change adaptation on a stretch of the coastline badly affected by hurricane damage.

“Participatory 3D modelling, the process documented in this book, has proved to be successful in eliciting substantial amounts of what is termed as tacit knowledge from individuals, to collate individual world views into a shared, visible and tangible representation of collegial knowledge,” said Senior Programme Coordinator Giacomo Rambaldi, who has led CTA’s involvement in P3DM. Adding ‘location’ to any piece of information or datum makes it even more relevant. Hence P3DM enables knowledge holders to visualise and geo-reference their traditional knowledge and to engage outsiders in a peer-to-peer dialogue.”

You can order a hard copy and download the book.

Making Maps, Third Edition: A Visual Guide to Map Design for GIS

Lauded for its accessibility and beautiful design, this text has given thousands of students and professionals the tools to create effective, compelling maps.

Using a wealth of illustrations--with 74 in full color--to elucidate each concisely presented point, the revised and updated third edition of Making Maps: A Visual Guide to Map Design for GIS continues to emphasize how design choices relate to the reasons for making a map and its intended purpose.

All components of map making are covered: titles, labels, legends, visual hierarchy, font selection, how to turn phenomena into visual data, data organization, symbolization, and more.

Innovative pedagogical features include a short graphic novella, good design/poor design map examples, end-of-chapter suggestions for further reading, and an annotated map examplar that runs throughout the book.

by John Krygier PhD (Author), Denis Wood PhD (Author)

Paperback: 293 pages
Publisher: The Guilford Press; 3 edition (August 2, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1462509983
ISBN-13: 978-146250998

#12614 – Book Launch and Reception for ‘The power of maps: Bringing the third dimension to the negotiation table’, a CTA Success Stories publication on participatory GIS practice

IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016, Hawai’i, USA, 

Friday, 2 September 2016, 19:30-21:00

Room 314-UNDP Kauhale

Abstract of the session (including reception, drinks and snacks)

This session will see the launch of a collection of 12 impact stories about participatory 3-dimensional modelling (P3DM) – an innovative process that maps traditional knowledge as physical three-dimensional models. P3DM enables marginalised communities to present their territory – together with their own valuable knowledge – in a physical and visual form, offering an opportunity to monitor precious resources against outside threats and preserve them for future generations. It helps to foster sustainable natural resource management, gives a voice to grassroots communities and helps them to influence policy-making and make informed decisions on climate change adaptation. The Power of Maps: Bringing the third dimension to the negotiation table is published by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), which has been in the forefront of activities to promote the practice across African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

Speakers include those who narrated stories captured in the book and others who have been practicing P3DM across several continents and for diverse purposes.

Objectives of the event

1. To launch a new CTA publication which is part of the ‘Success stories’ series
2. To demonstrate the value of participatory mapping in three dimensions and its impact on identity building, informed spatial planning and community engagement
3. To discuss how best to further upscale the deployment of the process in community-based initiatives

Format and Programme 

The general format of the workshop will be as follows (total time: 90 min):

• Opening, introduction of speakers and key questions to be addressed (5 minutes)
• Video address by CTA (3 min)
• First set of two presentations (7-10 minutes each) (20 minutes)
• Questions and answers, followed by discussion related to the first set of presentations (15 minutes)
• Second set of two presentations (7-10 minutes each) (20 minutes)
• Questions and answers, followed by discussion related to the second set of presentations and for general discussion as well.  (20 minutes)
• Closing comments (5 min) 

Detailed programme:

19:30-onwards: Reception, serving of snacks and drinks

19:35-19:40 Opening, introduction of speakers and key questions to be addressed Dialogue moderator: Hindou Ibrahim, IPACC West Africa Coordinator

19:40-19:45 Address and introduction of the publication (video link); Giacomo Rambaldi, CTA Senior programme coordinator

19:45-20:05 First set of two presentations:
Senoveva Mauli, Solomon Islands Community Conservation Partnership (SICCP), Solomon Islands
Ana Fekau, Min of Environment in Tonga

20:05-20:20 Q&A and discussion (on first set of presentations)

20:20-20:40 Second set of two presentations
Nigel Crawhall, IPACC, South Africa
M’Lis Flynn, Wet Tropics Management Authority (on private capacity), Australia

20:40-20:55 Q&A and discussion (on second set of questions) Time allowed for general discussion as well.

20:55-21:00 Closing comments and distribution of copies of the publication to participants: Nigel Crawhall, IPACC, South Africa

Download programme

#12614  – Book Launch and Reception for ‘The power of maps: Bringing the third dimension to the negotiation table’, a CTA Success Stories publication on participatory GIS practice

#12614  – Réception de lancement du livre « Le pouvoir des cartes - Quand la 3D s’invite à la table des négociations », une publication du CTA sur les réussites relatives à la pratique des SIG participatifs

Five steps of making a map with small drones

Traditionally all features on a map were represented in the form of symbols whose spatial characteristics, like location, size and shape, could be mathematically defined in a spatial reference system. The underlying spatial information of features depicted in this way is referred to as vector data. Since the arrival of aerial photography, however, maps could also be made with contiguous cells, called pixels, to each of which normalised colour values are attached, just like a digital image. The data used to make a map in this way is referred to as raster data. The maps derived directly from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)-carried sensors are in raster form.

