Red Cross Volunteers Active in Mapping Vingunguti

Vingunguti is an administrative ward in Ilala district in western Dar Es Salaam and according to the 2012 census has a population of 106,946. Vingunguti ward is a flood-prone area of Dar es Salaam and many settlements within it are informal. The Msimbazi River flows around the West and North boundary of the ward, and during the rainy season is a major cause of flooding. Launching mapping in Vingunguti Ramani Huria launched mapping in Vingunguti with a community forum taking place on 11th September 2015. Red Cross volunteers were excited to be present…Read more

Ramani Huria volunteers support #HapaUsafiTu

Independence Day and Republic Day in Tanzania falls on the 9th of December, typically a day off work with many people gathering at the National Stadium to watch parades match in front of the President. Dances are performed and a torch is carried up Mount Kilimanjaro, symbolising liberty and self-determination of the nations in Africa. However, in 2015, for the first time, the day will be celebrated in a very different way. Recently elected, President Magufuli declared that celebrations of Independence Day and Republic Day would be a chance for all citizens of…Read more

Putting Dar es Salaam dala dalas on the map

For many residents of Dar es Salaam, taking the dala dala is an everyday necessity. With over 200 routes across the city, dala dalas are medium-sized buses providing the cheapest way to move around and essential transportation for many. As one of the fastest-growing cities in the world (the third largest in Africa and ninth in the world), Dar es Salaam’s population of 4.3 million is expected to increase to 7 million by 2025 and transportation is, and will continue to be a factor in the quality of life for residents. Transportation routes…Read more

Mapping drainage in Dar es Salaam

Collection of waterways and drainage of Dar es Salaam in progress IMAGE CREDIT: Mapbox/OpenStreetMap (markiliffe) Every year during the rainy season, Dar suffers from devastating floods that wipe out roads, destroy houses, and result in deaths, sickness, and millions of dollars worth of damages. By helping communities to map their wards, Ramani Huria is able to support disaster prevention and response to areas that were previously off the map, literally. One key element of these maps is drainage systems. We have dedicated mappers working to ensure these, as well as wetland zones and…Read more

Mapping complete in Kigogo, Manzese, Vingunguti, and Mzimuni

Maps are presented to community members in Kigogo (left) and Vingunguti (right) wards PHOTO CREDIT: Ramani Huria Closing community forums took place in four wards of Dar es Salaam on Friday 9th of October. Mapping was completed in the wards of Kigogo; Manzese; Vingunguti; Mzimuni. Four wards prior to mapping, clockwise from top-left: Kigogo; Manzese; Vingunguti; Mzimuni.  PHOTO CREDIT: Ramani Huria The four wards were mapped during September and October by students (from University of Dar es Salaam & Ardhi University), volunteers from the Red Cross, and community members from each ward.  The…Read more

Dodoma Mapped at Maptime Tanzania

Maptime event in progress! PHOTO CREDIT: Ramani Huria Saturday 26th of September saw a Maptime Tanzania event take place with the goal of mapping Dodoma, Tanzania’s capital city. The event took place at the Kinu Innovation Space with over thirty people in attendance including community members, students, and techies. David Taylor presents on what3words, with attendees testing out the app (left) PHOTO CREDIT: Ramani Huria We had a number of special guests in attendance, including David Taylor from what3words (http://what3words.com/). what3words is aimed to give everyone in the world an address and does…Read more

Map My Hometown! 5th Ramani Huria Mapping Party

Teams at #MMHOSM CREDIT: Ramani Huria The 5th Ramani Huira mapping party took place at Buni on the 29th of August. The theme of the event was “Map My Hometown On OSM” #MMHOSM, an opportunity to map the participants' towns, many of which were completely unmapped. Moshi before and after mapping CREDIT: Ramani Huria Towns mapped on the day included parts of Mwanza, Arusha, Mbeya, Bukoba, Tanga, Moshi. Around thirty people attended the event, both students from UDSM and Ardhi University, and members of the Tanzanian tech community. The attendees were split into…Read more

Mapping Begins in Four New Wards, Manzese, Mzimuni, Kigogo and Vingunguti

Despite the rains, the community forum opens in Mzimuni ward CREDIT: Ramani Huria Phase 3 of Ramani Huria’s mapping of Dar es Salaam began on Friday 11th of September with opening community forums being held in Manzese, Mzimuni, Kigogo and Vingunguti. Kigogo ward before mapping started CREDIT: Ramani Huria Building on the work in other flood-prone wards across the city, Ramani Huria will extend mapping to four additional wards. These wards will be mapped by students from Ardhi University and the University of Dar es Salaam, in collaboration with community members from the…Read more

Ramani Huria at the Africa Open Data Conference

The Ramani Huria team was proud to be part of the first Africa Open Data Conference, taking place in Dar es Salaam Tanzania. The event drew speakers and attendees from all over the world, to discuss, debate and showcase ‘local and global examples of open data being produced, published, visualized, and captured in creative ways across Africa.’ The conference took place over two days (4th to 5th of September) at the Julius Nyerere Convention Center, with pre-conference events taking place on the 2nd and 3rd of September at the National Museum and House…Read more

4th Scale-Up Mapping Party in Dar es Salaam

Participants at the Fourth Mapping Party PHOTO CREDIT: Ramani Huria Ramani Huria held our fourth mapping party on Saturday, July 25th, at Buni Innovation Hub. Forty-eight students attended the event, primarily from Ardhi University and the University of Dar es Salaam. Mapping Parties are part of Ramani Huria’s ongoing community events with the aim of building, strengthening and spreading the use and ethos of Open Source data, specifically the use of OpenStreetMap, a free editable map of the world. Participants processing  tasks from the HOT Tasking Manager PHOTO CREDIT: Ramani Huria This month’s…Read more