Humanitarian OSM Team/Open Mapping Hub Eastern and Southern Africa/Open Mapping Grants 2021/Open Mapping Community Action Grants/Proposal/Kenya/Road-mapping for improved navigation in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area
Problem statement or statement of opportunity
The statement must include: what the data gap or opportunity is and how the data you collect on your project will be used. If the applicant is the data user, the problem statement/letter must explicitly state what the data gap is, and how the data will be used (Max 300 words).
According to the UN-Habitat, Nairobi has the highest growth rates annually compared to other cities within the continent. This rapid growth and urbanization have led to the dependence of the capital by both its residents and those from neighboring counties and towns; mainly connected and accessed through roads. To meet the upsurge in transport needs, roads have been upgraded and constructed and public transport options diversified.
However, navigation within Nairobi is still a challenge as existing maps and data sources are outdated and, in some cases, non-existent. While some major and minor roads in Kenya have been mapped on OpenStreetMap, the platform stills remains an inadequate data source due to outdated road networks, missing information such as
- Key attributes (road classification, surface types, street names, speed limits)
- Transit data
- Additional road infrastructure(sidewalks, footpaths, crosswalks, street-lighting, cycleways, bus-stops & bus-stops shelters, speed bumps, traffic signs)
We believe that accurate and up-to-date maps can significantly improve navigation by powering several digital platforms and informing transportation planning and management through the creation of an up-to-date public transport inventory. This data will then be used by different groups of people, including the general public through digital maps apps and services, local rideshare and transport companies, and individual researchers and research institutions working in the transport sector.
Describe how the solution you are suggesting responds to the data gap / challenge outlined by the data user
Please provide a clear and well-defined solution to the data gap/opportunity (Max 400 words).
For this project, we plan to update the road network in Nairobi using open data and participatory GIS by:
- Adding new and unmapped roads and updating existing ones where necessary (Road construction changes and fixing data quality issues).
- Collecting and adding missing attributes
- Enrich roads data on OSM by mapping additional road infrastructure: NMT(sidewalks, footpaths, crosswalks, cycleways, bus-stop shelters), street lighting, speed bumps, traffic signs, and lights.
- Collect, update and add transit data to OpenStreetMap.
- Collect, update and add road accessibility data for different groups(PWDs).
Data users for this project include:
General public
Mapping and updating the road network and road transport facilities data will enhance navigation within the city for pedestrians dependent on public transport options through the use of mobile applications and GPS-enabled devices that rely on accurate data to give directions and the locations of facilities.
Local rideshare and transit services organizations
Like other cities, several services are offered through digital platforms, including local rideshare apps like Uber, Bolt, Kenya's Little cab, and Uganda's Safe Boda. But it's not just rideshare apps, but there are more companies offering transit services for goods and services like Kenya's Sendy and Ponea health. These platforms are dependent on maps and transit data; therefore, this project can increase the use of and/or adoption of OpenStreetMap as an option.
Research & innovation
This project will create and update datasets within the transport sector that are useful to both individual researchers and institutions working in the industry. This can be useful for different research themes and developing innovative solutions that solve challenges that urban residents encounter on a daily basis. We envision the data generated through this project to be helpful in the ongoing research on using artificial intelligence to improve editing on OSM through the MapWithAI service and Mapillary’s object detection algorithms. This data can be used as training, validation, and test sets to improve both services.
Mapping and updating the road network for the Nairobi Metropolitan area will be a great forward leap in boosting smart mobility as this will improve monitoring and management of infrastructure by facilitating initiatives such as intelligent traffic management, smart parking, and integrated multi-modal transport. The adoption of these innovative mobility options will be possible through the availability of accurate and updated data.
Advocacy
The data collected through this project will support several communities and individuals championing for inclusive and sustainable transport development by having evidence-informed cases, decisions, and recommendations.
Which impact areas does your project best fit?
Choose one of these options (Disaster(s) and Climate Resilience, Public Health, Gender Equality, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Migration & Displacement)
Sustainable Cities and Communities
At their finest, cities bring people together and build connections. Thus making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable was considered a priority element in the global agenda (SDG 11). This points out the need for urban infrastructure, including transport systems, to be accessible, affordable, and efficient. However, most cities (more than 85%) globally continue to grumble with the challenges of traffic movement and congestion, public transport crowding, difficulties for pedestrians, parking difficulties, among others. Key to the escalation of these challenges has been inadequate or complete lack of data and outdated data impairing informed decision making in terms of policy formulation and devising technological solutions. Nairobi city the capital of Kenya and one of the most vibrant cities in Africa, is not exempted from these challenges.