In the classical sense, a map has to satisfy at least the following basic conditions: it has to have a scale, a north arrow and be of uniform accuracy across the mapping domain. The scale on printed maps determined its resolution as well as its accuracy. In the digital age the scale of a map can be changed by simply scrolling the wheel of your mouse. Instead of using scale to achieve desired resolution, analysts nowadays make use of the Ground Sampling Distance (GSD). The GSD represents the width and length of the area covered on the ground by one pixel on the sensor array of the camera. For any given camera, the GSD is thus a function of how high above the ground the camera is located. The accuracy of the map is in turn intrinsically linked to the GSD. For a GSD of 20 centimetres it is not possible to measure distances between discernible features more accurately than 20 centimetres.

The small drone mapping workflow can be divided into five steps.

Step 1. Map design and flight planning

To ensure that the map is made “fit for purpose” it is important to decide from the outset which type of sensor(s) (visible light, infrared, multispectral, hyperspectral) will be needed. Once the appropriate sensor has been identified, the appropriate GSD has to be determined. The smaller the GSD, the higher the resolution (and accuracy) of the map will be.

To achieve the desired GSD with a given camera the corresponding flying height has to be computed. This is a function of the sensor resolution and the focal length of the lens of the camera. Moreover, making maps from images requires the so-called “stereo effect” which is brought about by image overlaps. Overlaps along the flight direction and between adjacent strips are expressed in percentages. Using the footprint dimensions of an image on the ground, the intervals at which the camera must expose and the spacing of adjacent lines which will satisfy the overlap conditions must be computed.

Figure 1 illustrates the relationship between camera sensor size and resolution, focal length and flying height on the one hand and GSD, photo and line spacing on the other.

Figure 1: Flight Planning Parameters (in units of meters)

For example, a GSD of 12 millimetres requires a flying height of 50 metres, the camera must be exposed every 9.8 metres along the flight line and flight lines must have a spacing of 22 metres.
With these parameters a flight plan can be compiled to cover the area of interest. There are many flight planning tools (open source as well as proprietary) available to more or less automatically generate digital flight and task plans which can be uploaded to the drone for automatic execution.

Step 2. Image acquisition

To provide the resulting map with absolute orientation and location, in other words to geo-reference it, it is necessary to place suitably sized and shaped targets on the terrain. These targets, known as Ground Control Points (GCPs) must be positively identifiable in the aerial imagery and their coordinates in the desired mapping reference system have to be established by survey. Obviously the targets have to be in place during the time of aerial image capture, however, they can be surveyed before or after image acquisition.

Once the GCP targets are in place, the flight plan can be uploaded to the drone for automatic execution. To ensure a safe operation, launching the drone should be preceded with flight checks and terrain evaluation. Upon landing the flight logs of the drone and the aerial images are downloaded to a laptop or storage device for processing.

Step 3. Image processing 

Drone technology is predominantly associated with high resolution mapping, but without the powerful Structure from Motion (SfM) technique we would not be experiencing the current mapping revolution. The very high degree of automation in this robust mapping technique is key in the democratization of map making.

The first step in the SfM workflow is the alignment of the cameras. This process can be accelerated by introducing the approximate camera exposure positions as recorded by the flight controller of the drone. These approximate camera positions are also used to approximately geo-reference the positions of the camera positions as well as all subsequent products generated by the SfM process. When GCPs (with their terrestrially determined coordinates) are needed for more precise geo-referencing, their image coordinates have to be observed in each image on which they appear. This is commonly the only manual intervention in the SfM process. Once a terrain model and a texture atlas have been derived, various geo-spatial products can be generated. As a rough rule of thumb some 500 20MP images (covering some 5 to 10 hectares at 10 to 20 millimetres GSD) can be processed at high quality in a matter of 24 hours or less on a gaming laptop.

Step 4. Preparation and visualisation of geo-spatial products

Once the SfM process has been completed various geo-spatial products can be extracted. For a two-dimensional depiction of the terrain an ortho photo is generated on a desired mapping datum and projection. This is a geo-referenced, distortion free raster map (as opposed to a distorted mosaic of “stitched” images). To add the third dimension a digital elevation model (DEM) either in raster or in vector form can be generated. Combining the above products allows for highly realistic 3D visualisations as well as more or less automated analyses such as vegetation health, building detections, terrain evaluations with regard to drainage and irrigation, volume calculations and crop heights, to mention a few.

