Updated May 24, 2019

Missing Maps

http://www.missingmaps.org/

Rebecca Firth

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crowdsourcing digital map creation

Each year natural disasters and disease epidemics kill tens of thousands and displace millions of people. Many of the places where these disasters occur are 'missing' from any map. First responders lack information to make decisions for relief efforts. Missing Maps is an open, collaborative project to put communities on the map. We crowdsource volunteers to map missing areas to provide human...

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Each year natural disasters and disease epidemics kill tens of thousands and displace millions of people. Many of the places where these disasters occur are 'missing' from any map. First responders lack information to make decisions for relief efforts. Missing Maps is an open, collaborative project to put communities on the map. We crowdsource volunteers to map missing areas to provide humanitarian organisations and governments with the information needed to address these problems.


How does your innovation work?
Maps are created through two innovations:
  • Web-tool: using the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Tasking Manager, users can trace digital maps by drawing roads and buildings over satellite imagery. It takes about 5-10 minutes to get started.
  • App: using the MapSwipe app, users can identify buildings and roads in remote places around the world.
  • Validation tools: maps are validated on the ground by local volunteers, who add meta-data of place such as street names, and identifying hospitals.
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Stage 5: Scaling

Missing Maps is in a period of expansion, and needs support to do so. We have successfully grown from four founding members to fifteen NGO and research partners, and have attracted over 45,000 volunteers worldwide to contribute to the project. To scale further, we require funding to grow our team and develop new partnerships.
We currently have over 20 NGO partners who use our mapping tools to improve their efficiency working in the field. We have 45,000+ volunteers who volunteer their time to create the maps.
All NGOs which have used Missing Maps services to provide maps have commented and blogged that it improves their capabilities to respond to issues in the field. Some examples are: MSF have also commissioned a report proving the impact of Missing Maps on field projects, for logistics and epidemiology support.

Focus Areas:

Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance, Economic Growth and Trade, Education and 48 MoreSEE ALL

Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance, Economic Growth and Trade, Education, Environment, Gender, Health, Housing and Infrastructure, Humanitarian Assistance, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Youth, Good Governance, Financial Sector & Investment, Land Tenure, Microeconomics, Private Sector Competitiveness, Social & Micro Finance, Trade, Basic Education, Secondary Education, Education Policy & Finance, Pre-primary/Pre-school/ECD Education, Higher Education, Literacy, Inclusive Education, Waste Management, Child Protection, Economic Empowerment, Human Trafficking, HIV/AIDS, Ageing, Infectious & Vector Diseases, Non-communicable Diseases, Prevention & Vaccination, Urbanization, Refugees, Communication with Communities, Conflict Response, Data Collection/Needs Assessments, Response Technologies, Displaced Persons & Migration Management, Menstrual Hygiene, Sanitation, Digital Finance, Digital Inclusion & Connectivity, Social and Behavior Change, Data/Analytics, GIS/Mapping, Technology, Inclusion, Policy and Regulation and FinanceSEE LESS

75,000,000
Lives Impacted to Date
$225,000
Funds Raised to Date
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Mission and Vision

In the last two years we have mapped the homes of 30 million people who have never been on the map before, enabling them to be included in policy and programmes they never would have been counted.Our objective is to map the homes of 200 million people by 2021. By putting vulnerable people on the map, we can provide the data that will change the way in which aid is distributed, and SDGs are measured.

Competitive Advantage

Missing Maps provides value in a wide range of ways. Selected examples:
  • Improving efficiency of NGOs and governments working on the ground, and reducing costs and time of their projects by doing so.
  • Providing data needed to measure towards the SDGs. Geospatial data is needed to measure many of these, particularly the 'proportion of population with access to..' indicators.
  • Providing an engaging remote micro volunteering opportunity for organisations, and companies to involve their employees in, and meet their CSR objectives.
  • Enabling NGOs to more accurately estimate project costs and timelines.

Planned Goals and Milestones

We want to scale through:
  • Partnerships with NGOs and organisations who would benefit from map creation in places where they work
  • Partnerships with corporates, who are able to provide ready access to large numbers of volunteers and funding
  • Partnership with effective altruism organisations - as we crowdsource map creation, we provide huge value at incredibly low cost
  • Community development - researching and implementing ways to engage and grow our userbase of 24,000+ volunteers

We are actively seeking partnerships to help us expand.
Funding Goal1,000,000
Projected Cumulative Lives Impacted200

Milestone

Mar 2018
Lives Impacted
45,000,000
Mar 2017
Date Unknown
Created
EXPAND
Date Unknown
Date Unknown
Date Unknown
Lives Impacted
30,000,000
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