This project directly impacts target 11.2 for SDG 11. The data collected can further support measuring indicator 11.2.1, which would show the proportion of a population with convenient access to public transport by sex, age, and persons with disabilities.
Describe your project, list project aims and objectives and how you plan to achieve those aims and objectives.
This must include:(1) 1-2 clear aims and/or objectives for your project(2) a practical approach to how you will achieve your aims and/or objectives (3) a practical approach to remote and field mapping that clearly states how data sets (both already existing and generated within the project) will be enriched during planned activities (4) a practical approach to ensuring quality data is uploaded to OSM (consider data collection cleaning, training, validation, and any imported data)
The main objectives for this project are:
I. To update the road network in Nairobi by mapping newly constructed roads, updating changes that have been made, and adding additional road infrastructure and transit data. This will be done through both remote and field mapping activities that will include data collection, processing, and imports to OpenStreetMap.
Field mapping will include:
- Using mobile phones and 360° cameras to capture street-level imagery showing roads, road conditions, and additional road infrastructure.
- Using mobile phones to collect and update transit data previously collected through Digital matatus.
- Using mobile phones to collect and update accessibility data previously collected through MapAbility.
Remote mapping will include:
- Using satellite imagery, micro-tasking managers, and OSM editors to update roads:
- Updating any network changes
- Fixing existing errors
- Adding new and missing roads
- Updating road tagging according to tagging guidelines and/or to match road classification by the Kenya Roads Board
- Data validation and processing.
- Data import I: adding collected information by extracting information and POI from street-level imagery and importing the same into OSM. We will explore both manual and automatic methods:
- Manual: Visually identifying features and attributes on street-level imagery and manually adding these on OSM.
- Automatic: Using Mapillary’s computer vision technology and semantic segmentation to extract and import detected features.
- Data import II: adding transit information and accessibility attributes to OSM.
II. To grow the local OSM community by recruiting new mappers, having a training program, and working with & adding new community partners. This project will include a YouthMappers internship program and working with local and regional partner organizations who will also be trained on OSM and how they can integrate OSM into their work.
To ensure quality data is uploaded into OSM, we will set standards for data quality and ensure everyone participates in the quality assurance and quality control process: from project creation and field data collection to final validation, as well as following set guidelines for editing, tagging, and imports. We will also ensure all collection and editing concepts are understood and used by organizing and conducting training sessions for all project participants on different mapping aspects. This will be customized to meet the project needs, and how data quality intersects with each phase will be highlighted. Additionally, we will use a hybrid project management approach that employs incremental and agile techniques where data collection and validation will be done concurrently. This will be done by reviewing map edits and data collected daily and weekly, generating reports, and sharing feedback for improvement, thus minimizing any recurring errors.
Describe how you will increase the number of OSM contributors in your country
Describe your approach to including women and underrepresented groups in your mapping activities.
The project will engage 30 active mappers who will be trained on different mapping aspects as part of the YouthMappers internship program. This will help onboard mostly beginner and intermediate mappers who will actively contribute to OSM for 4-6 months. Throughout the project, we will use existing tools and platforms that are user and beginner friendly ensuring that involvement is consistent to the end. Additionally, through this project, we will be working with several local partner organizations and communities with whom we’ll host OSM capacity-building activities for their groups.
We value diversity and inclusion, and we, therefore, will not only ensure that we have a good representation of women and underrepresented groups, but we’ll also create and ensure that both digital and physical spaces are welcoming, safe, and can accommodate all.
This project will also include additional regular activities such as mapathons and events where community members will be trained and different types of info-sessions hosted. Through all this, we hope to spark an interest in different ways of contributing to OSM through community and project leadership, OSM data usage, and advocacy.
Describe your approach to ethical data collection
Describe your approach to working with the local communities and local authorities in the location you plan to map and/or an approach that integrates key community leaders, gets permissions, etc.
Over the past few weeks, we have reached out to and had conversations with several local communities and organizations that we hope we’ll directly work with and engage in different phases for the project. These include Individuals and institutions working in the transport sector and have carried out similar projects before. We will leverage their previous and current experience and connections to local authorities and other key stakeholders through these partnerships.
We also plan to have open ‘barazas’ - info sessions from the start of the project where these stakeholders can meet, interact and share knowledge. These will help to understand data gaps that we might have missed and improve the project. We believe that these partnerships will not just be helpful in successfully implementing the project but will further enable the uptake and use of the data and OSM in general.