Step 5. The extraction of essential information 

While raster maps such as high resolution ortho photos with underlying DEMs can convey a tremendous amount of information, they do so at the expense of very large data volumes which require considerable bandwidth for dissemination. Many graphic information systems, such as Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) programmes simply cannot handle these volumes. It is thus necessary to extract from the mass data volumes those elements that are essential for a specific analysis.

This is done by means of virtual surveying, a process which enables the “surveyor” to effortlessly navigate on and over the virtual terrain while performing measurements as if he were in the field. All data captured by the “virtual surveyor” in this fashion is saved in the much more efficient vector format and subsequently exported to CAD or Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The ability to do surveys virtually brings about enormous performance improvements and cost savings to mapping and surveying, typically reducing field work from weeks or months to a few hours.

Other developments related to drone mapping

It should be mentioned that SfM mapping without the use of GCP is also possible. This is accomplished by connecting a miniaturised dual frequency global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver to the camera to record the exact time of each exposure. In this way the camera exposure positions can be determined accurately to a few centimetres, thus it is argued, obviating the need for GCP. More research is needed before this approach can overcome the scepticism of many mapping professionals.

Finally, the emergence of ever lighter Lidar scanners is another important development. Lidar has the distinct advantage of penetrating vegetation, something which SfM fails to do.

With these steps and developments in mind digital maps can be created and analysed.

About the author:

Walter Volkmann (walter@unirove.com) is president of Micro Aerial Projects L.L.C., a geodetic and cadastral Surveyor, and geo-spatial solutions specialist.

Source:

Republished with permission from ICT Update, issue 82, April 2016

Follow @UAV4Ag on Twitter

Five steps of making a #map with small #drones #sUAS https://t.co/nkYUb6DcRg #mapping #howto #UAV #raster #vector pic.twitter.com/vTzBxuA1Eq

— Drones 4 Agriculture (@UAV4Ag) June 11, 2016

Being on a map means to exist: the Saramaccan experience

Saramaccan communities in Suriname seek government’s recognition of their traditional knowledge

On 23 February 2016, 18 Saramaccan community representatives from the Brownsweg and Upper Suriname River areas met in the capital city, Paramaribo, with key stakeholders and policymakers. The meeting was organised by the Saramaccan Peoples to share the results of a two-year process which led to the visualisation and documentation of their traditional environmental knowledge over a vast area.

Maps generated using data extracted from the 1:15000 scale participatory 3D model of the Brownsweg area (manufactured in November 2015), combined with the digital elevation model obtained from the Foundation for Forest Management and Production Control, Suriname.

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words and maps may be even more effective in conveying messages when it comes to resource distribution and access. In fact the outcome of the process – which the Saramacca delegates proudly presented at the meeting – consisted of a series of community-generated physical and digital maps.

The maps and various data sets were produced in Saramaccan, English, and Dutch languages as a result of three Participatory 3D modelling (P3DM) exercises that took place in 2014 and 2015, involving 220 residents, including women, youth and the elderly. A film documentary about the process was released in 2015 in Saramaccan, English, and French.


Saramaccan leaders highlighted the uniqueness of the data the communities were able to collate, geo-reference and visualise using highly sophisticated technology, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Benefitting from external technical support, knowledge-holders were able to share their mental maps and memories which were used to populate blank 3D models.

The Saramaccan representatives drew attention to the relevance and accuracy of the data, and its accessibility to third parties, provided free prior informed consent for their use was given. "We made the map for it to be used. We want other people to make use of it. We only ask that the data is not used without involving us, the Saramaccan Peoples," concluded a community representative.

The Saramaccan delegates welcomed the use of the data for spatial planning purposes and called on the government and private investors to recognise them as key stakeholders and fully involve them when planning logging activities, protected area management and gold mining concessions within traditional Saramaccan lands.

They urged for the replication of P3DM processes in the rest of the Saramaccan territory so that a complete map of traditional Saramacca lands could be generated. To achieve this, they called on the government, development organisations, private sector, and NGOs present at the meeting to raise the necessary funds.

The event was hosted by Tropenbos International Suriname, WWF Guyanas and the Association of Saamaka Authorities.

In addition to Tropenbos International Suriname, project sponsors included the UNDP-GEF Small Grant Programme and CTA. Contributions by both organisations were duly acknowledged, with participants stating that their valuable contribution established a 'fertile ground' for community empowerment via P3DM which they considered to be a very innovative process. Participants also acknowledged that the P3DM process had inspired other communities who were now requesting support to deploy the P3DM process in their areas.

Related blogposts:

• Saramakan’s forests: watercourses at the core of a Participatory 3D Modelling exercise along the Upper Suriname River (10 September 2014)
• Les forêts des Saramaca : les cours d'eau au coeur d'un exercice de modélisation participative en trois dimensions le long du Haut Suriname (10 September 2014)
• Saamaka peoples upscale the use Participatory 3 Dimensional Modelling along the Upper Suriname River (08 August 2015)

Stay connected:
Follow on @PPGIS on Twitter and the hashtag #P3DM
Visit www.iapad.org.
Subscribe to the PPGIS online discussion list.

