YouthMappers program celebrates a decade of global impact
Participants from a YouthMappers Leadership Fellows Summit held in Jamaica in July 2023. Photo courtesy of the School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning
When YouthMappers launched on Capitol Hill during GIS Day in November 2015, just a handful of students at three U.S. universities set out with a bold idea: to empower young people around the world to use open-source mapping to make a difference in their communities.
Ten years later, that small collaboration has evolved into a thriving international network of more than 400 university-based chapters across 80 countries — uniting students, researchers, educators and scholars to create and use open geospatial data for humanitarian and development goals.
Together, YouthMappers have contributed over 26 million edits to OpenStreetMap, helping fill critical data gaps in areas where more than 1 billion of the world’s most vulnerable people are not well represented on maps.
A decade of mapping for social change
As YouthMappers marks its 10-year anniversary on Nov. 17, the organization is celebrating with in-person and virtual events, along with a global mapping campaign centered on three key themes: “Where We Live,” “Where We Move” and “Where We Power the Future.”
Each theme invites volunteers to take action: tracing building footprints to help scale heat relief solutions; mapping sidewalks, crossings and roads to make cities safer and accessible; and tracing power lines, towers and substations to create open, verifiable maps that governments, utilities and communities can trust.
Together, these efforts are helping people around the world make an impact on where they live, move and build — advancing a more resilient, connected and sustainable future.
“When you put students first — in leadership roles and give young people the tools — that is a winning design,” said Patricia Solís, cofounder and founding director of YouthMappers, research professor in ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning and executive director of ASU’s Knowledge Exchange for Resilience. “The formula was right from the beginning. You’ll see that in our motto. We don’t just build maps, we build mappers.”
Solís said the network’s success stems from a culture of collaboration.
“What inspires me most is how generous the community is with one another — sharing knowledge and validating data,” she said. “That’s what this is all about. Young people are making sure that everyone can participate and create the people’s map together.”
“Many students are looking for real-world experiences that courses do not provide,” said Natalia Arruda, a doctoral student in urban planning and secretary of ASU’s YouthMappers chapter. “Our projects have real, positive impacts in communities with real needs. That experience is powerful. It motivates students to learn and engage in the process.”
A global network rooted in collaboration
Founded in partnership with Texas Tech University, George Washington University and West Virginia University, with sponsorship from USAID, YouthMappers has flourished through university-based chapters led by students and mentored by faculty across the globe.
The ASU chapter has been active since 2019, engaging students through humanitarian response projects, mapathons and research collaborations.
From mapping earthquake relief efforts in Turkey and Syria, to aiding hurricane recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, to documenting pedestrian infrastructure with Meta, YouthMappers projects have helped communities make informed decisions using data they co-create.
At ASU, students have also contributed to research on mobile and manufactured housing, climate resilience and extreme heat — gaining hands-on experience in how geospatial science can drive meaningful social change.
Celebrating locally and globally
For this milestone year, the celebration spans local and global stages. Solís and Arruda are representing the network at a 10-year symposium in New York City on Nov. 17 — an invitation-only event hosted at Meta’s offices. They will also participate in a spotlight session at the American Geographical Society’s Geography 2050 Conference.
Meanwhile, the ASU chapter is marking the occasion with a presentation at ASU GIS Day on Nov. 19 at Coor Hall and a special “Mappy Hour” at their monthly meeting on Nov. 20, where they’ll contribute to global mapping campaigns supporting communities in need.
Recognition from the MacArthur Foundation
Earlier this year, YouthMappers (in partnership with KER and Health Observatory at ASU) was selected as one of the top 55 proposals (out of 869 applicants) in the MacArthur Foundation’s 100&Change resilience competition. While not selected as a finalist, YouthMappers’ proposal earned a place in the Bold Solutions Network, managed by Lever for Change. The recognition provides increased visibility, professional development opportunities and access to potential funding partnerships.
“Our proposal focused on mapping extreme heat and creating lifesaving community action plans,” Solís said. “Being part of the Bold Solutions Network means our work is on the radar of movers and shakers. It opens doors for visibility, collaboration and new ways to scale our impact.”
Mapping the next decade
As YouthMappers looks ahead to its second decade, Solís and Arruda hope to expand the network’s reach and deepen collaborations in areas such as geoAI, climate resilience and participatory mapping — fields that align closely with ASU’s strengths in innovation and social embeddedness.
“One of our biggest strengths is our established network. It’s very active and connected,” Arruda said. “We can quickly collaborate to better understand how issues impact different communities. In the years ahead, we want to expand that collaboration, involve more students and keep them engaged long after graduation through our alumni network.”
Solís said ASU’s focus on student-centered innovation will continue to be a driving force in YouthMappers’ evolution.
“The next decade is about expanding this movement and ensuring students everywhere can use mapping as a tool for good,” she said. “When governments and institutions fall short, young people are stepping up — and mapping a better future.”
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