Using OSM data to assess the needs of the Chepang community in Nepal

Cover photo by: Geomatics Engineering Society, Kathmandu University

Chepangs are one of the most marginalized Indigenous communities in Nepal. Traditionally nomadic people who relied on hunting, fishing and the products of the forest, these ways of life were brought to an end by the introduction of new government policies.

Restrictions on hunting, gathering and clearing of forest patches have forced the Chepangs to adopt a settled way of life. This change of lifestyle has brought extreme poverty in their community and made it difficult for the Chepangs to access basic amenities such as nutritious food, proper housing, safe drinking water, education and healthcare.

Photo by: Geomatics Engineering Society

The Geomatics Engineering Society (GES) project centered around mapping in the remote hills of central Nepal and sought to generate data to assess the needs of the Chepang community.

During the mapping, validation, field verification, output and data dissemination, the Geomatics Engineering Society team was able to actively include the needs of the Chepang communities in the project design using surveys and direct conversations. Maps and data that include buildings, roads, land use, and other critical types of infrastructure will be used to access basic amenities for the Chepang and also to analyze areas vulnerable to disaster, agricultural areas, and to assess the need for schools and health posts in the community.

Photo by: Geomatics Engineering Society

In line with the project’s poverty reduction and access to basic amenities, they engaged with various donor organizations and the local government. They simultaneously conducted several trainings on OSM to GES members and various OSM communities in Nepal.

Photo by: Geomatics Engineering Society

They also collaborated with Kathmandu Living Labs, Youth Innovation Lab, Naxa, Department of Geomatics Engineering, Kathmandu University, and several governmental bodies. The team collaborated with 19 ward presidents and trained them locally to read and visualize the printed satellite imagery maps.

Maps and data that include buildings, roads, land use, and other critical types of infrastructure will be used to access basic amenities for the Chepang and also to analyze areas vulnerable to disaster, agricultural areas, and to assess the need for schools and health posts in the community.

The data and maps generated from the project are being shared with various humanitarian agencies and stakeholders such as Shanti Griha Nepal, Planete Enfants & Développement, Save the Children, Save Our Soul, Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN), USAID, Leo Club, the Rotaract Club, and various other local authorities for uplifting their communities.

This project was funded by a Meta Community Impact Grant, managed by HOT.