That year, she joined the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), an international non-governmental organisation that creates open geospatial data for humanitarian and disaster response. Building Africa’s own toolsThe frustration Akintola felt during the Morocco earthquake did not end with the disaster response. Ultimately, Akintola’s goal is to establish a research lab dedicated to applying geospatial technology, Earth observation and artificial intelligence to African challenges. “My intention is to start a research lab using space technology, geospatial and AI to look at how we can really solve our own problems,” she says. For Akintola, the goal is to ensure more Africans understand, invest in and build the geospatial technologies that will help solve the continent’s own problems.