Tag: 2020

Quand résilience des villes rime avec épanouissement professionnel des jeunes

Jusque-là, les données urbanistiques étaient rares, souvent obsolètes et difficilement accessibles. Lorsque les étudiants congolais ont appris que le projet Villes ouvertes mobilisait les ressources locales pour pallier cette pénurie de données, en promouvant ainsi la production d’informations gratuites, accessibles et collaboratives, ils y ont vu une opportunité. Ces jeunes ont réalisé qu’ils pouvaient collecter des données inaccessibles autrement, les partager librement et les analyser afin d’améliorer la situation de leurs quartiers, et se sont investis avec ferveur et fierté dans ce défi.

African communities are closing the digital map gap for cities

Sub-Saharan Africa’s urban areas are among the world’s least mapped and most vulnerable. Through the Open Cities Africa program, municipal governments work with local universities, NGOs, and community members to collect detailed geographic data for a more resilient future.

Open Cities AI Challenge: Segmenting Buildings for Disaster Resilience

The Open Cities AI Challenge, put on by GFDRR with Azavea and DrivenData, recently concluded with over 1,100 participants, 2,100 submissions and $15,000 in total prizes awarded. Along two competition tracks, the Challenge produced global public goods — open-source data, code, research, and know-how — that will support mapping efforts for disaster resilience. This includes: Increasing… Read more »

Perspectives on Responsible AI for Disaster Risk Management

Machine learning (ML) can improve data applications in disaster risk management, especially when coupled with computer vision and geospatial technologies, by providing more accurate, faster, or lower-cost approaches to assessing risk. At the same time, we urgently need to develop a better understanding of the potential for negative or unintended consequences of their use. The… Read more »

Sustainability in OpenStreetMap

The white paper explores the many facets of OpenStreetMap (OSM) in development and the challenges of striving for “sustainability” in the wider mapping ecosystem – the paper also examines the factors that influence long term success of work involving OSM in a development context.