UMGCINI - Empowering Rural Communities through Geospatial Data and Digital Connectivity

Abstract. Rural communities in South Africa confront substantial barriers to accessing and leveraging geospatial data, a critical tool for effective local governance, infrastructure planning, and sustainable development. Historically marginalized in the digital economy, these communities often lack essential technological resources, such as stable electricity and reliable internet access. The name "UMGCINI," a Xhosa term meaning "keeper" or "guardian," evokes the role of one who protects and preserves what is valuable. Translated as the "Keeper of Earth Layers," UMGCINI embodies the cultural commitment to safeguarding the land that has nurtured and sustained these communities across generations. The UMGCINI project envisions establishing robust, off-grid computing centres, empowering rural communities to manage, enrich, and maintain their geospatial data with accuracy, relevance, and accessibility. This mission also acknowledges South Africa's linguistic diversity, with its eleven official languages, underscoring the need for locally qualified, certified, and culturally adapted knowledge resources. A pilot project in Bloemfontein has demonstrated the use of DGNSS-enabled drone surveying to establish precise local controls tied to the South African geodetic framework. The aerial survey generates high-resolution (1.5 cm) geocoded imagery, ideally suited for property mapping and geodetic evaluation, achieving accuracy within 10 cm (CE90). In UMGCINI's final phase, local schools will join the initiative, further supporting language localization efforts and ensuring continuous feature validation and attribution, embedding the community's voice and expertise into the stewardship of their lands.