By: Mikel Maron
Map Kibera has been mapping blank spots for 10 incredible years, and OpenStreetMap has been mapping the world for 15! Map Kibera celebrated on an incredible night, with people from past and present who’ve made it possible. Mapbox was excited to sponsor as Map Kibera celebrates open data, community development, and the growing geo & tech community in Kenya.
Was happy to join the mapping community tonight in #Nairobi Watch glittery @mikel transform into @pthigo oh, and read the blog too! @mapkibera Kudos to @Mapbox for supporting the event #communitymappers https://t.co/UoBOSYlunA
Ten years ago, the SEACOM cable landed in Mombasa, Kenya. Ushahidi had just unleashed the power of citizen reporting. The tech community in Kenya was poised to grow, with gathering places like the iHub just under construction. “Smart phones” were rare, and for the few that tried, getting online often meant a cybercafe crowded with desktop computers sharing a slow connection. And the slum of Kibera, the dynamic self-created home to approximately 250,000 people, was blank on any map you could find — and there were not that many to be found.
It was implausible that 13 young people from different villages of the Kibera slum could band together to bring that place online. Not only did they Map Kibera within the span of a month, but they spawned a connected community mapping movement that spread across Nairobi, Kenya, and the world. Much more challenging than mastering the technology has been connecting data and maps to addressing problems facing these communities. That’s happened time and again, through supporting peaceful and informed elections, to connecting government resources to education needs, to tracking government investments in rural counties. Delve more into reflections from me on the Map Kibera blog, and from BBC Digital Planet, on how this incredible project grew.
Meanwhile, 10 years on, the change across Nairobi is dramatic. Maps are everywhere, on seemingly ubiquitous smart phones, used by apps to book taxis and boda bodas, deliver packages, and get medical help. The maps look complete, but in the local conditions here, so much is still left hidden and unmapped in navigation and points of interest, so that if you rely solely on maps to get around, you will quickly get stuck.
I’ve been in Nairobi again this summer, and had the privilege to connect with developers who are adapting location services to Nairobi. I’m inspired by BRCK connecting riders wifi on public transit, OkHi helping people locate themselves where addresses are lacking, Flare coordinating private ambulances to respond to emergencies, Sendy delivering packages across the region, Ona bringing more fluid data sharing to public health systems, and so many more mappers and developers. Whoever succeeds is going to unlock a whole new way to understand not only Nairobi, but vast parts of the world.
The mapping is far from done, but we have come so far. So glad to take a pause together, raise a glass, and behold the map and the mapmakers!
Mikel Maron - Community team Lead - Mapbox | LinkedIn
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Celebrating 10 years of Map Kibera was originally published in Points of interest on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.