The Participatory GIS (PGIS) workshop has been meticulously coordinated since its inception in August 2023, after Dr. Brent McCusker and Feye Andal attended State of the Map US in Richmond, Virginia, last year. Dr. Brent McCusker, one of the co-founders of YouthMappers and a Geography professor from West Virginia University, suggested bringing PGIS to Manila, Philippines, as it is one of the countries with the most active local YouthMappers chapters in Asia. Dr. McCusker’s vision materialized into a two-leg workshop, with the Diliman leg co-hosted by the UP Resilience Institute and the UP Resilience Institute YouthMappers (UPRIYM) from January 22-24, 2024 in the UP Student Union Building.
The Diliman leg welcomed 55 students from three universities – FEU Tech, Adamson University, and the host, UP Diliman. The diverse cohort, comprising data science majors, electronics engineering students, and geography majors, presented thrilling and challenging dynamics. Dr. Likha Minimo, UPRI Knowledge Sharing Division Director, welcomed the participants on the first day. Dr. Minimo shared how she first learned about OpenStreetMap and how significant young mappers are in shaping the OSM community and the disaster resilience efforts in the Philippines.
The 3-day workshop covers the Principles of Participatory GIS, including using OpenStreetMap, data collection using Kobo Collect, writing the right questions and ethical standards for data collection, data visualization, and the basics of QGIS, with both Dr. McCusker and Feye Andal leading the workshop topics. The sessions marked a milestone as Dr. McCusker introduced QGIS into his PGIS training for the first time. This deviation from the typical two-day format exemplified the workshop’s commitment to pushing boundaries. To maintain engagement and enthusiasm, Kahoot sessions with enticing prizes punctuated each morning and afternoon, creating an energetic atmosphere and shared learning environment.
UPRI’s contribution extended beyond the workshop, as the institute hosted a tour to showcase the NOAH initiatives. This included a showcase of the NOAH website utilizing OpenStreetMap data. Additionally, the tour highlighted maps like hazard maps and local plans like LCCAP (Local Climate Change Action Plan), CDRA (Community-Based Disaster Risk Assessment), etc.
UPRI, through the Education Division and Dr. McCusker under West Virginia University, also explored potential collaborations for community and development work toward disaster resilience.
Acknowledging the pivotal role played by UPRI and UPRIYM in hosting this leg, the gratitude extends to Dr. McCusker and YouthMappers for choosing Manila as the workshop’s destination. The workshop served as a platform for imparting knowledge and fostered a collaborative learning environment, with UPRI and UPRYM leading the way in facilitating this transformative experience.
A sincere appreciation is extended to the representatives from each university for their hard work and patience in organizing this impactful workshop. Special gratitude is reserved for the UPRI YouthMappers chapter for their unwavering support, as they played a central role in making the Diliman leg successful.