NextGen Mappers is a youth-focused geospatial learning initiative developed through a partnership between The Geographic Information Systems Society of Trinidad and Tobago (GISSTT), CCRIF SPC and the Caribbean School of Data (CSOD) of Jamaica. The programme introduces high school students in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), data literacy, and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) concepts through practical, and community-based learning.
The initiative is funded through a grant provided by CCRIF SPC, which serves as the project’s funding agency and regional partner supporting disaster risk reduction and resilience-building across Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). CCRIF’s support enables the delivery of training, establishment of school GIS clubs, and implementation of student-led community mapping projects focused on hazard awareness and resilience planning.
NextGen Mappers is adapted from and builds on the Women-Centred Disaster Resilience (WCDR) in SIDS programme (Parvati Model) delivered in 2024 between CSOD and GISSTT (funded by Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT)), students will explore hazard mapping, resilience planning, and spatial data collection using accessible geospatial tools and methodologies. The programme is designed to strengthen youth participation in disaster preparedness and climate resilience while fostering pathways into STEM and geospatial careers. Participants will engage in hands-on mapping activities, collaborative projects, and school-based GIS clubs that support real-world community resilience efforts in partnership with schools, local stakeholders, and disaster management agencies.
The course aims to introduce secondary school students to GIS, open mapping, and disaster risk management (DRM), while supporting them in completing community-focused geospatial projects.
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Understand the fundamentals of GIS and its common applications in disaster risk management
- Understand the basic principles of map design, coordinate systems, and projections.
- Appreciate disaster and risk management, mitigation strategies and ways of building the disaster resilience capacity of communities, and society as a whole.
- Learn the fundamentals of the HOTOSM platform and the QGIS software tool
Who is this course for?
This course is for secondary school students, in particular those with an interest in geospatial data and its applications in disaster risk reduction with a focus on vulnerable groups. In Jamaica, the initiative is closely aligned with the GIS in Schools Education Programme (GISSEP) led by the National Spatial Data Management Branch’s (NSDMB), especially as it relates to geospatial capacity development, teacher mentorship, and student project-based learning
What do I need to know?
Participants should have basic computer skills, or equivalent digital skills training
How long is this course?
The NextGen Mappers Course is organized over 4 weeks and contains 4 modules, plus a hands-on/project component. The courses are self-contained, but together they create a learning journey focused on increasing your capacity to apply GIS tools and knowledge to disaster risk reduction. Each of the self-directed module will take approximately 1.5 – 3 hours to complete, and you should be able to complete the course within 4 weeks.
You can study the course at your own pace and we’ve designed each course to be flexible so it fits with your schedule, and you can move ahead if you have time or catch up when you need to. You should expect to spend approximately 5 – 8 hours per week for best results.
Structure of the Course
This course is broken down into three (3) modules, namely:
- Module 1 – Introduction to GIS: introduces participants to the core concepts and principles of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
- Module 2 – Disaster Management: acquire knowledge and skills pertinent to Disaster Risk Reduction, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Disaster Recovery and Rehabilitation and International Disaster Management
- Module 3 – Introduction to QGIS: a free and open source geographic information system (GIS) program that enables users to display, manage, and analyse geospatial information on the computer, and create map products
- Module 4 – Creating your DRM Map Output on QGIS: introduces the fundamentals of map composition. Participants will learn how to design a clear map layout, add a map title and legend, and export their final map.
You will complete the modules in sequence as you work through the course. Please note that all modules are locked, until the previous one is completed, so you have to completely finish each module and the related assessments in order to progress through the course.
