Transforming Cities through Data Collaboration

Local communities in Freetown, Sierra Leone, are demonstrating how collaborative data creation can transform urban planning and digital infrastructure. In this Global Mixer session, Pete Masters from the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) presented insights from the Freetown Open Drone Crew, a community-driven initiative, developed in partnership with Freetown City Council, that uses drones and open data to map the city while building local capacity and opportunity.

Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the project enabled Freetown residents to capture high-quality 2D and 3D drone imagery covering more than 80 km² of the city. The resulting datasets are accurate, affordable, and produced by the community itself, addressing critical data gaps in rapidly growing urban areas where up-to-date geospatial information is often unavailable or prohibitively expensive.

Beyond data production, the initiative places strong emphasis on skills development and economic empowerment. Local participants were trained as drone pilots and data processors, creating new income opportunities and laying the foundation for sustainable local drone and mapping services. This approach shifts data creation from external consultants to local actors, ensuring that knowledge, infrastructure, and benefits remain within the community.

The project also highlights the value of open data and global collaboration. By integrating drone imagery into open platforms such as OpenStreetMap, the data becomes accessible to city authorities, planners, NGOs, and communities alike. This shared data environment supports evidence-based urban planning, disaster preparedness, and infrastructure development, while strengthening trust and cooperation between local and international partners.

By combining community ownership, open data principles, and affordable technology, the Freetown Open Drone Crew illustrates how cities can build their own digital foundations. The initiative shows that meaningful urban digitalisation does not depend on high-cost systems, but on collaboration, capacity building, and locally grounded innovation.

This event is part of the ISCN Global Mixer, a series of events organized by the International Smart Cities Network. The presentations cover a wide range of topics related to international smart city approaches and provide exciting insights into urban digitalization worldwide - in just 30 minutes.