Give As You Live

Where Global MapAid came from – Blog One of Three

Where Global MapAid came from – Blog One of Three

This short blog is one of three blogs about Global MapAid or simply “MapAid”, which is a not-for-profit committed to sustainable capitalism for small farmers in Africa. This first summarises its whole journey, the second and third are rather more detailed, and cover the early days and the recent years, respectively.

It is a personal account, by Rupert Douglas-Bate, a Henley Alumni (EM11) who founded Global MapAid and who in recent years has received welcome support from Henley Business School. Any faults in rendition are entirely his, so please get in contact so he can remedy them!

Our Mission and Vision

At Global MapAid (GMA), we are dedicated to mapping water strategies for small farmers, laying the groundwork for food and water security, job creation, and peace. Using Artificial Intelligence, we address the critical need for groundwater mapping to enable, food and water decision makers to decide where to drill or dig, or not, for small farmers. By providing accurate, real-time mapping and data, we support more sustainable water wells, or other soil enhancing strategies.

Our Origins

Global MapAid was founded in 2003 at the end of a Stanford University fellowship project led by Rupert and a group of Stanford University students, faculty, and associates. The project was funded by the Reuters Digital Vision Program and guided by programme director Stuart Gannes and his assistant Amy Sanger.

Our Journey

In April 2002, Rupert who then working in humanitarian aid, began a fellowship at Stanford. During this time, he and his team developed the prototype of an Integrated Mapping and Communication System (IMCS) designed to enhance rapid response and coordination for humanitarian work, from development zones to disaster scenarios. This originated in partnership with another friendly NGO called Aid for Aid:

Note: the title of the system incorporated “Aid for Aid”. This was the previous name of MapAction, the NGO that helped and inspired Rupert to apply to the Reuters program at Stanford, and with whom the outputs of the project prototype ICMS were later shared, in full.

The IMCS enables decision-makers, from field aid workers to government officials, to assess disaster situations and coordinate relief efforts efficiently. This system includes pre-disaster baseline maps, sectoral overlays, and post-disaster composite maps to ensure better aid coordination and targeting.

Global MapAid was originally registered as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit charity in 2004 in the United States, but now resides under the registration of the Charity Commission for England & Wales. In the US it is under the Fiscal Sponsorship of Omprakash.org where contributions are also tax-deductible.

Our Impact

Since its inception, Global MapAid has continuously evolved from mapping general poverty, towards a focus on mapping solutions to address groundwater and soil water security for small farmers in Ethiopia, with 47 million farmers living under the poverty line. This initiative supports better crop yields and drinking water, but also local economies by creating jobs. It also contributes to global efforts to mitigate climate change by enhancing soil carbon sequestration.

Our Future

Our current focus is on developing and deploying WellMapr©, our AI system for groundwater detection, in collaboration with Arba Minch University, Water Technology Institute in Ethiopia,  George Mason University in Washington DC and the Czech Geological Survey in Prague. We also have great informal links with Reading University UK, via Henley Business School.

Join Us

Global MapAid’s work is critical in tackling unemployment, mitigating climate change, ensuring food security, and fostering peace. We invite you to join us in broadening our impact. For more information, visit our website or contact Rupert Douglas-Bate at [email protected]

More Information

Key Collaborators and Supporters

Global MapAid’s success is built on the informal collaboration of a dedicated team and advisors, including Stanford University students and professionals from various fields. Our key advisors have included experts from the CfMC, CG Net, Omidyar Foundation, Cisco, and several esteemed academic and industry partners. In later years, we have also been significantly supported by partners from George Mason University, the Czech Geological Survey and the Ministry of Water and Energy, plus Arba Minch University Water Technology Institute these last two both in Ethiopia.

We are also informally but usefully supported by Henley Business School of Reading University in the UK.

Some of our original informal collaborators in 2003, whose employees helped us are these organisations, to whom we are grateful:

The next Blog Two of Three will talk about the early years of MapAid.