On September 17, 2024, the UP YouthMappers from the Department of Geography, Geoinformatics, and Meteorology hosted a dynamic training session in partnership with Digital Earth Africa (DEA). Led by Mpho Sadiki, an Earth Observation Data Scientist at DEA and current PhD Geoinformatics student in our department, this hands-on session introduced students to the Sandbox platform, where they explored the practical applications of Earth observation data in real-world projects.

The training, held in Geo 2-3, marked a first for many participants in using tools like the Sandbox platform and Jupiter notebooks. Mpho provided a comprehensive overview of DEA's offerings, which was met with great enthusiasm from students eager to integrate these resources into their academic work and future projects.

As Mpho noted, "Many students expressed a desire to learn more about the Digital Earth Africa Sandbox and will be going through the Introduction to the Sandbox training course. Additionally, some students shared project ideas they are interested in pursuing and will be reaching out to DEA team for assistance. It is exciting to see the interest and engagement by this group of young people—our leaders of tomorrow!"(DEA LinkedIn post).

The YouthMappers would like to extend their gratitude to the Department of Geography, Geoinformatics, and Meteorology for sponsoring the event with refreshments that energized participants throughout the training.

Following the success of this event, the UP YouthMappers are planning to organize more advanced training sessions, continuing to help students across campus build valuable geospatial skills. This collaboration with Digital Earth Africa highlights the vital role of geospatial data in addressing real-world challenges, and we are thrilled to be part of this journey.