Map building volunteers have helped the UNHCR and their partners manage an escalating refugee crisis in Uganda.

NGIS sponsored the latest map-a-thon held by the Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute(SSSI). On April 28, an enthusiastic group of 25 mappers commenced a four hour challenge to digitise buildings and sanitation facilities in Uganda.

An escalation in the DRC security has resulted in 2,043 new refugees entering Uganda just between March 3-5, 2018. This raises the total number of new arrivals to 48,105 since January 1, 2018.

Providing up-to-date mapping information is critical in helping to enable the UNHCR and partners respond efficiently and effectively to the refugee crisis.

SSSI and NGIS trained the mappers in Open Street Maps in a 45-minute course and then commenced capturing buildings in Uganda.

Mapped buildings included sanitation points such as latrines, hand washing points and hygiene promotion activities to support humanitarian efforts.

Nicholas Flett and Gabor Matuzza tied as the map-a-thon winners and the groups overall efforts were astounding with an increase in the percentage of buildings digitised from 55% to 65%.