[HOT] Epworth Field Papers - The Zimbabwe Connection. Advice on JOSM categorisation.

Rupert Allan mail at rupertallan.com
Thu Jun 11 21:03:28 UTC 2015


Hi All,
I'm Rupert, and I work with MSF as Field Mapping Coordinator. In March 
and April Kieran O'Sullivan and I worked on a Missing Maps project in 
the Epworth, Harare, Zimbabwe, where MSF are struggling to trace 
patients in order to deliver repeated treatment and follow-up for HIV, 
MDRTB (Multi-Drug Resistant TB). This is crucial in the epidemiological 
struggle (HIV at 15%), but also Epworth is an extremely vulnerable 
community, and our new OSM community there now hold the key to Epworth's 
self-representation and its accessibility to Humanitarian logistical 
efforts, in a place where sanitation is a geological nightmare, mobility 
is perenial, and housing consistently disappears in man-made and natural 
disasters.

We discovered that the population was up to five times its official 
count, so we split the 840 field papers into NE, SE, SW, and NW quarters 
so that Field Papers software could deal with it.
Now we have a few hundred papers coming in ready to input, and many more 
on the way, although hampered by WiFi and hardware access.
In different parts of Epworth, address formats differ from others, so it 
involves careful thought about how to deploy keys/values.
I mention in the Wiki <cid:part1.01020905.03010509 at rupertallan.com>, 
that this has evolved a degree of protection and 'anonymity' for the 
unofficial majority there. Ethics are key, as they need to be protected 
from certain factors and protected BY other factors (i.e. their 
visibility to the world as a community). So its an important project, 
considering where they are in history right now.

The main issue is to input and tag 'block' boundaries, and figure out 
which administrative level to tag them on. It would be great to discuss 
and agree a bit with experienced JOSMers. The addresses depend on 
numbers, names and qualifiers of small 6-10 house areas, often with a 
community leader as the most definitive 'name' value.
Somebody mentioned the 'Hamlet' tag. Cells are used in some addresses, 
but not others. The field papers are informative, but the addresses are 
defined differently in different parts of Epworth. This serves to 
protect communities. It's all very interesting...

I am still learning JOSM, but maybe they fit into a 'multiple-choice' 
style of categorising. Almost all have numbers, but an address could be 
identical to another, except in a different ward, so miles away, or in a 
different 'block', or might hint obliquely to status as 'unofficial'. 
The numbers, by the way, are non-sequential/randomised. But it could all 
be cascade-searched with the right OSM keys/admin level or tag.

Any thoughts?

Thanks, Rupert

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