El Mapa de Lumbisí, Ecuador

This was a volunteer project I did while studying abroad in Spring, 2016 and is my first international map! From January to May 2016 I lived in a small indigeneous just outside of Quito, Ecuador while studying at Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Upon arriving I found that there was little to no street data available for the community and that there was no digitally available community boundary. The town is situated in an area that has always been prone to earthquakes and volcanoes. I found it essential to add this street data and create the map in order to have better emergency preparedness. Adding the frontera, or community boundary, was also essential. In developing countries such as Ecuador, and especially outside urban hubs like Quito, boundary disputes for land acquisitions are common. These land acquisitions usually work against small communities like Lumbisí. Creating a map for the community and the digital version of their boundary allows them to plan more efficiently and protects them from anyone that may take advantage of an uncertain boundary.