WNAH ESC-en

The Eco-Smart Cities project aims to tackle the complex issues in urban centers within the region. It envisions a future where cities become lively and intelligent ecosystems. The project aims to address environmental degradation, limited resources, inadequate infrastructure, public health concerns, and economic inequalities through a comprehensive, open data and participatory mapping approach. This project will stimulate sustainable urban growth that benefits current and forthcoming generations. This will be achieved by collecting data, conducting analyses, and presenting information visually. This valuable data will aid city planners, national authorities, the private sector, and other stakeholders in making informed decisions and shaping urbanization strategies. To address the challenges related to sustainability, a comprehensive strategy that considers the environmental, social, and economic dimensions is required. Data can play a crucial role in this process. Still, it is essential to ensure that all stakeholders - including governments, local authorities, and private sector partners - collaborate effectively to develop and implement sustainable policies. One of the initial steps in this journey is to accurately map the city's layout, including its structures, buildings, amenities, roads, waterways, and land use.

Goals

The project's impact is in folds:

• A minimum of 14 large and populated cities across five countries are mapped, and data is publicly available to city authorities and added to OSM for development purposes.
• SDI and Slum Dwellers partners in Nigeria are trained and using Open and participatory mapping and tools in the workflows.
• The project outcomes paved the way for accurate ground-truthing activities leading to amenities and street view mapping.
• New partnerships are established with city authorities in five countries.
• Over 14 million buildings' footprints are reflected on OpenStreetMap.
• Over 5,000 kilometers of roads and waterways are added to OSM
• The project mapped an area home to over 30 million people.
• Over 500 Communities, zones, and town names across several cities are added to the OpenStreetMap geospatial database.
• Map contributors are trained using AI tools for improved and accurate remote mapping activities.
• Upgraded and expanded spatial data on urban infrastructure, including building layouts and footprints, road networks, waterways, land use, and settlement names on public maps, are available, leading to better service delivery and quality of life for residents and commuters.
• Existing datasets are combined with remote mapping datasets to provide maps of cities and related air-polluted areas.
• Analysis of air pollution and its causes will be presented in visualized formats for all cities.

The "Eco-Smart Cities" project in West and North Africa will undoubtedly bring a transformative impact on urban environments and the well-being of citizens.

Objectives

The Eco-Smart Cities project targeting under-mapped built and populated cities aims to attain and catalyze interlinked and ambitious goals. These aims are crafted to confront the urgent obstacles of swift urbanization and nurture sustainable urban progress. These objectives are designed to establish a comprehensive and unified methodology for constructing environmentally conscious, streamlined, and robust regional cities. The principal aspirations of the project encompass the following:

• Build the capacity of local volunteers in Remote Mapping and Validation to support project activities.
• Through collaboration with local teams, remotely map at least two populated cities in each of the project’s five countries.
• Map and engage critical city municipalities and build their technical staff capacity in open and participatory remote mapping activities.
• Acquire relevant existing datasets from critical stakeholders to support maps and other analysis activities.
• Develop training resources in English and French.
• Conduct remote mapping of buildings, roads, waterways, land use, and other critical infrastructure to support the city’s development and sustainable plans.
• Combine other reliable open data sources, existing city datasets, and remote mapping data to conduct analyses and visualizations.
• Use open and available air pollution datasets with project data to develop thematic maps on air pollution per city, causes, sources, impacted populations, and related hazards.
• Conduct a knowledge-sharing webinar with all participating city representatives to discuss project outcomes and tools produced and the project's overall sustainability.

Stakeholders

The project will identify and work with selected city authorities. The engagement will include:

• Assessment and mapping
• Desk Review activities
• Collaborate with technical stakeholders to benefit from project training activities.
• Invite stakeholders to a workshop for knowledge-sharing and engagement

Cities

Cote d'Ivoire

• Yamossoukro
• Gagnoa

Nigeria

• Lagos State: Mushin & Amuwo Odofin  
• Ogun State: Agbara, Sango Otta
• Kaduna State: North and South Kaduna
• Oyo State: Iseyin  & Ogbomosho

Remote Mapping Guidance

Effective remote mapping is vital to achieving the goals of the Eco-Smart Cities project. This guidance workflow outlines the steps and best practices for remote mapping  and stakeholders involved in the project.

Mapping Tools and Resources:

Ensure you have access to the necessary mapping tools, such as the HOT Tasking Manager and mapping software(RapID, JOSM).

Review the available training resources in English and French.

https://tasks.hotosm.org/learn/map

https://github.com/facebookmicrosites/Open-Mapping-At-Facebook/wiki

Volunteer Recruitment and Training:

Project leads must hire experienced mappers and share a list of their team members, including OSM IDs, email addresses, and WhatsApp numbers, with the WNAH team for checking and validation.

Tasking Manager Setup:

• Access the Tasking Manager and find the project for your designated city.
• Read the project description and familiarize yourself with the specific tasks and goals.

https://learnosm.org/en/coordination/tm-user/

Task Selection:

• Select a mapping task within the project. Consider your expertise and availability.
• If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to project coordinators or experienced mappers for assistance.

https://learnosm.org/en/coordination/tm-user/

TM Cheatsheet.pdf

Mapping Instructions:

Read the task instructions carefully, including the types of features to map (e.g., buildings, roads, waterways) and any validation requirements.

Mapping Process:

• Begin mapping the assigned area, following the guidelines and instructions provided in the task description.
• Ensure data accuracy, and use high-quality satellite imagery for reference.

https://learnosm.org/en/coordination/tm-user/

TM Cheatsheet.pdf

https://github.com/facebookmicrosites/Open-Mapping-At-Facebook/wiki

Data Validation:

If you're assigned to data validation tasks, verify and correct mapping work done by other volunteers. Follow the validation guidelines.

Collaboration and Communication:

Collaborate with other mappers working on the same project. Use communication channels (e.g., project chat) for questions and updates.

Reporting Issues:

• Report any issues, such as imagery problems or challenges with mapping tasks, to project coordinators.

Data Quality:

• Strive for high data quality. Ensure that mapped features are accurate, properly tagged, and conform to OpenStreetMap conventions.

Mapping Progress:

• Update the Remote Mapping Stats Tracker with your progress, and mark the task as complete when finished.

Remote Mapping Stats Tracker

Knowledge Sharing:

• Participate in knowledge-sharing webinars or meetings to discuss project outcomes and the project's overall sustainability.

Data Licensing and Privacy:

• Respect data licensing and privacy regulations when mapping. Avoid adding sensitive information to the map.

Data Usage and Impact:

• Understand that the data you contribute will be used to shape urban planning, environmental management, and sustainable development.

Ongoing Engagement:

• Stay engaged with the mapping community and consider participating in future projects to support sustainable urban development.