Mapping for Change: Practice, technologies and communication - 10 years have passed - publication still valid and available

This CD “Mapping for Change: Practice, technologies and communication” includes a selection of papers presented at the “Mapping for Change: International Conference of Spatial Information Management and Communication” held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 7th-10th September, 2005 and published in Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) 54 in April 2006. Guest editors of PLA 54 are Giacomo Rambaldi; Jon Corbett; Mike McCall; Rachel Olson; Julius Muchemi; Peter Kwaku Kyem; Daniel Wiener and Robert Chambers.

The CD contains PDF versions of the articles published in PLA 54 translated in the following languages: Arabic, Bangla, Chinese (traditional and simplified), French, Hindi, Persian-Dari, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili and Tamil as well as the English versions. The CD includes additional resources (mainly in English), including a video of the Conference and key literature on the practice, including UNESCO Conventions on Cultural Mapping.

Available (for free) to residents in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries via CTA Publishing.

Credits for Translations, layout and typesetting 

• Arabic: Translation by Dr. El-Hussaini Yehia, Center for Development Services, Cairo, with thanks to Ali Mokhtar
• Bangla: Translation by Enamul Huda and Taifur Rahman, PRA Promoters’ Society, Bangladesh
• Chinese (Simplified): Translation by Liu Xiaoqian, Yang Fang , Li Fang, Li Xiaoyun, China Agricultural University, Beijing
• Chinese (Traditional): Translation by Wang Yaohui, National Linkou Senior High School, Linkou Township, Taiwan with special thanks to Hsiao Ya Wen, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua City, Taiwan (Chapters 1 and 2); Lin Mei Jhih, Shengang Junior High School, Shengang Township, Taichung County, Taiwan (Chapter 4); Chuang Yu Chun, National Yangmei Senior High School, Yangmei Township, Taoyuan County, Taiwan (Chapter 7); Shen Tsui Mei, National Linkou Senior High School, Linkou Township, Taipei County, Taiwan (Chapter 9); Jhang Yu Jing, National Sihu Senior High School, Sihu Township, Changhua County, Taiwan (Chapter 12); Lin Wen-Xin, Kaohsiung Municipal Chung-Cheng Industrial Vocational High School, Cianjhen District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan (Chapter 15)
• French: Translation by Maryck Nicolas, with thanks to Marie Jaecky of IIED for proofreading
• Hindi: Translation by Meera Jayaswal, with thanks to Dr. Neela Mukherjee, Director, Development Tracks, Delhi, India, and to Mr.K.K.Singh, Ujjawal Kumar and Sanjay Das for page layout and typesetting
• Persian-Dari: Translation by Reza Nobacht, with thanks to CENESTA, Tehran for technical support, to Esmaeel Hamidi and Jeyran Farvar for copy editing and proof reading, to Pooya Ghoddousi for coordination and Jeyran Farvar for page layout and typesetting
• Portuguese: Translation by Francis Sahadeo, with thanks to Ines Fortes for copyediting
• Spanish: Translation by María Isabel Sanz Bonino, with thanks to Alejandra Larrazábal and Mike McCall for copyediting and Tanya Pascual for proofreading
• Swahili: Translation by Catherine Wanjiku Gichingi and Margaret Njeri Gichingiri (ERMIS Africa) with thanks to Julius Muchemi, Executive Director and Bancy Wanjiru, Programme Administrator
• Tamil: Translation by John Devavaram and his team at SPEECH, Madurai, India, including Arunodayam

Beneath the Surface ~ Mapping Union Island - A P3DM exercise, 2013

Here is the story of a participatory mapping exercise done on Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean.

The second of such exercise to be done in the Caribbean under the theme "working with people and nature to find solutions to climate change".

The film gives a glimpse into the, happiness, trials and tribulations of the local people as they participate in a unique participatory mapping process led by Sustainable Grenadines Inc.(SusGren), a local NGO, with support provided by TNC and CTA.

The film also speaks to the local people’s ideas of sustainable development and livelihood opportunities for them and their families.

It also highlights the changes the local community has experienced over the years in their environment and how they have already started to adapt. It certainly takes you in the life of a Unionite and their small island....

midst the challenges of a degrading marine and coastal environment, development pressure from tourism and climate change local people through the mapping process came together with one voice to develop a plan of action for their island future.

Language versions: English | Spanish | French | Portuguese (coming soon)

The film has been produced with funding provided by CTA. Director: Jess Phillimore

Participatory 3D Modelling in Tobago - Live radio broadcasts - podcasts

ICTs for Climate Change Adaptation: Introduction of innovative technologies in the Caribbean

Starting at the end of this week Tobago will host a very interesting event. Close to 200 residents of the island will come together in a two-week workshop to build a physical three-dimensional model of Tobago.  The process will contribute to formulating responses and develop action plans addressing the impacts of climate change and extreme climatic events.

