I had the incredible opportunity to serve as one of the primary organizers for the inaugural YouthMappers Bangladesh Summit 2023 in my role as the Executive of the hosting chapter, YouthMappers at Eastern University, Bangladesh. Amazing experience with great instructors.

After a productive meeting with local chapter leaders in Bangladesh and a successful community gathering in September, the official announcement of the summit was made, and December 2, 2023, was marked as the date.

As October commenced, the call for participation resonated across chapters, resulting in an overwhelming response. With a capacity for 140 participants from 14 chapters, the 4 local chapters – Eastern University, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul University, and the University of Rajshahi – served as co-hosting partners.

The inauguration, led by myself, featured esteemed guest speakers and keynote speakers, including Mr Tasauf A Baki Billah, Executive Director of Bangladesh Open Innovation Lab; Mr Azizul Alam, Vice-president of Geo-Informatics, Product & Technology Division at bKash Limited; Prof. Dr. Sheikh Tawhidul Islam, Director of Institute of Remote Sensing and GIS at Jahangirnagar University; and Prof. Dr. Md. Mahfuzur Rahman, Dean of Faculty of E & T at Eastern University. The summit special guest and key speaker was Mr. Mohammad Ali Azzam, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Eastern University and Mr. Prof. Dr. Shahid Akter Hossain, Vice-chancellor of Eastern University.

The summit’s middle phase showcased renowned global resource persons such as Professor Taichi Furuhashi from Aoyama Gakuin University (School of Global Studies and Collaboration), Dr. Can Unen, Nirab Pudasaini and Honey Fombuena from Open Mapping Hub - Asia Pacific, alongside valuable Bangladeshi resource persons Mr Azizul Alam, Fazle Rabbi, Atikur Rahman, and Samsul Arafin. Workshops covered diverse topics, including democratization of maps, backend web mapping for beginners, hazard exposure mapping, OSRM, innovation with open mapping, geodata collection, and advanced mapping tips and tricks. Chapters presented annual reports, and participants shared insights in lightning talks.

The summit’s climax featured a keynote address by Pete Masters, Special Projects Lead of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, delivering a powerful speech to boost the YouthMappers Bangladesh community. The closing remarks were delivered by the Lead Coordinator of OpenStreetMap Bangladesh and the Executive Director of Bangladesh Open Innovation Lab, Mr. Tasauf A Baki Billah, outlining future initiatives.

I extend my sincere appreciation to Dr. Patricia Solis, Director of YouthMappers, and Marcela Zeballos, Managing Director of YouthMappers, for their steadfast support.