On Friday, July 28, 2023, a group of YouthMappers Mulisa Mudau, Andani Manyoka, Simphiwe Skhonde, and their lecturer Mr Samy Katumba here in our department organized a meaningful Mapathon. The focus of this event was to map areas along the high eastern Highveld in Kwazulu-Natal, where these areas are prone to severe weather events and Flooding occurs rapidly. The Mapathon provided a unique opportunity for students and other staff in the department to interact with Mr. Geoffrey Katerrega the Community Projects Lead at the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team. Mr. Katerrega, visiting from Uganda, graciously shared his expertise on accessing data from OpenStreetMap and demonstrated mapping techniques using various software tools such as JOSM, RapiD, MapwithAI, and id Editor. The event shed light on the important work being carried out by the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team.

For most of the students, this Mapathon was their first experience in such an event. Many students may have discovered the power of geospatial data and its potential impact on disaster relief and community development.

The YouthMappers chapter in our department is focused on hosting other Mapathon events where students from all the departments across the university will come together to map unmapped areas. This data collection has proven to be extremely valuable, as it has been used in various disaster relief and humanitarian efforts.