I made it all the way to Gaborone, Botswana from Cape Town today.

I woke early so I could meet with Nadia Smith from Stellenbosch University, in the Western Cape. We met last year at the SCGIS meeting in California. At the time she was with Peace Parks Foundation, now she is working toward her PhD. involving remote sensing (satellite and aerial captured images of the earth) applications. We had coffee at the airport, and discussed the “state of GIS” in South Africa, as well as ways we may be able to foster a chapter of SCGIS (www.scgis.org) for the Western Cape area. (South Africa is too big to get a single chapter going…)

I was also able to donate an Student Edition of ArcGIS 9.1 to The University, on behalf of The ESRI Conservation Program.

Made the plane to Jo’Burg, and then one to Gaborone… Kyle Good, from Cheetah Conservation Botswana, picked me up, and within one hour, I was greeted by a beautiful, purring Cheetah.

There at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve, they have two tame Cheetah living in a protected area as part of their education and outreach work – see their website for more about this fantastic and meaningful approach to practical solutions for a species having significant challenges to it’s habitat – www.cheetahbotswana.com – what a greeting I had… (and one of the friendliest and hassle-free international airports I have ever passed through – seems like Santa Fe, and so does the place). They also received a copy of ArcGIS 9.1, the “awards ceremony” pictured below…

I had my first Ostrich that night, prepared by an experienced chef, and  I must say it was quite good, and did not taste like Chicken!

Latitude 34.24 Longitude 18.30!

Yes, Ostirch!

I had my running gear with me, so I took a nice long run – I liked the feeling I got running along the coast where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet… I was deep in thought when I came upon some baboons! I drove back up the east side of the cape, and back to town. This entire day was a treat for the eyes.

Next day was Sunday – I was going to find a church to visit, something I like to do in foreign lands, but I decided to go on a slightly different quest, still connected to my sprit and passion…
Robben Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for (I think) 27 years. The main waterfront has a museum dedicated to the anti-apartheid struggle, so I started there. Here are several pictures of some of the posters that were (illegally at the time) distributed through the years. Also included are some photos of the photos they had up – I really liked how comfortable they were with me taking pictures. They clearly want people to know about this time in South Africa’s history.

This last photo captures the same feeling that I see in the famous US photo from Kent State… Very interesting museum.

Then we boarded a ferry for the short trip out to the island, in all about 120 people on the tour. Wow, they are still good at processing people here! In very short time, we were boarded onto four buses for a tour of the island itself, each bus with a very knowledgeable guide.

First prisoners, 1960’s

This was the hole in the quarry where the prisoners were able to talk freely, unbeknownst to the guards… it is said that this is where South Africa’s new government was formed…

…Then we entered the prison, and the mood shifts dramatically to somber… Our guide for this segment is a former political prisoner, who for about 30 minutes, shares his story about what life was like here. There were about 30 of us in this room.

Two white South African men on the tour, their wives by their side, each spoke-up and shared what it was like for them during the 80’s and early 90’s. They had two mandatory years of government service, which meant that they were charged with enforcing apartheid. This was a very moving time for everyone there, and I sense that those guys got a just a little closure on some feelings they have carried for some time…

Then we saw the famous courtyard, and Nelson Mandela’s cell…

Freedom!

Very interesting time here for me. I was following the news of the day with interest back then, and it was good to see these places. It seems to me we westerners don’t experience much African history or news…

Next day, I just moved around the area, talking pictures and shooting video – suddenly I saw a shop that rented surfboards… and that was it… Yesterday I got to surf in the Atlantic, in (for me) heavy surf, and this morning a much gentler day in the Indian Ocean…

On the conservation side of my work, I met with two groups here – more on that later!

I leave for Botswana in the morning… so here’ my last (for a while) sunset from Cape Town…

I also saw Harare, Zimbabwe, and a good deal of Kruger National Park, South Africa as we descended into Johannesburg.

