Latest Contributions by WilliamTarpai

Hello Charlie Fitzpatrick,  Thanks for posting the stop-gap.   Hope we can renew interest in the top of Geo Mentors.   A colleague of mine in Kenya mentioned she could probably interest several current Kenyatta University students to become Geo Mentors for high school students just learning about mapping and spatial analysis, but definitely interested in helping to improve living conditions in their rural Kenya villages. ... View more

Thanks Dr Kerski,   I have been exploring ESRI. Community, and when I found your July 2019 post, I was really pleased as it addresses the problem I was working on this evening - preparing materials on GIS for beginners.  I'm decidedly handicapped not knowing more about the high schools and universities in Kenya, but I really liked what you posted so many years ago as it is relevant to my needs at the moment.   ... View more

Entering the ESRI Community Contest 2025 started taking focus for me when I was preparing for the one month GEO APPS MOOC in late March.  I was exploring Community posts, really trying to find like-minded people interested in getting involved with global sustainable development issues.  For example those who might already be contributors to the SDG Geospatial Learning Lab.  Increasing the successful SDG outcomes through Mapping team  Hold on, a quick review so we can all be on the same page, spend time reviewing the Outcome Documents from the 2024 Summit of the Future =The Pact of the Future - Global Digital Compact - the Declaration on Future Generations   The only prize I had ever wanted to win any recognition has been the UNHCR Nansen Award - Supporting refugees  because I worked in so many conflict prone nations during my career with UNHCR.  But now I'm going to give this a try..... ... View more

Wow, Really appreciate this post as I work with Kenyan NGO colleagues, advocating to improve rural community development efforts.  Having just completed a one month Geo Apps MOOC, in advance of the arrival of a shipping container filled with  20,000+ Books for Africa books and equipment, we are preparing our mapping efforts.   Our maps and apps will be focused to work on Bomet County, Kenya,   Developing a GIS tutorial to help our local NGO staff as we work with teachers and community leaders to improve educational opportunities for students growing up in rural areas is on top of my agenda.  Working collaboratively with members in this community is something I hope can flower over the coming months. A word of warning though:  allow me to urge readers to open this link Why is the US in opposition to the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals challenge   This work is all about speeding up the pace for achieving successful SDG outcomes in rural Kenya during the rest of this decade. I am seeking experienced ARCGIS online collaborators, who may also have experience using Geo Apps.   If you would like clarification or more info for getting involved, post a comment below.  Finally, the timeline for submitting the final draft of our GIS tutorial for Bomet County is 1 June, 2025.   ... View more

Learning how to navigate within this community takes lots of time and patience, but it is really a neat platform. ... View more

Happy I put in the work to get an ESRI Certificate for the Geo Apps 1 month MOOC, and have now started CREATING AN ARCGIS STORY MAP - (only 2 hours 35 minutes).  My Kenyan colleagues, especially students at Kenyatta University with mapping skills, will begin collaborating with Safina to develop apps that can be field tested as the books are being distributed in rural Kenya.   Anyone interested in getting involved, post a reply with an email address and I'll continue you. ... View more

Thanks for refreshing my memory on excel, and helping me to learn about ARCGIS.online.... ... View more

Thanks @DavidMurray_ODWC   I'm mid-way through the ESRI Geo Apps MOOC, as containers filled with 166,000+ books are making their way by sea to Mombasa for distribution in rural Kenya.   very helpful response you posted that I'll share with the NGO team members, some with mapping experience, but most convinced of the need to develop mapping and spatial analysis skill sets while they work on rural development   https://safinaempowerment.org  ... View more

Thanks @TonyContreras_Frisco_TX    great response - very helpful to me today as I begin to work as a mentor to a Kenyan NGO involved in rural development https://safinaempowerment.org  ... View more

Hello Katie_Decker,   Are you still monitoring this page?   I'm currently taking the ESRI Geo Apps MOOC helping out a Kenyan NGO that will soon receive a 40 foot container filled with books for rural libraries and schools.  best wishes.  William.  (p.s.  I live about 16 miles from ESRI HQ in Redlands.... any chance of meeting there?) ... View more

I am currently mentoring, the team leader of a Kenyan NGO ( https://safinaempowerment.org ) that will soon be receiving containers of books (sent by Minnesota (Minneapolis) based NGO - Books for Africa - https://www.booksforafrica.org/ )  At the moment, I am mid-way through the one month ESRI Geo Apps MOOC, and looking for experienced mappers interested in gaining real-time experiences working with people in rural areas, who don't always have good access to electricity, internet or other things most of us take as given.    I'm urging consortium members (whether mentors or mentees) who have some experience with creating and successfully operating geo apps to consider giving us a hand.... ... View more

@EvanGPetrie Coming into this conversation a bit late, and I hope you have decided to make life-long learning important to you.  But from my perspective, a Master's degree really can open doors, even in the GIS field.   But I tend to agree with @RyanUthoff in the number of ways.   Having a professional career, as a US government and then United Nations professional officer, was really exciting for me.  Without an MA, it would NOT have been possible.   I lived and worked in more than a dozen countries for more than a year, so spent lots of time enjoying new cultures and learning languages.  If you are a stay-near-home kind of guy, perhaps a MA/MS may not be needed. But some of the most exciting and high paying jobs are be taken by those who want to travel and see the world, especially if they have GIS education.  Today, you can fill your resume with lots of real-time mapping and spatial analysis experiences related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles.  I have posted a link to the 2024 SD Report and rankings, but the 2025 report will be coming out soon.   Ponder working in some of these places, especially with GIS skills and real-time experiences.... ... View more

I saw a post this morning by James Akello  2:55 AM from Kenya Hello William,  I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for sharing the incredible news regarding the shipment of five containers of books for Africa headed to Mombasa on behalf of Safina Development Organisation. Your dedication to this initiative, along with the efforts of Safina Empowerment Organisation, is truly inspiring and demonstrates your profound commitment to improving education in rural Kenya. Your work at the UN and your involvement in driving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) forward is commendable. The impact of providing access to quality education cannot be overstated, and your efforts exemplify the crucial role that knowledge sharing plays in achieving these global ambitions. I also admire your connection with the behavioral science initiatives within the UN Innovation Network. Understanding how individuals make decisions and engage with programs is essential for enhancing strategies for collaboration and development. Your insights in this area will surely contribute to more effective approaches in our collective pursuit of sustainable solutions. Thank you once again for keeping us informed and for your unwavering commitment to facilitating positive change. Your leadership inspires many, and we look forward to seeing how these books will transform lives in Kenya.  Warm regards   ... View more

Hello,  I'm enrolled AND even more important today, have completed and submitted both my 2024 US and California tax submissions, so will be able to devote more time to this course.   I am pleased that at least 2 Kenyan colleagues will be joining me.  We all support SAFINA EMPOWERMENT ( https://safinaempowerment.org/ ) and are very interested in helping contribute to rural development efforts in Kenya.     One of our first joint projects will be to map and analyze distribution of 20,000+ books being sent by Books for Africa ( https://www.booksforafrica.org/index.html ) We are still not sure which of the 4 apps will be most useful in our first collaborative efforts, but are pretty certain we will be using all 4 for our efforts to improve rural development SDG successes over time. ... View more