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Community Mapping Network - East and Central Africa

Overview
The Community Mapping Network (CMN) is a regional virtual network set up by ERMIS Africa in collaboration with CTA.

The network makes it possible for PGIS and community mapping practitioners working with local resource dependant communities share knowledge, ideas, experiences, skills and strategies so as to secure positive intangible cultures, territories and commonly shared natural resources thereby promoting good PGIS approaches, technologies and ethics within the region.

The network is a product of the realization that PGIS practitioners have accumulated valuable experience in the practice over the years but access to this knowledge has been disadvantaged by limited information dissemination platforms.

CMN makes it possible for PGIS practitioners to participate in group discussion forums (dgroups) both online and offline hence providing a real time dissemination point for information sharing among practitioners.

From the Mapping of Change International Conference held in September 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya, PGIS practitioners confirmed that effective networking is crucial and advocated for the establishment of regional focal points to facilitate information sharing among them.

CMN - Background
The need to share knowledge, ideas, experiences, skills and strategies for PGIS/Community mapping practice among practitioners operating in East and Central Africa is a central pillar for ERMIS Africa. Over the period 1999-2004, ERMIS Africa maintained personalized contacts with pgis practitioners to share skills on the emerging pgis technologies, approaches and ethics. Over this period several efforts were done to inventory PGIS practitioners and practices within the region. The source of this information was organizational websites and off-line resource materials like journals, catalogues, magazines, newsletters and other grey resource materials. The period was also marked by tireless efforts to find more efficient online interactive network solutions for bringing members into a common communication and discussion forum. This led to the discovery of "ppgis dgroup" identified as "Open Forum on Participatory Geographic Information Systems and Technologies" with the dgroup email address as ppgis@dgroups.org. In addition, other online pgis resource portals were discovered e.g. http://www.iapad.org which contributed to the enrichment of the organization.

These local and global networks have led to the growth of the organization's PGIS capacity. ERMIS Africa has positioned itself not only to share out its own expertise but also to create an enabling environment for pgis practitioners to communicate and share information at a regional level.

In 2005, ERMIS Africa collaborated with CTA, ITC and the Christensen Fund in organizing and delivering the "Mapping for Change 2005 International Conference" and delivering a pre-conference PGIS course. The outcome of the "Mapping for Change" conference confirmed that effective networking and capacity building are considered top priorities by practitioners worldwide. 87% of the participants prioritized the establishment of regional focal points. The development of training modules and delivery of training opportunities were listed as top priorities by 96% and 92% of the participants respectively. Participants identified ERMIS-Africa as the potential resource centre for the East and Central African region. ERMIS Africa has taken this call and embarked on strengthening its networking capacities. With CTA's assistance, it has established a regional Dgroup. In December 2005 with the assistance of ITC and CTA, ERMIS Africa hosted a 2nd regional PGIS training course. The network is already initiated and the building up of membership is on-going with lots of positive response from development practitioners and organizations working with local communities in the region.

CMN - Mission
To advance the understanding, practice and development of PGIS approaches, technologies and ethics among local communities, development practitioners, individuals and organizations willing to integrate the practice into their approaches to livelihoods in Eastern, Central and South Africa Region.

Objectives of CMN-ECA

• To establish, link and share ideas, experiences and expertise among development practitioners already using or hoping to utilize community mapping and PGIS practices in securing territorial tenure and entitlements, intangible cultural heritage and natural resources for local and indigenous communities.
• To improve and support the adoption and dissemination of good community mapping and pgis practices within a framework of appropriate tools, approaches, principles and policies in the region.

Regional Scope
The Community Mapping Network brings together on the network PGIS practitioners from the Eastern, Central Africa and South Africa region. This region covers 13 countries namely:

• Kenya
• Uganda
• Tanzania
• Somalia
• Somali land
• Madagascar
• Zambia
• Rwanda
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Ethiopia
• Sudan
• South Africa

Membership
Interaction is at the heart of any successful community and CMN-ECA aims at building a community with better PGIS practices.

CMN-ECA membership subscription is open to PGIS practitioners operating in the 13 countries that make up the Eastern, Central and Southern Africa region.

Members benefit by gaining knowledge through PGIS educational articles and other related materials, as well as receive updates about training opportunities hence building expertise in PGIS technologies, approaches, and ethics.

To subscribe for membership, prospective members need to visit www.ermisafrica.org or log on to
http://www.dgroups.org/groups/cta/CMN-ECA

Role of CMN-ECA
The Community Mapping Network plays the following roles:

1. Developing Regional PGIS Action Plans
2. Capacity Building development practitioners and local communities in good PGIS practices
3. Advocating for the mainstreaming of PGIS practice in National Policy framework

CMN's Strategies
To perform the above roles, CMN-ECA uses the following strategies:

• Web-based networking and online discussion forums
• Regional PGIS Events - workshops, conferences, seminars
• Provision of PGIS references - publications, instructional - toolkits, multimedia resource materials [online- website, offline- PGIS resource centre].

PGIS Regional Initiatives
CMN-ECA organizes events that bring PGIS/community mapping practitioners together for capacity building and planning purposes. Some of the regional events already held are:

• Regional PGIS training - Sept. and Dec. 2005
• Regional PGIS Conferences - Mapping for Change Conference 2005
• Regional PGIS/Community Mapping Resource Centre

Please visit this page often to check for upcoming CMN Regional initiatives.