The 3D model will cover a total area of 1,188 sq km at a 1:10,000 scale.  Once completed, the model will display a wide range of terrestrial and marine features and landmarks which will help communities articulate their concerns, needs and aspirations in terms of development and disaster risk reduction.  In the process, facilitators will use methods known as Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM) and Participatory Video (PV) which will help in documenting and adding value to the input of local and traditional knowledge from communities.

The workshop will take place at the Blenheim Sheep Multiplication & Research Center in Tobago (29 September - 11 October, 2011). 

View Participatory 3D Modelling Workshop in Tobago in a larger map

The activities will culminate in the presentation of an impressive relief model (measuring 4.9 m x 2.4 m) and a participatory video by representatives of the local communities and project facilitators at a handing over ceremony which will take place on Friday 12th October 2012 at the auditorium of the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute - Tobago campus (by invitation only).

P3DM of Manus Island, Papua New Guinea. Photo credit: J. Hardcastle

The project will pilot, for the first time in the region, the use of P3DM. P3DM is a participatory mapping method that can be used across the Caribbean islands to facilitate effective participation by local communities and other stakeholders in the identification of general policy priorities, as well as specific policies and actions needed on the ground at the landscape and site level to address land management issues, including the impacts of climate change and extreme climatic events.  This method will allow inclusion of relevant local and traditional knowledge, increase capacity, facilitate coordination and collaboration across sectors, and build buy-in for implementation of plans for resilience to climate change and extreme climatic events.

Twenty-two trainees from the region (including five from Tobago) will be trained to facilitate P3DM and PV processes in this project, and nearly fifty observers from the region will visit during the construction of the model.

The process is facilitated by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), the University of the West Indies (UWI), the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Division of Agriculture, Marine Affairs, Marketing and the Environment (DAME) and the Partners with Melanesians (PwM). Funding and expertise is provided by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) and the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP).

In the forthcoming months CTA will support capacity building in the domain of Web 2.0 and social media. In the forthcoming months, CTA will support capacity building in the domain of Web 2.0 and social media.  In addition, CANARI has secured funding from the Federal Republic of Germany to facilitate the production of a civil society agenda addressing climate change issues in the island as a follow-up activity to this project.

If you are interested in having a look at "work in progress" please contact Mrs. Neila Bobb-Prescott (e-mail: neila@canari.org; phone: 001-868-789-9917 or 001-868-302-3739 to get more information.

Pastoralists seek water and peace in Chad: Account of a participatory mapping exercise in the Sahel

BAÏBOKOUM, CHAD: 31 July to 11 August 2012, the Association des Femmes Peules Autochtones du Tchad (AFPAT), in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC), conducted a training course on Participatory 3 Dimensional Modelling in the area of Baïbokoum, Logone Oriental, in southern Chad.

The Chadian mapping project focused on training pastoralist activists from different parts of Chad, as well as from neighbouring countries and East Africa in the basics of cartography and how to conduct a Participatory 3D Modeling (P3DM) exercise with nomads and semi-nomadic M’bororo indigenous people in the Baïbokoum area.


Three-way dialogue on climate change from CTA on Vimeo.

Baïbokoum’s rural population is faced with competing resource challenges similar to other parts of Africa. These include changes in land use, notably encroachment by sedentary farmers, loss of biodiversity as a result of land use change, the impact of extractive industries and climate change impacts. All of these factors contribute to increasing human vulnerability, soil and biodiversity degradation, food insecurity and risks of conflict.

The Baïbokoum project followed on the November 2011 workshop in N’Djamena, Chad where pastoralists from AFPAT and the IPACC network met with the World Meteorological Organisation, UNESCO, CTA and the meteorological services of Chad to discuss climate adaptation and the risks experienced by nomadic communities in Africa today. The N’Djamena workshop led to the N’Djamena Declaration on traditional knowledge and climate adaptation which was presented at the 17th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Nomadic, semi-nomadic community members from the villages in the district then spent 3 days coding the map with the indigenous traditional knowledge; showing land use, traditional routes of cattle migration, ecosystem features, and biodiversity information. 

Trainees came to Baïbokoum from five different regions of Chad, as well as from Niger, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Technical support and training was provided by Mr Barthelemy Boika from the Réseau des Ressources Naturelles in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Additional training and guidance was provided by the Secretariat of IPACC, from South Africa.

Trainees did practical work with ephemeral mapping, GPS skills training, elicitation of a vernacular language legend (in this case in Fufulde), and orientation on the basics of cartography, scaling and georeferencing.

They spent four days constructing a scaled, geo-referenced 3D model of Baïbokoum and environs (24km x 20 km; 1:10 000 scale).

The resulting Participatory 3D Model (P3DM) had some notably features, including the emphasis placed by pastoralists on different types of surface water – seasonal, permanent, swampy and flowing.

