Last April 24-26, 2024, the UP Resilience Institute YouthMappers co-hosted the 7th International Humanitarian Mapathon (IHM) with the UN Smart Maps alongside partners such as UCLA, USC, Reitaku University, Aoyama Gakuin University, MapTime LA, University of Hawai’i, and more. Participants joined from all over the world – Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, and the US – to learn how to contribute to humanitarian mapping efforts and craft maps that tell a story.
On April 24, the event commenced with a thought-provoking keynote from Mariah Tso, urging us to consider the power of maps in shaping our world. Simultaneously, the UPRI YouthMappers hosted a local hybrid mapathon led by our resident trainers Leonil Llagas and Ceejay Abilay. They provided essential OpenStreetMap (OSM) training and guided the mapping of areas in East Papua New Guinea through the HOT Tasking Manager. This session was enriched by the participation of twenty students from UP Diliman, including our friends from Bangladesh, and a special contribution from Miss Jannie Oraño (Southern Leyte State U YouthMappers Adviser).
On April 25, the organizers introduced a special UN Crisis StoryMaps, where interested participants created maps using data from EM-DAT, a database repository containing more than 26,000 mass disaster datasets worldwide maintained by CRED—Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. Ariel Dome and Arjan Alfeche from UPRI YouthMappers took on the Challenge and designed spectacular maps centered on disasters.
The event concluded with a virtual gathering of all participants, where we shared our experiences and insights from the three-day event. Ceejay Abilay from UPRI YouthMappers once again represented us, presenting the Philippine initiatives for IHM. The winners of the highly anticipated UN Crisis StoryMaps were also announced, with our representative Ariel Dome emerging as the Best Overall and People’s Choice, a testament to the talent and dedication of our participants.
We want to thank the participants and partners who joined in this special event. We hope to see you again!