Geo4Impact 2025
Together, we can drive meaningful change!
27-28 May 2025 | AFD Headquarters, Paris & Online
Registration is closed.
The Call for Contributions is closed! The final agenda is now available.
We are excited to announce that the MAPME Initiative is organizing its second Geo4Impact 2025 event, hosted by AFD.
Do you want to discover engaging and reusable open geospatial solutions? Are you interested in learning how these tools can address sector-specific challenges, enhance project design, and refine evaluation and monitoring processes for greater impact?
If you work with GIS and Earth Observation in development cooperation, Geo4Impact 2025 is the event for you! This inspiring gathering brings together thought leaders, professionals, researchers, and like-minded enthusiasts who are passionate about advancing geospatial technologies within their institutions.
Explore cutting-edge open-source tools and learn how others are leveraging open geospatial data to tackle real-world challenges. Discover practical examples, connect with a vibrant community, and collaborate on creating a more sustainable and impactful future.
Join us on May 27-28 for Geo4Impact 2025—let's work together to make a difference!
The seminar emphasizes in-person participation to foster meaningful connections.
Remote attendance links:
Program Outline:
27 May |⏰ All day
| REGISTRATION 08:30 am - 09:00 am | |
| 09:00 am - 09:30 am | Introduction to the Geo4Impact Conference |
| 09:30 am - 09:45 am | NaLa Maps: An Open-Source Tool for Using Natural Language and AI to Leverage the Power of Geoinformation in Development Cooperation, Johannes Schielein (KfW) |
| 09:45 am - 10:15 am | Geospatial Analysis in Project Sustainability Monitoring and Evaluation: BOAD’s Pilot Experience, Damit Serge Didier Amany (BOAD) |
| 10:15 am - 10:45 am | Funding Equitable Digital Development: A Call to Action for Development Partners, Charl-Thom Bayer (Land Portal) |
| 10:45 am -11:00 am | Participatory Mapping and Open Data for Community Resilience, Maeve de France (CartONG) |
| BREAK 11:00 am -11:30 am | |
| 11:30 am - 11:45 am | Mapping the State of Land Degradation in a Context of Climate Change at the Scale of Geographical Areas, Birane Cisse (UCAD) |
| 11:45 am - 12:00 pm | Earth Observation for Agriculture: from Policy Dialogue to Operationalization, Alex Chunet (ESA) |
| 12:00 pm - 12:15 pm | Beyond the Dashboard: Ensuring Data Drives Real-World Change, Becky Atkins (WRI) |
| LUNCH 12:15 pm - 1:00 pm | |
| POSTER SESSION 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm | |
| 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm | Urban mobility in Lagos: Evaluating the Impact of a Large-Scale Transit Reform, Geetika Nagpal (DIME, World Bank) |
| 2:30 pm -3:00 pm | Leveraging Spatial Data for Research and Policy Dialogue: The Case of Nature Conservation Evaluation in Madagascar, Holimalala Randriamanampisoa (University of Antananarivo, CERED/UMI SOURCE) & Florent Bédécarrats (IRD/UMI SOURCE) |
| 3:00 pm -3:30 pm | Evaluating Well-being Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Spatial Perspective Across Territorial Typologies, Luis Guillermo Becerra-Valbuena (FAO) |
| BREAK 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm | |
| 4:00 pm -5:30 pm | Panel Discussion - Transforming Development Projects and Policies with Open Geospatial Data and Tools: From Design to Evaluation Fred Stolle, Director Impact Land & Carbon Lab, World Resources Institute Awa Niang Fall, Director, EDEQUE- Université Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar Antje Hecheltjen, Project Manager Geodata for Development, GIZ / GEO-LDN Helga Kuechly, Senior Advisor Conservation Geodata & Technology, WWF Franck Akouete, Program officer, OSM Togo |
| CLOSURE 5:30 pm - 6:00 pm | |
| COCKTAIL RECEPTION 6:00 pm - 7:45 pm | |
28 May |⏰ Half-day
| ARRIVAL AND COFFEE 8:30 am – 9:00 am | |
| 09:00 am - 09:30 am | Why an Open Access Book on Geospatial Impact Evaluation – and What Can You Expect? |
| 9:30 am – 11:00 am | Session 1: Exploring Methodological and Applied Advances Earth Observation, Causal Inference & Counterfactuals Anthony D’Agostino, Research Economist, International unit of Mathematica Typhoons & Economic Activity in Vietnam Kenneth Houngbedji, Researcher, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement IoT & Dust Sensors in Impact Studies Rahul Garg, Researcher, Indian Institute of Technology |
| BREAK 11:00 am -11:30 am | |
| 11:30 am – 13:00 pm | Session 2: Critical Reflections and New Directions from Recent Studies Artificial Intelligence & Geospatial Impact Evaluation Virginia Ziulu, Data scientist, Independent Evaluation Groupe, World Bank Multi-Source Data for Irrigation Evaluation in Mali Ariel Ben Yishay, Chief Economist, AidData William & Mary University One more contribution to be confirmed |
| LUNCH 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm | |
| 14:00 pm – 15:30 pm | Small Group Reflections Invitation-only Session: MAPME Steering Committee Meeting |
