DT4A Innovation Challenge Updates: AddisMap
DT4A at COP28
21 December 2023
DT4A Innovation Challenge Updates: eWarren
21 December 2023
DT4A launched the DT4A Innovation Challenge in December 2021 to spotlight and award innovative urban mobility mapping initiatives. The first four winners of the DT4A Innovation Challenge were chosen in June 2022 from more than 100 submissions. AddisMap (Ethiopia), Ewarren (Côte d’Ivoire) and GoMetro (South Africa) are now in the midst of a 12-month implementation period and telling their stories of impact across Africa.
AddisMap, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Alazar Tekle, Project Manager & GIS Expert, AddisMap
What motivated Addis Map’s participation in the DT4A Innovation Challenge 2021, and how does your innovation specifically address key challenges in African urban transportation?
Our main motivation was our mission and objectives that were set during our initial inception. We wanted to contribute our share towards solving mobility (specifically public transport) challenges in Addis Ababa. Furthermore, we also want to make public transport data open and accessible to all and find a sustainable means to continuously update and maintain it. For our previous experiences we knew this was capital intensive work. Hence, we never wasted a second to apply for the DT4A Innovation Challenge once we received the announcement.
Could you share the main challenges encountered during the implementation of your initiative? How did you overcome these challenges, and what valuable insights or lessons did you gain from these experiences?
We had come across challenges during the more than one year implementation journey of the DT4A Innovation Grant. Some of them are during identification of data collectors and editors. We have assessed and engaged private organizations, local mappers and finally the Addis Ababa Transport Bureau. Through these engagements we have been able to conduct mass data updates for the minibus taxis. Finally, we just completed a mass data update of the City’s buses with the Addis Ababa Transport Bureau team that was supported through a rounds of training session and field tests by AddisMapTransit and DT4A. This was the best route for us to take as it would build the Bureau’s capacity and furthermore empower them to completely shift towards data-driven planning and monitoring solutions.
Collaboration with government institutions and stakeholders plays a crucial role in implementing projects. What has been the most interesting aspect of working with these entities on your project, and how has their collaboration contributed to its success?
We learned that there is a significant benefit to working closely with the authorities and/or agencies that are at the core of the services and are the right stakeholders for such initiatives. There is also a high need to focus on knowledge transfer as it creates more solutions and empowers the people working on the issues. Just to add a few more points, the most interesting fact that we need to accept or know is that there is a shift of human resources in these institutions and organizations. The transition towards employing more upcoming youth from colleges and vocational schools. This means transitioning towards technological solutions in the daily monitoring, planning and operations of public services. This is a great indicator that similar technology-oriented companies should take a closer look at the current trends and provide support where necessary.
Has your project achieved its intended goals? Reflecting on the implementation process, is there anything you would have done differently or any additional components you would include if given the opportunity to start again?
There are areas that could have been improved based on the lessons we learned but we still can work on them to avoid similar errors in the future. But the most we want to really improve on is creating a bridge between government offices and private organizations like ours so as to work on policies and laws that enhance collaboration and partnerships. But by also providing continuous capacity-building training and technical support we can still create the right atmosphere.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for the long-term sustainability of your project? Do you have any strategies to scale it to other cities or regions?
To mention just a few points our focus will be on two/three major directions; one is continuing collaboration with AATB, provide training and technical support where needed. The other is identifying key stakeholders and work on partnerships that will enable us to expand the digitization of public transport towards other cities and regions in Ethiopia. Finally, research and new features development that would enhance the current services AddisMapTransit is providing both as a team and the application itself.
Our main motivation was our mission and objectives that were set during our initial inception. We wanted to contribute our share towards solving mobility (specifically public transport) challenges in Addis Ababa. Furthermore, we also want to make public transport data open and accessible to all and find a sustainable means to continuously update and maintain it. For our previous experiences we knew this was capital intensive work. Hence, we never wasted a second to apply for the DT4A Innovation Challenge once we received the announcement.
Could you share the main challenges encountered during the implementation of your initiative? How did you overcome these challenges, and what valuable insights or lessons did you gain from these experiences?
We had come across challenges during the more than one year implementation journey of the DT4A Innovation Grant. Some of them are during identification of data collectors and editors. We have assessed and engaged private organizations, local mappers and finally the Addis Ababa Transport Bureau. Through these engagements we have been able to conduct mass data updates for the minibus taxis. Finally, we just completed a mass data update of the City’s buses with the Addis Ababa Transport Bureau team that was supported through a rounds of training session and field tests by AddisMapTransit and DT4A. This was the best route for us to take as it would build the Bureau’s capacity and furthermore empower them to completely shift towards data-driven planning and monitoring solutions.
