MapSwipe on the Web Experience

Recently, I had the privilege of leading a MapSwipe training session for a corporate group, and it was an incredibly rewarding experience. While I’ve conducted online trainings before, this one felt particularly special. Despite my initial nerves, I was able to deliver a smooth and engaging training session.

Initially, I felt a bit nervous about taking on the role, especially since I was filling in for a colleague. “Corporate” to me also sounded really scary and extremely formal. However, with a bit of preparation and the support of a wonderful colleague, Nicole, I gained the confidence to deliver a successful training session. I focused on guiding participants through the web version of MapSwipe, a tool close to my heart.

To prepare for the training, I immersed myself in the web version of MapSwipe every single day for 2 weeks, leveraging the support of a helpful colleague. I also selected a relevant project for the training, focusing on water scarcity in Gokwe, to demonstrate the practical applications of the tool. The exact project I planned to use got completed only 5 days after putting it up! I was confused, but then decided I could still expand the AOI in the same region because of the prolonged droughts. This worked perfectly fine, and I got to use a project that I had not only put up but also that I am working on with the Africa Matters Initiative.

I logged in at least 10 minutes before the start of the training session, tested my computer and setup. The host started the meeting; we said hello and 5 minutes past the hour we started. Honestly it took me only 8 minutes to go through the slides and thereafter went on to the live demo of the web app. This is where I took my time, went very slowly, communicating with my audience as I had a smaller group of people on the call. I let them follow through with signing up and to make the training interactive, I encouraged participants to work alongside me on the live project. This hands-on approach helped them grasp the concepts quickly and effectively. We discussed building identification techniques, data validation, and the importance of community engagement. The debates made the room come alive and got them to pay extra attention. I loved the interaction and how they found the whole idea really cool.

When I had 10 minutes left, I then moved to showing the community stats, downloading the data and shared a bit about the HOT Tasking Manager. I really enjoyed this experience and I am still head over heels about it, so much so that after filling in my colleague I rushed to text my mentor Sam about my experience with the group. Sam is the wonderful being who introduced me to MapSwipe and Nicole is the best buddy who puts me in the spotlight. I call Sam my GIS muscle as his inbox is loaded with my GIS support requests. Nicole is the morning sun who is always illuminating my strength to the world.

The MapSwipe community continues to amaze me with its kindness and support. I’m grateful for the opportunity to connect with such talented and passionate individuals. Through their guidance and encouragement, I’ve been able to grow as a mapper and contribute to meaningful projects while impacting the communities around me at the same time.

Such experiences continue to reinforce my belief in the power of collaboration and the importance of sharing knowledge. I’m excited to continue learning and contributing to the open mapping community and supporting others on their mapping journeys.

MapSwipe >OpenStreetMap >Geospatial >Community >Training