Lastly, we will ensure that we get the correct authorization for field data collection from local authorities and also adhere to set local laws in the recently passed Kenya Data Protection Bill and shared global principles in Ethical Geo’s locus charter.
Describe how you will approach sharing knowledge
Describe how you will approach sharing knowledge between the different stakeholders (specifically between OSM communities) and how this will benefit the project overall.
Throughout the project period, we will organize and host community meetings among the project stakeholders and participants for cross-learning and sharing project updates. We also plan to create reports that can be shared with different stakeholders regularly to get feedback and improve the process regularly. We also plan to engage OSM communities in the region: OSM Ghana and AddisMap in Ethiopia, who have previously carried out similar projects. We will also reach out to other global communities for cross-learning, and if not feasible, we will review and use publicly available reports. We will also ensure that project resources are publicly available and accessible.
Lastly, we will create a social media plan that we can use to share project activities through posts on social media platforms and blog posts on progress and lessons. This will also be an excellent opportunity to feature community participants and stakeholders.
Describe any risks that your project might come up against, and how you will mitigate against those risks.
Consider any local, regional, or national policies; logistical blockers that you foresee; knowledge or skills gaps, etc.
- Elections: 2022 will be a national elections year in Kenya which might affect our fieldwork activities. We will ensure that:
- All data collection and fieldwork activities are done before the primary election period.
- We have all required identification material such as badges and an official letter of introduction.
- Road safety: Our field data collection exercise will have participants walking along roads or using motorbikes to move around. This might expose those involved to personal safety risks. We will, therefore:
- Procure protective gear for the field team and observe recommended safety precautions
- Collect data during weekends and off-peak hours when roads are less busy.
- COVID-19
- Encouraging team members to get vaccinated, especially those participating in field data collection.
- Providing face masks and sanitizers to all project participants.
- Following and adhering to local and WHO guidelines and recommendations on public engagement.
- Local data laws: The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics has set procedures, data standards, and recommendations that should be followed and adhered to.
- We will review these and adopt shared methodologies. We will also contact the team for engagement as a stakeholder to review our processes. This will ensure that the data collected meets their standards and can easily be adopted by different government agencies.
- We will also review the Kenya Data Privacy and Protection Act to ensure that the data we collect doesn’t breach personal or institutional privacy.
Stakeholders
In the table below, list the name of each of the stakeholders, explain in detail what their role will be, what activities they will be responsible for, and the budget they will be allocated
| No | Name of community / organization | Budget | Partner type | Role | Responsibilities |
| 1 | OSM Kenya | $10,500 | Administrative & Technical | Project coordination, administration and management. | OSM Kenya will be responsible for planning, organizing, managing, and communicating on all phases of the project
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| 2 | YouthMappers | $4,000 | Technical & Data | Project implementation | Involved YouthMappers members will:
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| 3 | C4DLab | $1,000 | Administrative | Project host |
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| 4 | Map Kibera | $1000 | Administrative | Fiscal partner | As a registered organization in Kenya Map Kibera will support us with financial management & oversight, and auditing for this project.
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| 5 | Naipolitans | - | Community | Community partner: Local transport sector |
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| 6 | Kenya Transport Research Network(KTRN) | - | Community: Transport | Community partner: Local transport sector | Facilitate knowledge exchange through info-sessions and webinars. |
| 7 | Institute for Transport and Development Policy (ITDP) | - | Community: Transport & Data user | Community partner: Local transport sector |
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| 8 | Digital Matatus | $2,000 | Data | Data partner & user |
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| 9 | MapAbility | $1,500 | Data | Data partner & user |
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| 10 | AddisMap | - | Community: OSM | Community partner: OSM | Facilitate knowledge exchange by sharing resources through webinars with the OSM Kenya team. |
| 11 | OSM Ghana | - | Community: OSM | ||
| 12 | Trufi Association | - | Technical | Tech partner |
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| 13 | Mapillary | - | Technical | Tech partner |
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| 14 | MapRoulette | - | Technical | Tech partner |
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| 15 | Local rideshare and transit apps(Sendy, Uber, Bolt) | - | Data user | Data user |
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Tell us why your application is unique, and how the stakeholders involved in your application will complement each other to achieve impact
'
We are looking to engage a strong network of communities and institutions in this project as several entities are already working to improve the transport sector. We have reached out to several local and regional stakeholders whom we can learn from and work with to support the successful implementation of this project and be vital in sustaining the project in the long run. To ensure that our data collection approach and processes are ethical, we hope to engage local communities and authorities in the transport sector who have a lot of knowledge about this sector and have been involved in similar initiatives. We hope to tap into their technical expertise and connections to local authorities and government agencies. Additionally, we will be working with two existing initiatives: Digital Matatus and Map-Ability, to collect and update their datasets on transit and accessibility, which we'll later add to OpenStreetMap. This will be a unique chance for our community to learn about these initiatives and help to sustain the same.