Herders also were able to identify six tree species which are protected under M’bororo customary law. The six species of trees, all of them with medicinal and ecosystems functions, may not be cut or damaged, and serve as navigation reference points over generations.

Herders’ main concerns revolved around the expansion of sedentary farmers who have blocked traditional transhumance routes that allow cattle access to potable water. Herders accuse the farmers of burning their fields, thus killing off biodiversity and including long protected tree species. Herders noted that there were now oil wells being dug in the adjacent territory and a pipeline that are creating pressure on them from both sides. Sudden shifts of weather and climate, including both droughts and floods have made them more vulnerable and increased the risk of armed conflict in the region.

Over sixty M’bororo community members participated in the mapping, as well as the trainees, villagers and school goers. Leaders in the community felt confident that the map could help alleviate simmering conflicts in the community.

His Excellency, the Governor of Logone Orientale

The event was formally closed on 10 August by His Excellency, the Governor of Logone Orientale, the President of the 5% Revenue from Oil Exploration, the Prefect and Deputy-Prefect of Baïbokoum, and representatives of the national Gendarmerie and Ministries of Livestock, Agriculture and the Department responsible for climate change.

The Governor immediately offered to mediate a process between sedentary and nomadic communities to restore transhumance corridors for herders to be able to access water again. Participants noted that sedentary and nomadic communities could have symbiotic and supportive relationships. Resolving conflicts and having a preventative approach to resolving resource competition is a fundamental aspect of climate adaptation and development of rural areas.

AFPAT Coordinator, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim praised the government and community for their willingness to explore new avenues of cooperation. She noted the traditional importance placed by M’bororo men and women on nature conservation and has opened discussions with the President of the 5% oil revenues to look at how M’bororo herders can be more involved in protecting the threatened forest spaces in the mountains outside Baïbokoum.

The mapping process and examination of issues of conflict and peace building was documented by Jade Productions as a film to be released for the 18th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Doha, Qatar. National media reported throughout the workshop on radio and then broadcast a television report after the closing protocol event.

The workshop took place during the holy month of Ramadan, which added an extra dimension of how religious teachings and values can also encourage people to work cooperatively, even in circumstances where they do not share a language between them. Indigenous herders from Kenya, Cameroon and Niger all joined their Chadian partners during the prayers and fasting during the two week workshop.

The event was generously supported by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), with additional financial support from Bread for the World, Norwegian Church Aid and Misereor. Documents, photographs and videos can be seen on www.ipacc.org.za

Credits for text and images: Nigel Crawhall, IPACC

Trading Bows and Arrows for Laptops: Carbon & Culture

The Surui Cultural Map shows the Surui tribe of the Amazon's vision of their forest, including their territory and traditional history. To create this map, Surui youth interviewed their elders to document and map their ancestral sites, such as the site of first contact with western civilization in 1969, places where the tribes battled with colonists in the 1970s, as well as places of interest, like sightings of jaguars, capybaras and toucans. To preserve their forest and their livelihood, the Surui are entering the Carbon Credit marketplace with software called Open Data Kit to measure carbon and monitor any illegal logging in their forests using Android smartphones.

Mapping is Power

Set in the Altai Republic of Russia in southern Siberia, Mapping is Power follows cultural specialist Maya Erlenbaeva and shaman Maria Amanchina as they visit sacred sites near Kosh Agach. Indigenous people are mapping their sacred sites to protect them. This scene is a preview of Standing on Sacred Ground, a 4-part series produced by the Sacred Land Film Project, which will profile sacred land struggles around the world. www.sacredland.org

Mapping Indigenous Lands, Ep 1 - Dave De Vera, Philippines

Dave De Vera, executive director of PAFID is an advocate in rights based approaches and expert in participatory mapping (in particular participatory three dimensional modelling or P3DM). In this short interview Dave discusses the ethical considerations during the "Participatory Mapping and Community Empowerment for Climate Change Adaptation, Planning and Advocacy workshop" held in Solomon Islands on 21-26 May 2012.

Video by TNC, Kat Gawlik

The power of information: Map Kibera uses GIS, SMS, video and the web to gather community data

The Map Kibera project works with young people from one of Africa’s biggest slums. They use GIS, SMS, video and the web to gather data and make it available to the community, where it can be applied to influence policies related to the area.

Located just five kilometres from the capital of Kenya, Nairobi, the residents of Kibera have grown accustomed to the many foreign experts visiting their community to conduct surveys and ask questions for yet another data collection initiative. As one of the largest slum areas in Africa, it draws staff from development organisations, research institutes and NGOs from all over the world.

As all these organisations and researchers generate more and more documents and project reports about Kibera, very little of the information gathered is ever made available to the 250,000 people who live there. Access to the data would give the people of Kibera the chance to present their own view of the living conditions in the community. They would be able to influence public policy to achieve improvements to the facilities that they believe are important.

