Empowering Women in Geospatial AI through Mentorship, Leadership, and Capacity Building

At OpenGeoAI Bharat, we believe that gender inclusivity is foundational to innovation. Women bring critical perspectives, leadership strength, and diverse thinking to the geospatial and AI ecosystem. Our initiative, "Women in OpenGeoAI", is a dedicated movement to empower women professionals, students, and entrepreneurs in India to lead, innovate, and transform the future of Geospatial Intelligence and AI for public good.

We aim to create safe, inclusive, and opportunity-rich environments where women thrive as technologists, scientists, policy influencers, and mentors in the geospatial domain.

🌟 Key Pillars of the Initiative

👩‍🎓 Skill Development & Capacity Building

• Hands-on training programs on QGIS, GeoAI, Remote Sensing, ML/AI for GIS, and Data Visualization

• No-code/low-code AI tools workshops tailored for beginners and non-programmers

• Certification programs in collaboration with open source GIS communities and academic institutions

• Focused bootcamps for girls and women in colleges, rural areas, and underrepresented geographies

🤝 Mentorship & Peer Networks

• Nationwide network of women mentors in GIS, AI, Earth Sciences, and Data Science

• One-on-one and group mentoring programs for students and early-career professionals

• Career guidance and internship support through government, research, and private sector channels

• Peer-led forums for knowledge exchange, project collaboration, and support

👩‍💼 Leadership in Innovation & Policy

• Supporting women to take lead roles in GeoAI research, product development, and tech leadership

• Enabling participation in government advisory panels, open-source communities, and global conferences

• Encouraging startups and entrepreneurship in geospatial and AI fields with women founders

• Launching “Women in GeoAI Think Tank” for shaping inclusive tech governance policies

🌐 Inclusive Community Building

• Creation of an exclusive Women in OpenGeoAI Circle within the QGIS India & OpenGeoAI Bharat ecosystem

• Hackathons, innovation challenges, and fellowships for women-led GeoAI ideas and applications

• Online and offline community meetups, panel discussions, and storytelling series of inspiring journeys

• Spotlight on women scientists, coders, researchers, and activists in the geospatial world

💡 Real-World Impact Areas

• Training ASHA workers and Anganwadi workers in mobile GIS for health, water, and sanitation mapping

• Building capacity in women-led Self Help Groups (SHGs) for land use planning and natural resource management

• Promoting women’s participation in climate resilience mapping, disaster management, and rural tech adoption

• Driving inclusive design in urban safety mapping, transport planning, and community development

🎯 Vision

To build a gender-balanced OpenGeoAI ecosystem where women from all backgrounds—urban or rural, academic or professional—can contribute meaningfully to India’s digital and spatial future.

✅ How We Support Women

• Subsidized training opportunities

• Remote mentoring and flexible engagement

• Leadership opportunities in regional OpenGeoAI chapters

• Scholarships, project grants, and recognition awards

• Access to collaborative research and community projects

🤝 Partners & Collaborators Welcome

We invite government departments, universities, research labs, NGOs, industry leaders, and international organizations to partner with us in nurturing the next generation of women GeoAI leaders.