Local Actors and Communities Leading Preparedness – Stories from Asia-Pacific
Stories of Local Mapping:
Asia-Pacific
Hello John,
How have you been?
Recently, I had a virtual catch-up with our partners from the Karangasem Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD Karangasem), Pika and Ngurah, whom I first met during fieldwork for the 2025 End-to-End Mapping Solution (E2E) Bali project.
The thing about fieldwork is that things often move so quickly. For E2E Bali, I got to spend five days on the ground, seeing BPBD Karangasem learn about HOT’s E2E tools and use them to map parts of a village in Mount Agung’s high-risk zone to strengthen volcanic preparedness. Yet the project itself spanned months and covered at least six villages.
That’s why I’m thankful for this recent catch-up, where I can dig deeper into the project and, what’s even more exciting, hear about the great work BPBD Karangasem continues to do beyond it.
Did you know that livestock is a priority in Mount Agung’s evacuation plan? Communities are often hesitant to move to safety if their livestock haven’t been evacuated first, which is why BPBD Karangasem has incorporated cattle shelters into its recent mapping work with the local communities.
On another note, during a recent fieldwork to Timor-Leste, I got to take a little side quest and visit G-SIG Timor-Leste, a youth-led geospatial NGO and a friend of HOT’s Open Mapping Hub - Asia-Pacific since 2022.
Back then, open mapping was still not very well-known in Timor-Leste, so it’s really inspiring to see how G-SIG has grown its work over the past few years while advancing the open mapping movement in the country. There is so much from our conversation there that I wish I could share with you, including their incredible work to support community-based disaster risk reduction (DRR) – but that’s a story for a future edition!
Anyway, this got me thinking about the many stories out there we have yet to hear – of community-driven mapping and local communities shaping their own resilience. Maybe you are part of those stories. If so, I hope you find a chance to share them. I’d personally love to hear them.
Writing this with optimism and a heart full of inspiration – and cheering for you and all the great things that you do!
- Tony (Communications Assistant, HOT’s Open Mapping Hub - Asia-Pacific)
Explore BPBD Karangasem and Local Communities’ Journey Through E2E Bali (and Beyond)
Photo: Komang Suartama / BPBD Karangasem
"Communities play a very important role in the mapping process because communities know best the condition of the area that we will map." I Wayan Pika Wiadnya, Disaster Analyst at BPBD Karangasem.
Driven by this belief, disaster management agencies in Karangasem and Bali have been working with local communities around Mount Agung to better prepare for volcanic disasters. Through community-driven mapping and accessible technology, local knowledge is turned into actionable maps, with communities continuing to shape and strengthen their own preparedness.
Dive Back Into Our Past DRR Collaboration Projects, Articles, and Maps
Click the images to learn more
Beyond DRR: Other Latest Updates
Photo: Bernard Heng / Open Mapping Hub - Asia-Pacific
From Dhaka, Bangladesh: Last month, HOT's Open Mapping Hub - Asia-Pacific and GroupMappers kicked off the field mapping activities with local communities for our Wellcome Trust-funded Dhaka Dengue Mapping Project.
The team also worked together with the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and the Communicable Disease Control (CDC), Directorate General of Health Services on a co-design workshop for a community-led data pipeline and an operational dashboard to better monitor dengue risks in the city’s informal settlements.
Community announcement: As the year draws to a close, we’re inviting you to take part in the “Open Mapping Awards - Asia-Pacific 2026” by nominating an individual or community for their contributions this year. Nominations close on 25 November 2026. Together, let’s celebrate the people advancing open mapping across the region – including you!
This newsletter was written and curated by Tony Liong and Bernard Heng.
Ibrahim Fatai and Pauline Omagwa contributed as editors.