In 2009, Erica Hagen, a specialist in the use of new media for development, and Mikel Maron, a digital mapping expert, started Map Kibera to help residents use mapping technology to gather information about their community. For the initial phase of the project, they recruited 13 local young people, aged between 19 to 34, including five women and eight men, from each village in Kibera.

The participants received two days training on how to use handheld GPS receivers to gather location data, and an introduction to using the specialised software in a computer lab. The team was supported by five GIS professionals from Nairobi who had volunteered their time. The participants then spent three weeks walking along the roads, pathways and rail tracks with their GPS receivers recoding the location data. They collected more specific information on water and sewage locations, education, religious and business locations, as well as anything else the participants deemed useful.

Collaboration

Rather than create a stand-alone map, the location data gathered by the project was added to the open source project OpenStreetMap, which is a crowdsourced map made by volunteers around the world. Map Kibera contributed to filling their part of OpenStreetMap, which would also make the information available to more people, and help to raise the profile of the project.

The team also wanted to add a multimedia aspect to the maps, by including video footage of points of interest from around Kibera, and uploading them to YouTube. Three members of Carolina for Kibera (CFK), affiliated with the University of North Carolina, assisted with the filming and helped to document the map making process using small camcorders.

The young people involved in the project developed a sense of achievement as they learned the new skills, and gained confidence in using new technologies. They also began to see the value of the information they were collecting and to understand the impact it could have on their community. However, it was not so easy to convince other residents.

There was a lot of cynicism in the local community caused by the NGOs who had previously come to Kibera but never shared their information. People were, therefore, reluctant to be filmed and photographed. Although the GPS data gathering was less intrusive, the technology presented other difficulties.

The lack of reliable power and inadequate internet access in Kibera were major challenges, especially when it came to uploading large video files to the web, which can take a long time. The slow internet connection also made it difficult to update security software on the computers, leaving them vulnerable to damaging viruses.

These were challenges that could be overcome in time, but for the project to be a real success, it would have to show that it could provide useful information to the community. The mapping project was, therefore, expanded to incorporate public participation geographic information systems (PPGIS) to gather information on specific issues affecting the residents of Kibera.

The group focused on collecting detailed data on four sectors: health, security, education, and water and sanitation. In February 2010, Map Kibera developed a partnership with UNICEF and added a fifth topic: mapping girls’ security. The aim here was to get the girls’ views on possible threats to their security, along with location information, for use in compiling data on their vulnerability to HIV/Aids.

Nine mappers collected data on the five topics using paper forms, gathering, for example, details of the costs and services offered at clinics and chemists in the area. To further encourage community involvement and get feedback on the information gathered, the team produced printed versions of maps for each area and placed transparencies on top so that residents could make changes and additions as necessary. Map Kibera also involved other interested organisations working in the health and security sectors in the area, including African Medical and Research Foundation and a women's group called Kibera Power Women.

Positive picture

As well as making the maps and multimedia available online, Map Kibera looked for other ways for the community to use the information gathered. For instance, the video material filmed as part of the mapping exercises could also be used to present news stories of the area. This idea expanded and the team worked with two youth from Kibera, who already had film-making experience.

They trained 18 young people to use small ‘ultra-portable’ Flip video cameras and the software to help them share their efforts on the web. This led to Kibera News Network (KNN), a citizen journalism initiative to present features and news stories affecting Kibera, showing positive aspects of the area and providing accurate coverage of negative events.

Mainstream media often focused on the misery and negativity in Kibera. The only events certain to attract mainstream media attention were clashes with the police or when the trains that run along the area’s peripheries were disrupted. Map Kibera attempts to change the perception of Kibera by allowing people to create and share their own stories.

The KNN teams edit the videos themselves and post them on YouTube – giving them a direct and immediate link to a global audience. The videos are also available on the Voice of Kibera, a community news website that also hosts the digital map. Residents can even post their own geo-located stories to the map using SMS.

Map Kibera used the open source tool, Ushahidi, to make the contributions via SMS possible. Ushahidi was initially developed after the 2008 Kenyan elections, to track reports of violence. It is a tool for crowdsourcing information using, e-mail, Twitter and the web as well as SMS. When someone in Kibera contributes an article, an SMS gateway filters the incoming texts according to keywords. Messages with the keyword ‘Kibera’ are fed into the Voice of Kibera website, where they are mapped using GPS coordinates, and approved by the editor before finally appearing on the site.

In 2010, the team founded the GroundTruth Initiative to support Map Kibera and other future projects. In the same year, UN Habitat awarded Map Kibera with a youth fund grant to expand its work to other parts of Nairobi, leading to co-operation with the community in another slum, Mukuru. A group in Mathare Valley, the second-largest slum in Nairobi, was also interested in creating a similar project, and, through funding from Plan International, a team is now collaborating on a participatory development programme there.

The Map Kibera Trust, which has a core membership of 30 young people, is working with similar communities in other parts of Kenya, and in Tanzania. A core aim of the Trust is to not only make people aware of openly available technology and information, but also to train local people to use them to benefit the community. The information now available to the residents of Kibera has caused a shift in power, providing them with reliable data to present their own case, and enabling to directly influence the policies that affect their lives.