“You’ve been in Kenya & Uganda?” asks the Immigration officer… “Please present your Yellow Fever vaccination document” – which had been strategically placed in my desk drawer at home…  I was able to reach the airport medical services, and get an immunization (for a price), and make my way into South Africa, clear customs, and recheck my bag for Cape Town. A few hours later, I’m in a right-hand drive car, headed into town in search a place to stay and some rest time. I end-up in Camp’s Bay, just south of Cape Town proper. Very nice, small seaside community Here’s the view from my place…

I made it to Entebbe, Uganda at night, and when a miscue with my pick-up was clear, I jumped into a Sheraton Hotel Van, certain that I would at least have a safe & comfortable landing, with access to phone and email to get connected with the SCGIS member, Fortunate Muyambi, who is my contact here. An hour later, we arrived in Kampala, the capitol City. Next day was incredibly stormy, power knocked out, and the hotel generators fired up. I got a local simm card for my phone — a great move for those of you traveling internationally, take your phone, and get a card in each country you visit. Locals will be much more accessible, and available to call you back if needed.

Fortunate and I connected the next day, and after making a plan, we were off to the headquarters of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA). Here we net with several officials and staff who are using GIS (among many applications), to track Silverback Gorilla movement within the National Parks. I was able to provide an evaluation copy of ArcGIS 9.1 to Fredrick Wanyama at UWA, on behalf of the ESRI Conservation Program.

We also had some time to discuss the ability of ArcGIS to handle the various geographic projections they use in Uganda, and how they can permanently migrate to ArcGIS from the older ArcView 3.2 software. It’s always a tough move for people to change to software they are less familiar with, but as the advantages are discovered (a personal journey), it becomes easy to use the newer version.

Later, we stopped by the ESRI Uganda Distributor, Amadra ori-Okido’s office, and let him know what SCGIS Uganda will be up to in the next few months…pic below.

Fortunate works for the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund, the organization founded by Diane Fossey. Her work to monitor the life and habitat of the Silverback Gorilla is still carried on by a team here in Uganda, and by dedicated group in the US . We were to travel to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinag Gorilla National Park in the south western part of Uganda, to run a training class for wardens and rangers. Due to the combination of my tight schedule, and some last minute problems in the parks, we were unable to make the drive west. Plan B was engaged – Fortunate and I went to the University of Makerere in Kampala, and set-up at the department of Wildlife Biology for a day of SCGIS Uganda chapter-building strategy. Cool display of Hippo and Ostrich skeletons too!

I am traveling with and sharing documents which will help local SCGIS leaders get organized, announce meetings, make presentations, and create the momentum to get Conservation GIS users connected to one another for support, data sharing, and even training. I also donated some training materials and data, on behalf of AllPoints GIS, to the soon to be SCGIS Uganda. Pictured are Fortunate and myself with the formal presentation of software, on behalf of the ESRI Conservation Program.

It was a busy three days. I also happened upon a World Tobacco Free Day Parade headed down the street, complete with a marching band in the lead – they were playing “When the Saints Go Marching In…”

Later, I went back to Entebbe, and found a room at the Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel to sleep before an early flight. Funny place – then US President Clinton and Current George W. Bush have been to this facility, but all I saw was this guy…

So today I have a meeting with The staff of African Conservation Center, which went well, and then off to meet the Kenya ESRI distributor, Willy Simons, of Okar Services Ltd. We discuss the state of GIS in Kenya, and the needs of cooperation with software companies and conservation practitioners (who typically have little money for software. It’s a delicate balance to keep everyone happy and working, and I will have insight to bring back to ESRI headquarters in California. A few errands, farewell to new friends, and I’m on the way to the airport for my flight to Uganda, once again with David the Taxi Man…

I get a meal and some nice conversation with some locals visiting the lodge for a children’s’ birthday party, and again, everyone is interested and supportive of the work I am doing here.

Linus picks me up at 6:30 am to go on an excursion into the park to see wild animals. We had a great six hour ride, and saw wild dogs, vultures, buffalo, giraffe, ostrich, and many other critters, but the loins were hiding, along with the rhino, hippo, and cheetah, all of which are living in the shadow of the city.

