University of Glasgow partners UNILAG to unveil new tech for city planning

… as citizens can directly improve the mapping of their communities

The University of Glasgow partners with the University of Lagos, and others to unveil new digital tool for citizen science and participatory urban analytics to support improvements in deprived areas in cities in low and middle-income countries.

João Porto de Albuquerque, a professor at the University of Glasgow speaking on the new invention developed by the IDEAMAPS Network, said: “The IDEAMAPS Data Ecosystem project is building a participatory data ecosystem to produce deprived urban area maps routinely, accurately and at scale that can enable transformative change.

“Grounded in methods of citizen science, our platform puts people at the centre of the digital technologies we develop. Whilst exploring the data we’ve generated, users can validate it by double-clicking on grid cells. This means that they can change the data they see so that they more accurately reflect local realities.”

The platform which is led by de Albuquerque, who is chair in Urban Analytics will be launched at the World Urban Forum in Cairo on November 5, 2024.

“We use the validation of users to generate new and improved versions of our urban analytics models and thus improve the evidence base for decision making. Co-designed with our stakeholders, our platform seeks user participation at each step in its development – aiming towards a definition of technologies that offer improved and appropriate information to support city planning and participatory ‘slum’ upgrading.

“The IDEAMAPS Data Ecosystem platform (beta version) is publicly available for people to explore. We hope that the platform will engage policymakers and community representatives within each of our pilot cities – Lagos, Kano and Nairobi – and beyond, towards improved methods of mapping and improving urban deprived areas,” de Albuquerque explained.

This beta version of IDEAMAPS enables citizens to directly improve the mapping of their communities.

It aims to foster positive exchanges of data between urban scientists, communities and policymakers, helping to overcome barriers in city planning, neighbourhood improvement and ‘slum’ upgrading.

With people at the heart of the IDEAMAPS Network’s mission, it is hoped that the platform will enable community leaders, mobilisers and activists to gather better data that increases visibility about the challenges and opportunities within their neighbourhood.

Besides, it will enable city managers and policymakers to better understand ways to meet the needs of communities in their cities.

Moreover, de Albuquerque explained that researchers in Urban Science and Planning will use the data to advance public knowledge about methods of upgrading urban communities in LMICs.

Launched in 2020 with funding from a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) grant, the Network grew out of workshops hosted by the African Population and Health Research Center, Slum Dwellers International – Kenya, and UN-Habitat in Nairobi in 2019.

Projects in the IDEAMAPS network engage and link stakeholders, develop datasets of urban deprivation and foster capacity among stakeholders to use data for decision-making.

João Porto de Albuquerque is Chair in Urban Analytics at the University of Glasgow, based in the Urban Big Data Centre. Supported by the Economic and Social Research Council and the University of Glasgow, the Urban Big Data Centre is a dynamic national research hub and data service, championing the use of smart data to inform policymaking and enhance the quality of urban life.

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a local partner with the University of Glasgow, along with other African institutions. UNILAG founded in 1962, has for over five decades, provided qualitative and research-oriented education to Nigerians and all those who have entered its domain in search of knowledge by advancing transdisciplinary research for knowledge co-production in urban data analytics, climate resilience, policy formulation, and sustainable development.

Others include the Africa Centre of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP). The African Centre of Excellence for Population Health and Policy (ACEPHAP) is one of the World Bank-supported African Centre of Excellence which is aimed at strengthening interdisciplinary approaches to promote population health outcomes through training and research for evidence-informed policy development in West and Central Africa.

African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC): The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a premier research-to-policy institution, generating evidence, strengthening research and related capacity in the African research and development ecosystem, and engaging policy to inform action on health and development.