♪♫ When Girls Just Want To Have Fun ♫♪

On March 23, 2024, as part of the Women’s Month celebration, the Viscan YouthMappers organization conducted a mapping activity titled “MapaBabae: When Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Mapping the Streets Using Mapillary.” This initiative aimed to pave the way for women’s empowerment through mapping, celebrate the contributions of women in the field of mapping, and inspire each other.

It started with an introduction of mine about what the Mapillary is all about which will be used by us by updating the streets of our University Campus that hasn’t been captured last mapillary event. Sharing that Mapillary is a collaborative street-level imagery platform wherein participants in MapaBabae are able to document their journeys and highlight points of interest, and share their stories regarding about this acivity. At its core, MapaBabae is about more than just mapping streets; it’s about creating a community where women feel seen, heard, and valued.

Girls in Action! Divided into three groups with 1 officer as the facilitator of the group then proceed to their assigned areas on the VSU Lower Campus to map using Mapillary. Of course, not forgetting the safety protocols when capturing data and having fun while striding the campus.

After the mapping activity, there is pizza party where participants can share their experiences and discuss their journey as members of the organization. Sharing our own stories behind the movement, the impact we’re making in the community, and the transformative power of mapping technology. As the event concluded, we left with a renewed sense of empowerment and camaraderie, ready to continue our journey of mapping for change and inspiring others to join the movement. So, why should women map?

Simply put, because girls just wanna have fun while making meaningful contributions to their communities. To inspire and be inspired.

Pista ng Mapa 2023 is a blast!

Over the course of three days in Tacloban City, Leyte the event brought together local YouthMapper chapters, open data experts, and enthusiasts with a shared passion for open mapping, open data, and open source.

As an auditor and member of Viscan YouthMappers, a local chapter based at Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte, I had the pleasure of participating in this vibrant gathering. In the picture below, you can see me with 11 of my fellow mappers from our organization.

DAY 1

Ms. Feye kicked off the event with her preliminary remarks, setting the tone for what turned out to be an inspiring and informative series of talks. Following her, Mr. Mikko took the stage, sharing his journey in the field. Interestingly, he featured photos of cats, adding a unique and memorable touch to his presentation.

Both Ms. Feye and Mr. Mikko, among others, have been instrumental in inspiring my journey down this path. Their dedication to sharing, contributing, and volunteering for the OSM community has motivated me to do the same.

The event provided an excellent platform to hear from various mappers about their contributions to mapping. I attended parallel sessions covering academic tracks, lightning talks, and general tracks. These sessions were not only enlightening but also sparked my interest in several areas. I look forward to sharing the knowledge gained with my peers upon my return from Tacloban. Some of the sessions that particularly caught my attention include:

• Utilzing OSM Building footprint Data for Urban Planning and Disaster Risk Reduction in the Municipality of Luna (Wilfredo Dizon Jr.)
• Mapping the road less traveled; Building careers with open geospatial (Ben Hur Pintor)
• COLLABDev: Data Driven development in Palimbang, sultan Kudarat (Mark Aimon Pangan)
• POIs for greenfield hyperscale data center site selection (Jikka Defiño)
• Mapping for resilience (Joyce Mae Callao)
• Beyond shapefiles and file-based data management (Ben Hur Pintor) *Still Waters Run Deep: Uncovering the Bathymetric and Morphometric Profile of Lake Danao in Ormoc City, Leyte, Philippines (Jeremy Romero)
• Why you shouldn’t use QGIS: new and upcoming features (Ben Hur Pintor)
• Mapping of Fire Hydrants as Baseline Data for Fire Emergency Response in Leyte Province, Philippines (Yhogen Boy Julve)

Of course, Kuya Yhogen and I had the pleasure of reuniting with some friends we met during PNMxSOTMA2022 in Legazpi Albay.

DAY 2

Workshops! This is one of the events I’m looking forward to. I learned a lot from the activities, and some of them were quite exciting to be a part of. In Ms. Leigh’s activity, we shared our experiences on how diverse and inclusive the mapping community is. Then, Mr. Ben and Mr. Ian shared their knowledge about the technical side of mapping, such as learning about Postgress and Post GIS, and Developing Geospatial applications. While this might be advanced for some, it is important to learn for me. Lastly, a workshop with Ate Erika and Kua Markel about the two apps we can use for mapping: Organic Map and Every Door is what I enjoyed because of how simple gathering of data can be a big thing in this community. A photo below is a group photo with Ms.Feye’s workshop.

