Map Kibera

If you haven't done so already, please check out the Map Kibera page. I've been doing some homework on previous slum mapping efforts ( http://bit.ly/FQsiX) and most seem to rely on high-cost remote sensed data interpretation or house to house surveys. While I think these efforts have enormous merit for specific uses, I also believe a great deal of benefit can come from an approach which is low-cost, low-tech and community based.

The example of Open Street Maps and Google Map Maker makes it clear that far more data and subsequent information can be generated by catalyzing a community of users rather than by trying to organize large, top-down mega projects. A community based approach won’t solve every data collection challenge (detailed household surveys for example) but for about the cost of 10 high resolution remote sensed images, a small equipped team could be on the ground and mapping.

Of course collecting the data is one challenge, cleaning and re-distributing is another. The Map Kibera project hopes to challenge, in a friendly way, the current platform providers and test the limits of what is and is not legal with community generated data.