By Erica Hagen and Mikel Maron
Article re-published with permission from ICT Update

Erica Hagen is a freelance writer, photographer, videographer and specialist on new media for development.
Mikel Maron is co-director of GroundTruth Initiative, and board member of OpenStreetMap Foundation

Related links

• Map Kibera
• Voice of Kibera
• Kibera News Network
• OpenStreetMap

Climate Change and African Political Stability dynamic mapping tool released

The Strauss Center’s Climate Change and African Political Stability (CCAPS) program and AidData recently released a dynamic mapping tool that allows for analysis of climate change and conflict across Africa, plus development assistance in Malawi. The mapping tool uses Esri’s ArcGIS platform to enable users to select and layer combinations of CCAPS data onto one map. It also shows how conflict dynamics are changing over time and space. This tool provides an interactive medium for researchers to explore how climate change vulnerability and conflict interact, and in Malawi, to see how aid is distributed across different areas.

CCAPS climate security vulnerability data provides information on four sources of vulnerability: physical exposure to climate-related hazards, population density, household and community resilience, and governance and political violence. Chronic climate security vulnerability is located where these four sources of vulnerability conjoin.

Feedback on the P3DM experience in Boeboe, Solomon Islands, through the eyes of a woman

25 May, 2012 HONIARA - We asked Ms. Winifred Piatamama who took part in a participatory 3D modelling exercise which took place in February 2011 in Boeboe village, Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands to share with us her experience and lessons learned. Below is her account.

"I’m Winifred Piatamama of Boeboe village, Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands. I’m a teacher. On behalf of the people of Boeboe, specifically the women and children, I feel honoured to have this great and unique opportunity to stand in front of you very resourceful co-partners who are present at this workshop, to share our experience about the Participatory 3D Model that has been done in my village in February 2011.

I will report about the participation of women and children at the start, about their reaction once the model was completed, about what they learned from the model, what their experiences were in relation to the P3D Model with regards of the environment and mining, my view as a teacher and what are some of the measures we should take as far as climate change are concerned.

When this P3D Model was done, the women and children were so excited and spent much time on making the model. They did not want to get back to their houses, nor have lunch. Some of them continued even up to 3:00 am, that was early in the morning. By doing this we managed to complete the P3D Model of our village, knowing nothing about the importance it would have for us.

But after the model was finished, we could see the real picture of our home land. We were so happy, because not all of us knew how to read a map or even about the contour liness. And so we learned a lot from making and looking at the 3D simple map. It gives us new information such as the landscape, streams and rivers, swampy mangroves, cultural sites, the conservation area and more. Even the prospected areas mining mining! It gives the value of our place.

However, we also noticed the effects of Climate Change in regards to the environment. We realised that most places where the edible shells are living, as we depend very much on marines resources, had now been covered by the sea water, and its raising. We can also see, some areas which had been dried, now they are getting in touch with the raising sea leve . The women and children now understand that the Climate Change is taking its course. It is because of human activities.

Therefore, we need to look very carefully about mining, especially at its long-term effects. We can predict that if mining will take place, our resources especially in terms of food, will be at risk. Not only that. Our forests and cultural sites should also be respected. Otherwise, we will loose everything!

With that, our children in school need to be informed about the P3D Model. And so, as a Social Science Teacher, this model has been so helpful in my lessons about the contours lines and landscapes and even the Climate Change. I have been helping my students to take this information seriously, because we need development, so that everyone has access to raise their standards of living. And so, the people in my village are starting to move away from the coastal areas to higher lands, but it takes time and money for such resettlement.

However, when there is a will, there is a way out.

With those few remark,
Thank you!"

New Tools in Mapping for Disasters and Development

“New Tools in Mapping for Disasters and Development” was co-hosted by InterAction’s NGO Aid Map Team and the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery in partnership with the World Bank Institute, Sustainable Development Network Information Solutions (SDNIS) – the information technology (IT) unit at the World Bank, and the World Bank Civil Society Team.



This unique event featured hands-on demonstrations and provide training to participants of the free and open tools currently available. In addition, real-world examples of interventions that have successfully incorporated mapping were presented.  Presenters showcased case studies of mapping tools and technologies, introduced some of the most popular geo tools, discussed free sources of open geo data.

For more information click here.

Association Okani Participatory Mapping Video, Cameroon

This participatory video produced by Association Okani shows the impacts of illegal logging on forest peoples' customary use of resources in Cameroon.

Source: http://www.forestpeoples.org

Participatory 3D Modelling of Manus Island, PNG

Participatory 3D modelling (P3DM) activity supported by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and partners in 2011 in PNG to help residents of Manus Island map out the terrestrial, coastal and marine resources and to  plan for adapting to potential impacts due to climate change.

Source: TNC