The MAPME Initiative organized its second Geo4Impact 2025 event, hosted by AFD.
Location: AFD Headquarters, 5 rue Roland Barthes, 75012 Paris
Date & Time: May 27, 2025 |⏰ 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM & May 28, 2025 | ⏰ 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
This inspiring gathering brought together thought leaders, professionals, researchers, and like-minded enthusiasts who are passionate about advancing geospatial technologies within their institutions. The event explored cutting-edge open-source tools and learn how others are leveraging open geospatial data to tackle real-world challenges.
On 27 May from 10:15 am - 10:45 am, Charl-Thom Bayer, Acting Team Leader of the Land Portal Foundation, provided a critical perspective to the GEO4IMPACT 2025 conference with his presentation, Funding Equitable Digital Development: A Call to Action for Development Partners. Drawing on extensive research and recent findings from the Global Data Barometer, SDG Land Momentum Group, and the Land Portal’s own initiatives, Bayer will spotlight the persistent lack of open, accessible land-related data—data essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. His presentation will highlighted concrete responses, including the State of Land Information Index (SOLIndex) and the Land Projects Database, showcasing how the Land Portal is fostering inclusive, transparent, and cooperative digital infrastructures. Bayer’s call to action underscores the importance of resisting “data colonialism” and supporting data ecosystems that reflect the priorities and agency of countries in the Global South. His contribution aimed to inspire development partners to support more equitable and sustainable digital development practices.
Remote attendance links:
Program Outline:
27 May |⏰ All day
| REGISTRATION 08:30 am - 09:00 am | |
| 09:00 am - 09:30 am | Introduction to the Geo4Impact Conference |
| 09:30 am - 09:45 am | NaLa Maps: An Open-Source Tool for Using Natural Language and AI to Leverage the Power of Geoinformation in Development Cooperation, Johannes Schielein (KfW) |
| 09:45 am - 10:15 am | Geospatial Analysis in Project Sustainability Monitoring and Evaluation: BOAD’s Pilot Experience, Damit Serge Didier Amany (BOAD) |
| 10:15 am - 10:45 am | Funding Equitable Digital Development: A Call to Action for Development Partners, Charl-Thom Bayer (Land Portal) |
| 10:45 am -11:00 am | Participatory Mapping and Open Data for Community Resilience, Matthieu Anselmino (CartONG) |
| BREAK 11:00 am -11:30 am | |
| 11:30 am - 11:45 am | Mapping the State of Land Degradation in a Context of Climate Change at the Scale of Geographical Areas, Birane Cisse (UCAD) |
| 11:45 am - 12:00 pm | Earth Observation for Agriculture: from Policy Dialogue to Operationalization, Alex Chunet (ESA) |
| 12:00 pm - 12:15 pm | Beyond the Dashboard: Ensuring Data Drives Real-World Change, Becky Atkins (WRI) |
| LUNCH 12:15 pm - 1:00 pm | |
| POSTER SESSION 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm | |
| 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm | Urban mobility in Lagos: Evaluating the Impact of a Large-Scale Transit Reform, Geetika Nagpal (DIME, World Bank) |
| 2:30 pm -3:00 pm | Leveraging Spatial Data for Research and Policy Dialogue: The Case of Nature Conservation Evaluation in Madagascar, Holimalala Randriamanampisoa (University of Antananarivo, CERED/UMI SOURCE) & Florent Bédécarrats (IRD/UMI SOURCE) |
| 3:00 pm -3:30 pm | Evaluating Well-being Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Spatial Perspective Across Territorial Typologies, Luis Guillermo Becerra-Valbuena (FAO) |
| BREAK 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm | |
| 4:00 pm -5:30 pm |
Panel Discussion - Transforming Development Projects and Policies with Open Geospatial Data and Tools: From Design to Evaluation Fred Stolle, Director Impact Land & Carbon Lab, World Resources Institute Awa Niang Fall, Director, EDEQUE- Université Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar Antje Hecheltjen, Project Manager Geodata for Development, GIZ / GEO-LDN Helga Kuechly, Senior Advisor Conservation Geodata & Technology, WWF Franck Akouete, Program officer, OSM Togo |
| CLOSURE 5:30 pm - 6:00 pm | |
| COCKTAIL RECEPTION 6:00 pm - 7:45 pm | |