Back at the lodge, I rested, wrote some email (to send later), and then went walking around to take some pics and enjoy the evening light. Nduni, the Masai head of security for the lodge checked-in with me, and next thing I know, we are off the grounds and I’m chasing him through the bush to go find the giraffe… We work with broken English and hand signals to have a good conversation while we walk quickly towards the giraffe – I don’t know how he knows where they are, but we get to a clearing, and there they are…

It’s getting dark, and Nduni wants to cross the river, go back into the park, to get me closer than this pic offered. As much as I would love to have the skills and instinct he has, I’m thinking it’s better to get back to the lodge. These guys don’t think twice about spending days in the bush – they know where to sleep, and they know how to avoid getting eaten while they live in tune with their livestock and the wild animals. He thinks, and understands that I’m a ‘little green” when it comes to night hikes in lion country… He came by for a nice visit while I had dinner.

Other participants include staff from Save the Elephants www.savetheelephants.org, Amboseli Baboon Research Project, National Museums of Kenya, ESF Consultants www.esfconsultants.org, and GreenBelt Movement www.greenbeltmovement.org
This last one is well known for it’s Women’s Tree Planting project, headed by Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Professor Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan activist who founded an Africa-wide movement that empowered women, confronted corrupt officials and planted millions of trees in ravaged forestland…

We get an early start on Friday morning, and keep moving at a fine pace. This class is only 7 students, and they all have some GIS experience – we are mainly getting them tuned to ArcGIS 9, as they have been using ArcView 3, along with most the conservation community in most developing countries. At lunch Lucy calls a shop about fixing my laptop monitor, still dead. I back everything up on the portable hard drive I am carrying, and off goes my machine into the streets of Nairobi. I finish the day using Lucy’s desktop for the presentations. Later that evening, my laptop shows up with a new monitor for Ksh $8000, about a hundred bucks… amazing, and I can work at night again!

The course went well. And now my total number of students is 82, from 14 different organizations – I hope to far exceed my goal of 100 students in six countries. I’m calling the trip “Service for Africa”.

After a wild time getting software installed, and my laptop started (now with no monitor), we began a two-day ArcGIS workshop. I am able to use and external monitor, in this case the projector, to run my laptop and teach the class. The place is filled with 17 eager participants from several organizations, primarily Nature Kenya, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and the Forest Management Team. We had a big two days, and in the end I got them all making maps with their data, and made sure they were comfortable with some of the projection and conversion work I did on it. I do emphasize two main components of learning GIS; software skills, and as important, data familiarity and management skills. I could resist adding my two cents to the suggestion box, after I was paid (just kidding!)

The following photos show two of the community building programs Nature Kenya is providing, to help local people find economic opportunities the rely on and preserve on of the only (tiny) patches of virgin forest left along the coast. In short, there are bee-keeping workshops and support, and the same for butterfly farming (to sell the pupa for silk). The bee’s work is for honey production – we were there in the very hot mid-day sun, so we were warned to stay clear of the active hives… this one was waiting to be restored after ants successfully raided it…

At the butterfly farm, people are taught how to catch various species of butterfly in the forest, and bring them into a “pen”, which is well stocked with the species of trees and bush they prefer for laying eggs. The process of hatching, caterpillar, to pupa is monitored until the pupa are abandoned, and collected for sale at market, where they are turned into silk…

See you next time…

Now on the ground, under African sky… Paul Simon tunes from 20 years ago drift in my mind…I didn’t have enough cash to get my visa at customs, so while they held my passport, immigration let me walk into the country, through customs to the ATM (man I hope this works), and back.

Later that night, Gracias guest house, Nairobi. Amazing that I got to THIS place… I was greeted by “David the Taxi Man” at the airport, and off we went… again I am pleased with the welcoming spirit of everyone I meet. I had a nice rest, and I was back to the airport to fly down to the coast near Malindi. Greetings and warm welcomes at the tiny Malindi airport, and we drive south to A Rocha Kenya, a conservation guest house 100 meters from the Indian Ocean at Watamu National Marine Park. These were two of my first sights there…

And just when I was hoping to get underwater to see the reef, one of the resident monkey researchers asked if I wanted to go snorkeling…

Nice arrival, and a good Sunday evening was had getting the basics of kswahili figured-out.

