The UN Mapper of the month - December 2023
Meet Sakshi Verma, our December 2023 Mapper of the month. Sakshi was a standout student from the course we held with the Radhanath Sikdar Institute of Geospatial
Science & Technology (RSIGST) in Kolkata, India. While new to OpenStreetMap, we anticipate her valuable contributions and growth in the mapping community. Read her inspiring journey!
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Sakshi, a second-year student of the Post Graduate Degree in Geography from CSRD, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. I am a person with a huge interest in geography and mapping since my school days. My academic background has equipped me with a solid foundation in Geography and its subfields, especially geospatial analysis and remote sensing techniques.
How did you know about UN Mappers?
While doing my research internship under Shahid Gulzar, Research Professor at the RSIGST, I got to know about UN Mappers. They introduced me to the OpenStreetMap community, assisting the UN peacekeepers by generating and providing topographic data of remote or required geographical units to them.
You participated in the training organised by UN Maps in collaboration with SAIARD/RSIGST. How did it seem to you? Which topic did you find the most interesting?
I really enjoyed this course while learning a lot from Rachele, the coordinator for this course. Being a geographer and a passionate cartographer, I always look for opportunities to learn new techniques to map the thematic and physical parameters of the globe, and this course taught me a lot in that regard. The most interesting thing about this course was that it covered a long list of techniques from software to easily handled applications. This course made me understand the importance of mapping in major dynamics of the world, from economic to political.
When do you map? (Weekends, free time, in your working time?)
I am usually very busy with my academic schedule, mapping during the weekends or sometimes late at night.
Do you enjoy mapping? Why?
While my academic pursuits have immersed me in the captivating world of physical and human geography, my diverse set of hobbies adds a colorful layer to my character. Whether it's conducting research on urbanization trends or exploring the intricacies of cultural landscapes, I find joy in unraveling the stories woven into our geographical tapestry. I love to explore the geomorphological and meteorological dynamics of the world with the help of remote sensing and geospatial techniques. Mapping is my biggest passion, a gift from my discipline, Geography.
In which countries do you map the most?
Generally, I like to work on all countries and regions, but most of the time, I map the Indian subcontinent and some African countries.