DAY 3

After gaining insights and hands-on experience with mapping tools, YouthMappers dedicated a ‘community day’ to plan the future of Pista ng Mapa (PnM) and strengthen collaboration among youth mapping groups nationwide. Just like our local chapter, which shared insights on our strengths and weaknesses as individuals and as Viscan YouthMappers, I’ve come to realize that the journey ahead is still long. However, we cannot forget the progress and memories we’ve made, not only as a group but as a community.

A lot has happened, and I understand that the path forward may not be smooth, but I see it as an inspiration to continue working as part of the mapping community. The challenges we face will only serve to strengthen our resolve and commitment to making a positive impact through our mapping efforts.

An exciting adventure awaits us after the meet-ups with different communities. We’ll embark on a trip around Tacloban, immersing ourselves in the sites affected by Typhoon Yolanda. From exploring the exhibit inside UP Tacloban University to crossing the iconic San Juanico Bridge and visiting the Yolanda Shrine, our journey promises to be both educational and impactful.

My passion for mapping is a key ingredient that drives my advocacy for FOSS4G (Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial). Since joining the YouthMapper chapter, I have actively volunteered and participated in discussions and workshops related to these topics. I consistently share the importance of open mapping through our projects, seeking collaborations that can contribute to making a positive impact through open data and mapping, further promoting and advancing the cause of freedom and openness in these areas.

I firmly believe that mapping is a tool for everyone to use, empowering individuals and communities alike. Being part of this community is inspiring, allowing me to share my passion for mapping with others.

Mabuhay ang OSM community!

Photo Credits:

• Viscan YouthMappers
• UP Tacloban YouthMappers
• Tacloban City Information Office

The celebrations have been over for more than a week, yet the Pista ng Mapa X State of the Map Asia 2022 spirit still abound!

The first international conference I attended just happened so fast. I still remember the time that I was accepted as one of the local travel grantee of this international conference in Albay, Legazpi. One thing that came into my mind for attending the conference is that I will be seeing the beauty of great Mt. Mayon but I was wrong, It was the experiences and learnings that will be my souvenir once I got home.

I had been part of the Viscan YouthMappers Organization in Visayas State University in Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines. Since I joined the organization months ago, I started contributing in Open Street Map to map places that needed help on disaster response and planning on a certain area. Through this conference, I was able to share my hardwork and perseverance to other people I just met.

There are a lot of things that make SOTM Asia 2022 memorable to me looking back. One of the many reasons is that I had the opportunity to personally meet a number of folks who have been making significant contributions to OSM. I had the opportunity to speak with them and hear about their recent activities and their future intentions to contribute to OSM.

On day two of SOTMA 2022, there were a lot of youthmappers there. We spoke about how we, as youthmappers, have helped them create a sustainable mapping environment in their institution, the challenges we are presently facing, and possible priority areas for youthmappers to work on.

I enjoy listening to those presentations and talks made by the presentors. The learning and motivational words made by them really inspires me to do better on using AI mapping. It enables me to achieve my objectives and use the lessons I acquired from this experience to change this quickly evolving and increasingly globalized world. The following workshop sessions and lectures at the events that picked my interest are as follows:

• Using QGIS Temporal Controller for Communicationg Hazard Data (John Louie Fabila)
• Lightning Talks: UP Tacloban YouthMappers: Ang Unang Paglipad (Michael Joshua Orais)
• How to Build the New Atlas of the World using Crowdsourced Maps (Nadine Amanda Ortega and Manuel Santos)
• Aerial Works: Flight Planning Using Drones (Leigh Lunas)
• Mapping of Speech, Occupational and Physical Theraphy Centers and Updating of Tags for Educational Instutions with SPED classes (Charmyne Buenviaje Mamador)
• Academic Tracks: UNVTPortable-Offline Web Map Server (Shogo Hirasawa)
• Using Drones: DRONEBIRDs ARE GO!!! (Taichi Furuhashi)

On the last day of the conference, we received the 2022 PH YOUTHMAPPERS AWARD for our distinguished and invaluable contribution to OSM and open mapping for this year just makes me felt so proud for being one of the Viscan YouthMappers. This just makes me fall inlove more with open data, open mapping, and open geospatial. It might be a frustrating journey ahead of me, the event will be my serendipitous moment on meeting the wonderful people of the open mapping/geospatial communities.

Finally, it is an honor for me to participate in PNMxSOTM Asia 2022. I want to express my gratitude to the planning committee for giving me the chance to meet mapping enthusiasts, students, members of various youthmappers chapters, volunteers, and presenters. I was able to witness their efforts to uphold an open mapping environment and emphasize the use of open data in today’s society.