| BREAK 3:30 pm - 4:00 pm | |
| 4:00 pm -5:30 pm | The road Ahead for MapMe Community of Practice Invitation-only Session: Strategic Discussion on Community-Building and Next Steps |
Poster Session Details
| Infrastructure and Urban Planning | Social Inequality and Development | Biodiversity Monitoring and Conservation of Natural Resources | Other Applications of Open Geospatial Technologies |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Impact of Ethiopia’s Road Investment Program on Economic Development and Land Use: Evidence from Satellite Data, Geetika Nagpal (DIME, World Bank) | MPI+: Multidimensional Poverty Index to fight Poverty and Strengthen Livelihoods in Urban Settlements - Pilot Study in two Brazilian Favelas, Natalie Grover (Data-Pop Alliance) | WatchMyTRee: Using AI and Satellite Data to Monitor Biomass in West African Forests and Mangroves, Gabriel Fonlladosa (data354) | Enhancing Geospatial Data Management for International Development: Open Project Location and Protected Areas Models, Gabriel Frey (KfW) |
| Mapping interconnectedness - An introduction to the City-Regions Explorer platform, Andrea Cattaneo (FAO) | Mapping the Risk of Child Labour from Space with Geospatial Foundation Models and Socio-Economic Datasets, Alberto Roman (Masae Analytics) | Evaluating the Contribution of Protected Areas in Achieving Global Sustainability Goals, Sofiia Klimovich (Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre) | Mastering Geospatial Monitoring and Evaluation: A Practical Course for Evaluators, Olivier Mundy (thriveGEO) |
| High-Resolution Tracking of Building Heights, Tim Ferber (Paris School of Economics) | Reach the Unreached Initiative: Digital Technologies to Map Zero-dose and Unreached Children in West and Central Africa, Attila Lazar (University of Southampton) | Monitoring Biodiversity Impact in the Fragile Himalayan Ecosystem, Michael Anthony (vertify.earth) | Leveraging Remote Sensing: Guide of Key Indicators and Use Cases, Anca Dumitrescu (3ie) |
| Designing Air Quality Measurement Systems in Data-Scarce Settings, Geetika Nagpal (DIME, World Bank) | Augmenting Survey Data with Information from Space: The Case of Semi-Arid Morocco, Leonard Krapf (Georg-August Universität Göttingen) | Earth Observation in Development Cooperation, Michael Thiel (Earth Observation Research Cluster, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg) | To What Extent Can Open Geospatial Resources Help Us Overcome Lack of GPS Data? Geetika Nagpal (DIME, World Bank) |
While we encourage in-person attendance, seating is limited. Once we reach full capacity, virtual participation will be available for those unable to attend onsite, including those affected by capacity limits.
This free event does not cover travel or accommodation costs.
Call for Contributions - Closed
Submission Deadline
The deadline for abstract submissions is 7 March 2025.
How to apply
Review the contribution topics and guidelines before submitting your abstract. Click on the following link to send us your contribution abstract.
Selection process
Our Steering Committee will evaluate each abstract and make selections based on topic, content, and time availability. All those who submit abstracts will be notified after the selection process. Notification of the outcome of the review process is scheduled for 28 March 2025.
Contribution topics
We encourage you to submit proposals that align with the use of open GeoData and open access to GIS tools in the following themes:
- Agriculture and food security
- Biodiversity monitoring and conservation of natural resources
- Climate change and disaster resilience
- Conflicts and fragility
- Geospatial impact evaluation methods
- Infrastructure and urban planning
- Integrated land-use planning
- Mapping of socio-economic conditions
- Participatory mapping and community engagement
- Any other relevant and innovative applications of open geospatial technologies
Guidelines for abstract submissions
All contributions must be in English. Abstract submissions should include the following:
- Contribution title
- The form of contribution: Presentation (of about 20 min and 5 min of Q&A) OR Poster (displayed throughout the event)
- Speaker name(s)
- Other partners involved in the contribution (if any)
- A short summary of the contribution of maximum 100 words
- A description of any material / specific set up needed
- The mode of participation you prefer (in-person in Paris or remote). While we strongly encourage in-person attendance, virtual participation will be available for presenters unable to join us onsite.
- Travelling funded by*
*If you're facing funding challenges, please don't hesitate to reach out to us directly—we're here to help find solutions together.
We welcome both individual and group submissions and look forward to receiving innovative contributions that push the boundaries of open geospatial technologies together !
For further information, please contact us via the Contact form
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