The inception of the year 2020 was very dreadful with thousands of lives lost and millions of people debased by the Coronavirus, and at the same time, I feel fortunate as I have started the journey of YouthMappers this year. You might wonder what exactly YouthMappers is. We are a consortium of young leaders who are trying to nourish the generation of new leaders for a sustainable way of living by mapping our world. I've only been a part of YouthMappers for a month, and I have got a chance to join and develop a network of young people to bring positive changes around the globe. We can change our world by mapping through open source mapping technologies.
Prior to joining YouthMappers, I never heeded about OSM (OpenStreetMap) or JOSM(JavaScript OSM), which are free to use under an open license, but I eternally love to work in the field of mapping. Under the guidance of YouthMappers Regional Ambassador Saurav Gautam, we formulated Agri-Mappers Lamjung Chapter in Lamjung Campus, whose goal is to serve the community and work for the betterment of agriculture.
Learning OSM and JOSM during a virtual session
The girl who is presumed to be confined only with household chores can now become familiar with OSM. Firstly, I mapped my hometown in OSM using the iD editor. My journey towards YouthMappers is going on, and I want to go far further. Now, I am getting a chance to participate in the remote mapping campaign in Bajhang and Bajura districts of Sudurpaschim Province of Nepal. What I appreciate the most about YouthMappers is all youth are equally prioritized, and all are contributing vigorously for change.
Mapping around my locality
In this era of competition, without being familiar with technology, it is very tough to withstand. Since YouthMappers is an open forum to learn, to improve skills of leadership, and a great recourse to make a difference in the world by mapping, I strongly motivate youth to become familiar with it.
At YouthMappers, we understand, the data we create on OSM is used to help people to supply humanitarian aid during an emergency. Basically, in unmapped areas, it is of great importance at the time of calamities and health issues. Also, we create geospatial data for places that are vulnerable to social and natural disasters for a better way of living. So, we believe that all data is not just a resource to understand the current happenings but also a way of solving the problems.
Moreover, YouthMappers is providing an opportunity for underrepresented females to focus on mapping. Being a part of YouthMappers, I can assure all youth that enrolling in it is never a waste. On the one hand, its utilization of leisure time, and on the other, you can assist in exploring places which will enable change to the world by mapping. So, let our togetherness change the map of the world.
Babita Sapkota
Treasurer at Agri-Mappers
Lamjung Chapter
Bachelor of Science in the
Institute of Agriculture and
Animal Science ( IAAS), TU,
Lamjung ( 4th semester)