Outreach Activity for Students and Youth Interested in Mapping Activities
From November 28 to 30, 2024, G-SIG successfully implemented an Outreach Workshop targeting youth from universities and selected secondary schools in Dili. The focus was on introducing the use of GIS tools such as OpenStreetMap and QGIS for mapping activities. The main objective of this three-day training session was to introduce students and young people to the benefits of using GIS in mapping, especially for disaster mapping and environmental monitoring. G-SIG was excited to engage with over 40 enthusiastic youth and students who were eager to learn about GIS technology. During the three-day training, G-SIG presented different topics such as an Introduction to the OpenStreetMap Platform, an Introduction to the Java OpenStreetMap Editor (JOSM), and the Application of QGIS Software in mapping activities, including hands-on practice using these tools.
The opening session of the training took place at the Indonesian Cultural Center Hall, with opening remarks delivered by the President of the G-SIG Association, who expressed deep appreciation and excitement to meet such a passionate group of youth interested in learning about GIS for mapping purposes. “We are very happy to see all of you here today. It is a privilege to witness your interest and willingness to learn together with us about GIS. GIS technology is not easy to learn, but it is also not too difficult if we put effort into it. Let’s make the most of this opportunity to learn together about these GIS platforms,” said the President of G-SIG.
The participants of the training came from various secondary schools in Dili and also from universities such as UNDIL, UNTL, UNITAL, DIT, and others, with a total of 42 participants. The remaining days of the training were held at the Salaun CVTL Nasional in Dili, where participants engaged in hands-on mapping practice, focusing on remote mapping of infrastructure such as buildings, roads, and other features. As a result of the practice sessions, a total of over 9,000 features were mapped, including 15 km of roads and 56 km of waterways, all digitized on the OpenStreetMap platform.
Participants expressed their happiness at being given the opportunity by G-SIG to attend the training, despite the platforms being quite new in Timor-Leste. “I am very happy to have participated in this training. Through it, I have learned about the benefits of GIS for disaster mapping and more. Even though I didn’t learn everything perfectly, I now understand how to use the tools,” said Maria Ximenes. Other participants also gave positive feedback and recommended that the training be expanded to include more schools and individuals so that others can also learn and benefit. “I suggest that G-SIG continue delivering this training to other schools and include more participants so that more people can understand these platforms,” said Abilio da Costa.
This Outreach Workshop and Training activity was made possible with strong financial support from the Youth Climate Justice Fund to G-SIG in the fiscal year of 2024. G-SIG is a youth-led association strongly committed to the development and promotion of geospatial data in Timor-Leste to address climate change issues, natural disasters, and environmental impacts. Since 2022, G-SIG has been actively working to promote this science through training sessions for university students, secondary school students, and youth who are interested in using digital maps and GIS platforms.