We are also working with the YouthMappers network, with whom we'll run an internship program for chapters in Kenya. We plan to select 25 YouthMappers members who would not just be involved in the data collection and editing phases but also project management and leadership. Lastly, we plan to include all stakeholders early in the initial phases of the project to increase their sense of ownership and improve collaboration.
Project Plan
Give your month-by-month project plan using this template provided. you can use this tool to convert your spreadsheet into a wikitable and paste the code below here
| Project plan: Open Mapping Community Action Grants ($10,000 - $20,000) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| List the activities / milestones that will complete your project a success. This must include: (1) A detailed and practical approach to how you will implement your project (2) a clear project design with activities that intersect and compliment eachother (3) a straightforward and equal distribution of activities to demonstrate progression towards a common aim / objective |
State which organisation is responsible for achieving this milestone | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Key project milestones | Responsible | Month | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Month 1 | Month 2 | Month 3 | Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| List the activities / milestones that will complete your project a success | w1 | w2 | w3 | w4 | w1 | w2 | w3 | w4 | w1 | w2 | w3 | w4 | w1 | w2 | w3 | w4 | w1 | w2 | w3 | w4 | w1 | w2 | w3 | w4 | |
| Phase 1: Administration | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project management: Project leadership, facilitators, activities, logistics - financial management | OSM Kenya, Map Kibera | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project technical set-up: Existing data review, Data, tools, testing. | OSM Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Internship program: Call for applications and selection | OSM Kenya & YouthMappers Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Onboarding: Project stakeholders | OSM Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project launch: Info-sessions | OSM Kenya , Naipolitans, Kenya Transport Research Network, C4DLab | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Phase 2: Data collection | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical training | OSM Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Remote mapping: Updating road network: Map new roads(TM), fix errors(MR) | OSM Kenya & YouthMappers Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fieldwork: Capturing street-level imagery | OSM Kenya & YouthMappers Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fieldwork: Collecting and updating transit data | OSM Kenya & Digital Matatus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fieldwork: Collecting and updating accesibility data | OSM Kenya & MapAbility | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Phase 3: Data validation | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Remote mapping validation | OSM Kenya & YouthMappers Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Field data validation | OSM Kenya & YouthMappers Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Phase 4: Data import | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mapping additional road infrastructure and updating roads | OSM Kenya, YouthMappers Kenya, MapAbility | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adding GTFS data on OSM | OSM Kenya, YouthMappers Kenya & Digital Matatus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Phase 5: Project closing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Design & development of deliverables: Maps, dashboards | OSM Kenya, Code4Africa, YouthMappers Kenya, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project closing: Info-sessions | All stakeholders | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project reporting | OSM Kenya | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Budget Breakdown
Provide a detailed budget breakdown using this template that includes the allocated budget to each of the stakeholders listed above, and a detailed budget breakdown of what the allocated budget will be spent on. you can use this tool to convert your spreadsheet into a wiki table and paste the code below here
| Budget template: Open Mapping Community Action Grants ($10,000 - $20,000) | ||||||
| Budget overview | ||||||
| Total funds allocated | Organisation name | NOTE: Funds would cover activities conducted in collaboration with these organisations. | ||||
| 1 | $10,500 | OSM Kenya | ||||
| 2 | $2,000 | Digital Matatus | ||||
| 3 | $1,500 | Map Ability | ||||
| 4 | $1,000 | C4DLab | ||||
| 5 | $4,000 | YouthMappers - Kenya | ||||
| 6 | $1000 | Map Kibera | ||||
| $20,000 | Total | |||||
| Budget detail | ||||||
| Organisation receiving funds | What do you plan to spend the money on? | Unit being purchased | Expected cost (in US Dollars) |
Total cost for budget item | Why is it needed? (please give as much detail as possible) | |
