Mapathon Winners: Raising awareness of HIV Hotspots in Kinondoni District
Two mappers have won a dLab mapping competition that was organised in collaboration with Open Map Development Tanzania (OMDTZ) on Open Data Day. Alfeo Raymond Ngelime, a Web Developer at the College of ICT, University of Dar Es Salaam (CoICT) has emerged the Best Facilities Mapper while Edmund Steven, a recent graduate of Bsc. Geoinformatics from Ardhi University is the Best Hotspots Mapper. They were among 36 mappers who mapped HIV/AIDS hotspots and testing facilities found in Kinondoni District.
These “hotspots” are geographical areas or locations with evidence of high prevalence of HIV or behaviours that put people at risk for acquiring HIV infection. They include bars, pubs, guest houses, hotels, motels, lodges and nightclubs.
The mappers worked closely with the facilitator to trace the elements to be mapped and to understand the possible uses of the data, so as to enhance collaboration and participation. Together, they worked around the element of interest, creating a points-like structure, then filled in the right information on every element.
After tracing the elements and being comfortable with the edits, the facilitator and the mapper uploaded all edits to the server. Each upload is referred to as “changeset”. More than 50 changesets were made. Then the data was downloaded from the server using secondary software such as QGIS (Quantum GIS ) and JOSM (Java OpenStreetMap Editor) for visualization and analysis.
The mapping activity brings awareness of the hotspots as well as HIV/AIDS testing and counseling facilities for youth, especially the ones in secondary schools and universities to protect themselves as well as seek services related to HIV/AIDS.
According to the 2012 Population and Housing census and population estimates, Kinondoni District has the highest population, with 40.7% of Dar es Salaam population. In part, the district’s high population is contributed by the number of youths but also the fact that the district has over 10 university and college campuses.
Furthermore, the 2017 Tanzania HIV impact survey (THIS) shows that the national HIV/AIDS prevalence among adults of 15 to 64 years is 5.0%. While Dar es Salaam has a prevalence of 4.7% which is close to national average.