On the plane to Kenya, just had a wonderful shot crossing over the Congo River… I’m on the left side of the plane, window seat, heading east, just over the equator if my internal map & compass is tracking correctly. I’ve had the Congo off my left shoulder for over an hour, the river must be about 30 miles off, and I’ve seen several hundred miles of it. It’s getting smaller, and turning north as we head up the basin - I am enjoying the feeling I have as we approach Kenya. My thoughts go to childhood, to some very early memories…the first animals of my awareness were a beagle dog and her pups, all named for the African nations of the day, as my father’s work involved the independence and politics of many African nations. Congo was my favorite, likely because I could pronounce it… I feel a sense of homecoming somehow…like I have finally connected to influences my father provided to me. All the slideshows of his travels in Tanzania, the books I would thumb through in his office… I do want to thank you Mom & Dad, for all you have done that has shaped me, both of you. I will do good work, with the best of intention, in great part because you taught me to…

My last day here was a great one - slept well for the first time since I arrived, and everyone was in a fine mood at the training center. For you GIS folks, we had a big day with raster data yesterday, and the final day was on vector analysis, and then incorporating both in ModelBuilder.

Finished the class, and got back to hotel to write this, and pack for Kenya. OJ Creppy called me from the hotel lobby — he came over just to say good-bye. I will miss the people I know here, and the feeling I have in their presence.

What a day here… With all the positive intentions of all those around me, I’ve been doing  circles the last three days, “Simply” trying to pay for my ticket to Kenya/Uganda/Zimbabwe (not part of my ticket to and from the continent). I learned that Nigeria is a cash society – debit cards are in limited use, and I saw one the other day, but rarely is a credit card seen or accepted. Cash or check only, and there seems to be pride and honor in the use of checks - I have none with me. I had a driver (public transport is not advised) take me to the downtown Kenya Airways ticket office at lunch today, the only place where I can use my credit card to purchase the ticket. I went past the soldiers, through security, and up the elevator with the elevator pilot, to the doorman, who produced a sheet of paper with perforated lines on it. He handed me a tiny slip that said “63” on the back. He opened the door, and there I was with 30 or 40 new friends… I’m on an hour and a half lunch break, and it took 40 min to get there, so I’m working with a net 10… After 15 minutes, someone shouts “Number 56?”. I leave.

My plane is in two days, and I make plan B, which features another impossible scenario, get a cash advance on my credit card at a bank. My net 10 was correct, and I was 5 minutes late coming back from lunch. Next break, I’m getting that look at the bank… Ah, maybe I can (plan C)…nope. How about (plan D)… no way… I walking back to the training room, where by now my students are aware of my situation. Jude stands up and basicly says, “I’ll be back with your cash, you can wire the money to me.” It’s a pricey set of flights, and in no time, I’m back to the original agent, who says they canceled my reservation since I hadn’t paid for it yet. We get it back, and I hand over the cash… (truly, this is the short version!) I am experiencing SO much good-will here, and I’m giving it back as fast as I can. I will find some way, in addition to saying it, to express my appreciation…

Catfish in a tomato sauce perfectly spiced, coconut rice, and some wonderful vegetables — we talk of their meeting as teens, staying in touch through the Nigerian civil war (69-71), his surviving malaria, and then their reconnecting and marriage. A very special couple, and endearing hosts. Thanks Peter and Adaobi! They capped-off a wonderful night with a gift of a traditional Nigerian Buba’ (shirt & pants). My driver, and my new friends at the hotel all wanted to take it from me!

I moved to a new hotel last weekend, to be closer to the next job, and got to stop and visit the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, who were awarded a GIS software grant by ESRI through me (pics & story on next blog). I grabbed a quick picture by the sign, and went in to meet this guy, known to be over 100 years old!

Next stop is to work with Chevron Nigeria for a few days, to work with their GIS staff, who initiated the connection for me to work with the ecological center. They also paid for my ticket here. 

I came in on a Monday night, and got a little rest – woke on local time and found some coffee and a bite to eat… then got a call from my driver, OJ Creppy, pictured…”drew mon, time to go!”

OJ is a wonderful rep for Nigeria He’s my guide, my protector, and now a true friend… So, everywhere I go people ask about the length of my stay, if I’ve been here before, and how it’s going. I have nothing but a positive response and admiration for them, and all the people here. It appears to be one of those places where society is way ahead of government in terms of where they want to go, and who they are. Most conversations contain big smiles, and end with a comment like “…we still have a long way to go, but we are getting there…” I really like the energy of EVERY conversation.