| 1 | OSM Kenya | Fieldwork costs: Transport, food, data | 900 | $5 USD per field trip | $4,500 | To complete our field mapping activities, we will need to travel to different parts of the city. We plan for teams to make 2 return journeys every week for 3-4 months and we allocate $5 per return journey (this may fluctuate). |
| 2 | OSM Kenya | Internet access costs | 25 | $15 USD per month | $1,500 | This will cover internet costs for participants for activities that will be conducted remotely. |
| 3 | OSM Kenya | Mobile devices | 15 | $200 USD per unit | $3,000 | This project heavily depends on capturing street-level imagery to be used in other mapping phases. To maintain image quality we will procure 15 mobile devices to be used in field data collection. |
| 4 | OSM Kenya | 360-Degree Cameras | 2 | $500 USD per unit | $1,000 | We also plan to get two 360-Degree cameras to capture stree-level imagery in certain sections within the city like the CBD where using mobile phones might be difficult and/or impossible. |
| 5 | OSM Kenya | PPE - Personal safety: Reflectors etc. | 60 | $5 USD per unit | $300 | Our fieldwork activities will involve participants walking along roads and using motorbikes to collect data. To enhance our participants' safety, we will procure 2 reflectors per participant to be used for the entire data collection period. |
| 6 | OSM Kenya | PPE - Covid19: Face masks, sanitizers | 60 | $10 USD per unit | $600 | Because most of our activities will be in-person: fieldwork activities, all participantswill require face masks and sanitizers. Each participant would get a unit(A box of face masks and a bottle sanitizer) to be used for the entire project period. |
| 7 | OSM Kenya | Training and info sessions: Space + internet + snacks + facilitation | 25 | $100 USD per session | $2,500 | This will allow us to host and run events and mapathons with up to 50 people at one time. This will help us to cover session-related costs for spaces, wifi or internet bundles and snacks. Hosting these in-person events will help us to meet and connect with the community |
| 8 | OSM Kenya | Project trainees stipends: Internship program | 25 | $40 USD per participant per month | $4,000 | Every month interns would receive $40 to offset project related expenses. |
| 9 | OSM Kenya | Project facilitators stipends | 5 | $40 USD per participant per month | $800 | Every month facilitators would receive $40 to offset project related expenses. |
| 10 | OSM Kenya | Administration: Funds management, entity registration | 1 | $500 USD | $1000 | We will use this amount to cover costs for fiscal sponsorship and entity registration. |
| 11 | OSM Kenya | SWAG (Tshirts, stickers, notebooks etc.) | 50 | $16 USD per unit | $800 | This will be used to purchase items to be gifted to stakeholders and project participants at the end of the project. |
| Total | $20,000 | |||||
Declare any conflict of interest
Declaration
By submitting this application to the Open Mapping Hub Eastern and Southern Africa, you certify the information contained in this application is correct, and that if you are awarded a grant, you will use it only for the purposes described above. You will provide written documentation and receipts for all of your expenses to demonstrate this. You understand that the decisions made by the Open Mapping Grants committee are final.
Full Name: Laura Mugeha
OSM User Name: Laura Mugeha
OSM Wiki User Name: Laura Mugeha (talk) 21:30, 30 November 2021 (UTC)
Endorsements
Your community members are encouraged to endorse your project request here!
HOT staff, voting members and board members are welcome to endorse, and give feedback to all proposals. However, those who are taking part in the selection process will not be endorsing or giving feedback due to conflict of interest.
Instructions for Endorsement
- Log in to the wiki if you are not already logged in. - Scroll down to Endorsements and click 'Edit source'. - Add your reason for the endorsement followed by four tilde signs --~~~~ Note: The ~~~~ automatically inserts your name and the current date.
Below is an example an endorsement.
- I fully endorse this project - strong idea and detailed project plan --Kateregga1 (talk) 14:51, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
Community endorsements I fully endorse the project,the project will bridge the gap in the transportation sector hence ensuring road users' safety and efficient road accessibility and data availability. --KaranjAElijaH (talk) 08:21, 21 December 2021 (UTC)
I fully support and endorse this Project because its implementation will fully address the road network and infrastructure data gaps existing for Nairobi Metropolitan Area which is a great impediment in transforming Nairobi into a Smart city.--Isaiah wandabwa (talk) 17:20, 14 December 2021 (UTC)
Nairobi's image is rapidly changing due to the rapid developments in Transport and there is no up to date to show this and also aid in proper decision making therefore, this project will provide an up to date transport data for Nairobi and significantly improve navigation and will provide a foundation to Transportation mapping in other rapidly growing Kenya Cities. I fully endorse the project. Shazomojah (talk) 17:39, 14 December 2021 (UTC)