New Blog from SCARIA project: Participatory Mapping with OpenStreetMap in Benin and Beyond

Sam Agbadonou, a Beninese member of the OpenStreetMap (OSM) community since 2013, has played a key role in participatory mapping with OSM in Benin. OSM aims to create a free, open-source map of the world, contributed by volunteers and accessible to all.

“Everything open-source is my lead motive. If it’s open, it’s good for me “, Sam explains. Open-source maps are essential for projects like SCARIA, in which researchers collaborate with marginal neighbourhood residents to sustainably mitigate rodent issues, like rodent-borne diseases or rodent-related damage and losses. Sam worked closely with the communities to map strategic areas of the African cities included in the project, namely Niamey in Niger, Cotonou in Benin, Wolaita Sodo in Ethiopia, and Antananarivo in Madagascar. “Our goal is to show the community and scientists alike how to use open-source software. It is available for all if they only know how to use it.”

Participatory mapping not only provides accurate, locally relevant maps of study sites for spatialized analysis, but it also fosters trust and collaboration between academics, the OSM community and residents. In SCARIA, Sam’s work is tailored to track the associated urban and social characteristics (e.g., markets, dumpsites, population density, landscape features, etc.) that may favour rodent presence and movements, which in turn is crucial for understanding the spread of zoonotic diseases (such as plague, leptospirosis or typhus) in these poorly documented areas.

For more information about the importance of participatory mapping in SCARIA project, keep reading here.