I’ve been at The University of Lagos (UNILAG) all week. I am the delivery man for a large software and hardware donation from Chevron and ESRI, for the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem (GCLME) project http://www.gclme.org/start.htm . The sixteen West African country project has been awarded 40 computers, a big server, and lots of other hardware, courtesy of Chevron, and a significant GIS software match from ESRI. I have been tasked with installing the software, and training the project team in core GIS functionality, as well as how to “train the trainers” for the center as it become a resource for West Africa.

Yesterday was the big presentation and press event. Really fun and endearing to see this two-year vision of Dr. Peter Nwilo, and others, come to fruition. Here are a few pics from the event, including The Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos and myself, the local ESRI rep, and attendees…

It feels good to be back on a campus. I feel an energy on campuses all over the world, and this is no exception. 35,000 students attending - I really like meeting all the students and faculty – Dr. Nwilo introduces me to 20 people a day, all with names new to my tongue…

Now we are almost finished with the training, and I will more on to my next event here next week, before moving on to Kenya…

THE BIG News! Oil Pipeline explodes in Lagos, Nigeria!
So I’m riding with OJ Creppy on the way to work this morning, and we turn to head up the coast to the University… I see a big, nasty plume in the air, and ask OJ what it is as I take this pic…

He doesn’t know, but we are sure it’s something serious… If you saw tonight’s news, you saw about 200 people were estimated to be killed by a pipeline blast caused by people stealing from a pipeline. Details are unsure, but it seems people routinely puncture highly volatile fuel lines for cooking, and reselling. There is now new attention to the lopsided economy here, where big profits are made in the Niger Delta, yet very little of this money ever sees the people of this country…

The ride home was wild – I saw fights, car crashes, chickens on the butcher’s block…

and a vibe I hadn’t seen all week. Got to the hotel, worked-out, and saw the full moon… now it makes sense.

More soon, must sleep! Drew

After several days of packing and planning, gathering equipment, software, backing up data, printing, boxing, and shipping, I’m on the way.

Why Africa now? I will be attempting to accomplish several things on this trip First, I’ll be lending a hand to conservation groups in six countries, that are using, or want to use GIS in accomplishing their own missions – simple as that. Most of these groups have computers, and software has been granted to them, but the stuff is not that simple to get started with, so training and database planning are the components missing or hard to get. I’ve contacted some of these groups to help-out. More on each group as I travel.

I’ll also be collecting information on what sort of GIS assistance conservation groups in this part of the world need, to begin tracking that against trends in other parts of the world, and also to see if the Service at Sea program is gearing up to solve the right problems in our plans to begin circumnavigating next year.

I will be collecting as much photo, video, and GIS data as possible, in hopes to put it all on a big map of the continent, accessible online with ESRI’s new ArcGIS Explorer product, in order to see where this work is being done, and to help illustrate to folks how connected and close together it all is. This information will also be used in slideshows and lectures for educators, potential funders, and people like you!

ESRI has been a great resource for getting software to me to share with the groups I’ll be working with, and Chevron has been very generous in buying my roundtrip ticket to Africa.

Here’s the general itinerary:

Country Dates Organization Website

Nigeria 5/8 - 5/20 Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem Project http://www.gclme.org/start.htm

Kenya 5/20 - 5/27 Nature Kenya Arabuko-sokoke Forest Management http://www.naturekenya.org/foasf.htm

Uganda 5/27 - 6/2 Soft Power - Malaria Health Mapping Project http://www.softpowerhealth.org/

Uganda 5/27 - 6/2 Mountain Gorilla Conservation Fund http://www.mgcf.net/

Zimbabwe 6/2 - 6/7 Chinhoyi University http://www.cut.ac.zw/

Botswana 6/7 - 6/12 Kuru Family of Organizations http://www.kuru.co.bw/

Botswana 6/7 - 6/12 Cheetah Conservation Botswana http://www.cheetahbotswana.com

South Africa 6/12 - 6/17 Peace Parks Foundation/ Southern African Wildlife College http://www.peaceparks.org/

The blog starts here:

First change of plan came in Frankfurt, where I had a close connection to Lagos, Nigeria… as we taxied in to the gate, they told “anyone traveling to Lagos, you have been rebooked through Milan, Italy…” Oh well, never been… I’m writing this from the Milan flight, and I now know I need to go to Italy to trace my roots there…