State of the Map Africa 2019, Transforming lives through mapping!
By: State Of The Map Africa
Tags: Ivory Coast, State Of The Map, Maps, Open Data, Openstreetmap

State of the Map Africa 2019 is just around the corner and we are excited to host everyone in Ivory Coast from the 22nd — 24th of November. The conference will bring together local OpenStreetMap communities, governments, universities, NGOs, innovators and business to share knowledge and experiences on how OpenStreetMap is “Transforming Lives through Mapping”, which is the theme for this year.

This follows the successful State of the Map Africa 2017 conference held in Kampala, Uganda which attracted 151 participants from 29 countries, 23 of those African countries. Since 2017, growing momentum has seen more organized OpenStreetMap communities undertaking projects around mapping in Africa. Stories from these projects and others will be shared as learning experiences at the 2019 conference.

A new and exciting aspect of the 2019 conference is our collaboration with the World Bank Understanding Risk Team for the Understanding Risk (UR) Africa of West and Central — “ Human Capital and Innovation, Resilience Engine” — Regional Conference which is taking place in Abidjan, Ivory Coast from 20 to 22 November 2019. Proudly sponsored by the World Bank, the joint conferences will bring members of government agencies, multilateral organizations, the private sector, non-governmental organizations, research institutes, academics, local community organizations and civil society to share knowledge and experiences, collaborate and discuss innovations and good practices in the field of risk prevention.

The first day for State of the Map Africa 2019, will be jointly organized with the Understanding Risk Conference providing a great opportunity for the OpenStreetMap Africa community to engage with decision-makers from government, multinational organizations, the private sector, NGOs, academics, and researchers on how OpenStreetMap is transforming lives through disaster risk reduction. For years, the OpenStreetMap Africa community has struggled to engage this audience, and this new collaboration provides the perfect opportunity for our community to turn this around and seek new avenues for engagement.

Aerial view of the town of Grand-Bassam (source: Town Hall of Grand-Bassam)

The venue for State of the Map Africa 2019 is the beautiful and historic coastal town of Grand-Bassam. Located just 24km from the capital Abidjan, Grand-Bassam is easily accessible by road using Uber, Bush taxis or buses. The short distance between Grand Bassam and Abidjan is conducive to the collaborative aspect of the conference as we will start on the 22nd November in Abidjan for our joint event with the Understanding Risk Regional Conference before moving to Grand-Bassam on the 23rd and 24th of November for the State of the Map Africa 2019 main conference.

Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for the announcement of the program and opening for registration with will be out very soon.

Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for the announcement of the program and opening for registration with will be out very soon.

Interested in sponsoring SotM Africa 2019? Have a look at our sponsorship packages and be sure to contact us. We will be happy to answer any questions and we will work with you to find the perfect sponsorship package.

Contact us at sotmafrica@gmail.com