Winyama at the Geo for Good Virtual Summit 2021
Winyama Managing Director, Andrew Dowding was invited to share his wealth of knowledge at this year’s Geo for Good Virtual Summit. Speaking alongside Indigenous mapping experts from across the world, Andrew and the other panelists provided insights into the use cases for geospatial technology among First Nations people.
Hosted by Google Earth Outreach, the Geo for Good Virtual Summit brings not-for-profit, scientists, public sector and impact-driven businesses together to learn about how mapping tools and technology can be used for good. Key topics discussed at the summit centred around climate change, new application developments in Google Earth and Google Earth Engine, sustainability and social inclusion. The conference was held virtually over four days, from the 17th to the 20th of November and was attended by hundreds of people around the world.
Andrew was one of eight participants who spoke on the Panel for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities. Other panelists included Steve Deroy, Director of the Firelight Group and Founder of Indigenous Mapping Workshop (IMW) in Canada and Moka Apiti, Director of Digital Navigators.
With increasing numbers of Indigenous people and local communities across the world utilising geospatial tools to support their rights through mapping, this panel discussion provided an opportunity to hear how other indigenous mapping leaders are empowering communities close to their home.
“It’s about trying to communicate those rights based activities that indigenous communities have and being able to tell that story in a way that someone who doesn’t live in that community or is from that area can really understand what those values are to the communities. ”
When asked what advice he would give to someone looking to start a mapping project with Indigenous people and local communities Andrew shared, “I think the first step is to understand the cultural intellectual property that should remain with the community. The second point is to think about the types of skills you want to leave the Aboriginal community with.” Andrew went on to emphasize the importance of finding key people in the community who could continue the great work that was introduced, even once initial support had left.
Other panelists noted the importance of straying from a ‘one size fits all’ approach, ensuring that everyone actively listens to community concerns and the mapping work continues to contribute to a solution for the current challenges that the community is facing.
Would you like to hear more from the panel discussion? You can re-watch it below.
If you are interested in launching your own mapping project within your community, get in touch. Our team would love to help.