Open Community Mapping, what we think it is, and what it might be

Last week, I was given the great opportunity to talk at the World Bank about the state of open community mapping, and where it’s heading, at New Tools for Mapping in Disasters and Development. Thanks to GFDRR and InterAction.

…the excitement of community mapping is beyond the data that’s being created, but the possibility of a fundamental shift in the power dynamics of how development is practiced. If people know the facts about their own lives, they have more power to call to account those institutions which are supposed to serve them, and ultimately, to improve their lives themselves.

video

browse the slides

read the notes

We are really at such an interesting moment for this approach, with interest and momentum from all sides, both the grassroots and open source communities, and development institutions like the World Bank. What happens next is going to take a lot of quick learning and sharing, exciting.