Ideas worth spreading

My journey mapping the uncharted world

1,369,272 views | Tawanda Kanhema • TED Salon: Brightline Initiative

Significant pieces of the globe are literally not on the map: they're missing from the most widely used mapping platforms, like Google Street View, leaving communities neglected of vital services and humanitarian aid. In this globetrotting talk, photographer Tawanda Kanhema takes us along on his journey to map 3,000 miles of uncharted areas in Zimbabwe, Namibia and northern Canada -- and shows how we can all contribute to building a more connected world.

Significant pieces of the globe are literally not on the map: they're missing from the most widely used mapping platforms, like Google Street View, leaving communities neglected of vital services and humanitarian aid. In this globetrotting talk, photographer Tawanda Kanhema takes us along on his journey to map 3,000 miles of uncharted areas in Zimbabwe, Namibia and northern Canada -- and shows how we can all contribute to building a more connected world.

This talk was presented at a TED Salon event given in partnership with Brightline Initiative. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TED Salons.

Start mapping. Help communities by participating in Humanitarian OpenStreetMap's open-source mapping exercises.

About the speaker

Tawanda Kanhema

Photographer, digital strategist

See speaker profile

Tawanda Kanhema puts cities on the map with the goal of improving digital inclusion by accelerating the distribution of technology solutions in places where they are most needed.

Jill Desimini and Charles Waldheim | Princeton Architectural Press, 2016 | Book

Cartographic Grounds: Projecting the Landscape Imaginary

Are our maps equipped to account for change? Is it time to go back to the drawing board and overhaul traditional cartographic techniques? This beautifully illustrated book takes a critical look at the current state of mapmaking and provides a visual guide to some of the cartographic techniques and logics that have shaped our understanding of the world.

Tim Marshall | Scribner Book Company, 2016 | Book

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About The World

Tim Marshall takes a very pragmatic look at how geography influences state behavior. Using maps as a narrative device and guide, Marshall demonstrates how the geopolitical trends that define our time are a product of the seemingly mundane physical realities around us.

Laura Vaughan | UCL Press, 2019 | Book

Mapping Society: The Spatial Dimensions of Social Cartography

Understanding society requires us to have an intimate knowledge of its individual components. What would that look like through the lens of a social cartographer? Vaughan takes a close look at how maps that represent a broad range of aspects of society can deepen our understanding of social patterns, from disease to social relations.

Matthew H. Edney | University of Chicago Press, 2019 | Book

Cartography: The Ideal and Its History

A good primer on the fundamentals of mapmaking. In this book, Edney invites us to reassess our approach to the creation of maps.

Christian Harder and Clint Brown | Esri Press, 2017 | Book

The ArcGIS Book: 10 Big Ideas About Applying The Science of Where

A hands-on guide to powerful tools used to create maps that power some of the systems and applications we use every day. With interactive resources, salient case studies and insights from industry thought leaders, this book is a great introduction to how software maps have emerged as a powerful tool for storytelling and a foundation for business, research and humanitarian applications.

Chloee Weiner | NPR, 2019 | Article

"He's Trying To Fill In The Gaps On Google Street View -- Starting With Zimbabwe"

About TED Salon

TED Salons welcome an intimate audience for an afternoon or evening of highly-curated TED Talks revolving around a globally relevant theme. A condensed version of a TED flagship conference, they are distinct in their brevity, opportunities for conversation, and heightened interaction between the speaker and audience.

Read more about TED Salons

This talk was presented at a TED Salon event given in partnership with Brightline Initiative. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TED Salons.

Start mapping. Help communities by participating in Humanitarian OpenStreetMap's open-source mapping exercises.