In 2022, I was given the opportunity to expand my skills in leadership and mapping through the She Leads and She Inspires program organized by the Open Mapping Hub - Asia Pacific. More importantly, the project proposal I co-wrote with another champion from Nepal on the cultural application of mapping was selected and granted support by the hub. Outlined below are my experience working on this project.

The Project

The problem lies in the lack of accessible information regarding the rich stories and histories, the glory they once carried, and how all these affected the current scenario of an ancient town in Kathmandu, Nepal, called Handigaun, and the developing smart city of Brgy. Poblacion of Tagum City, Philippines. After experiencing natural and man-made disasters like fires and earthquakes that destroyed most of the communities’ built identity, concrete structures and the widening of roads also puts the authenticity of the communities into question. Since OSM is a major resource used by planners, architects, potential tourists, and conservationists, incorporating and mapping critical information as well as ensuring that these can be conveyed in an effective and efficient manner will pose great potential in aiding social development through historical and cultural understanding and reinforcing community resilience by safeguarding its identity for generations to come.

Brgy. Magugpo Poblacion is located within the city’s center and witness to the unfolding history of Tagum City. With historical landmarks on the verge of being erased from the city’s identity due to the onslaught of modernization, there has been a need to rekindle the population’s understanding and interest towards the city’s history. By putting emphasis on the importance of spaces and identified points of interests, this project aims to encourage the development of the city’s identity by conducting cultural mapping activities.

The Journey

Mapping for cultural sustainability is a pilot project that was simultaneously carried out in historically and culturally significant locations in both Nepal and The Philippines. This project aimed to document the tangible and intangible aspects of culture and place them on the map as valuable points of interest. This was done to assist our communities in rediscovering their rich heritage by highlighting the importance of culturally-significant locations owing to help them achieve sustainability and encourage community development.

In the Philippines, the project focused on two major goals: mapping local cultural and historical POIs in Brgy. Magugpo Poblacion, Tagum City and establishing a YouthMappers chapter in the region. Local cultural mapping was conducted to introduce heritage as a resource for expressive mapping and highlight the importance of spaces in a digital platform. On the other hand, the establishment of a local YouthMappers chapter in the region served as an avenue to sustain mapping activities and opportunities to the community and further encourage more of the youth to get involved in related activities.

Formal cultural mapping, as outlined by the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts, is a structured and rigorous process that aims to produce a comprehensive and accurate record of a community’s cultural resources. Open mapping, on the other hand, is a more informal and collaborative process that relies on the contributions of volunteers. There are a number of trade-offs between formal cultural mapping and open mapping. Formal cultural mapping is typically more accurate and reliable, but it can also be more time-consuming and expensive. Open mapping is less rigorous, but it can be more inclusive and participatory. The best approach for a cultural mapping project will depend on the specific needs and resources of the community. In the case of this project, we combined elements of both formal and open mapping to highlight the culturally and historically important landmarks and recorded stories on how they contributed to the history of the community. Student volunteers were given the chance to participate in order for them to participate in community building and impart to them the goals and objectives of the project in hopes that they may be inspired to put forward their own projects someday.

Another milestone successfully achieved by the project is the formal organization of a local YouthMappers chapter in the region. The chapter, named the University of the Philippines Mindanao YouthMappers, has been recognized by the YouthMappers network on October 27, 2023 and by the University of the Philippines Mindanao on November 7, 2023. As of this writing, the chapter has just conducted their first General Assembly where they formally inducted their officers and outlined their plans for the academic year.

In a nutshell, the project has been successfully implemented with the support of the Open Mapping Hub - Asia Pacific. All the milestones achieved would not have been possible if not for the She Leads and She Inspires program. It is my sincere wish that the hub would be able to train more leaders and mappers in the future!