One of Indonesia’s active volcanoes, Mount Agung in Karangasem, Bali, is a sacred place deeply rooted in Balinese traditions and religious life, with many communities living around it and religious ceremonies taking place throughout the year.

In 2017–2019, the volcanic activity at Mount Agung increased significantly, leading to several eruptions and prompting thousands of people to evacuate. Although volcanic activity and alert status have since returned to normal, preparedness remains essential, if not more so than before.

For local disaster management agencies – the Karangasem Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD Karangasem) and the Bali Provincial Disaster Management Agency (BPBD Bali) – this means making sure communities know where to go and what to do when there is a risk of an eruption.

"Every volcano has its own characteristics," explained I Wayan Pika Wiadnya (Pika), Disaster Analyst at BPBD Karangasem. "It is difficult to precisely predict or analyze when a volcano will erupt. Some volcanoes gradually progress through the four alert levels before erupting, while others can directly move from a lower alert level to an eruption. [That's why] we need to anticipate."

Through years of supporting community preparedness around Mount Agung, BPBD Karangasem saw how important geospatial information and maps were to their work. Yet, up-to-date, village-level data and maps were not readily available or easy to produce.

This led to the launch of the End-to-End Mapping Solution (E2E) Bali project.

Starting with People: Strengthening Local Mapping Skills

From September to December 2025, through the E2E Bali project, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and HOT's Open Mapping Hub - Asia-Pacific (AP Hub) collaborated with BPBD Karangasem, BPBD Bali, and communities to strengthen local capacity in participatory mapping for volcanic preparedness.

The project began with localized training for 11 BPBD Karangasem staff on data collection, analysis, and visualization using HOT's E2E tools, including ChatMap, uMap, and DroneTM.

Once the team became familiar with the tools, they set out on field mapping missions around Mount Agung, mapping evacuation routes in five Zone II villages (moderate volcanic risk) and conducting drone mapping in one Zone III village (high volcanic risk).

Community-Led Mapping for Evacuation Routes

It all began with a dialogue with the communities. Each village formed a mapping group based on its unique context and needs. People from all backgrounds were welcome to join, from village officials and customary representatives to youth and members of the wider community.

After a capacity-building session facilitated by BPBD Karangasem, community mappers began mapping through a process called "geotagging". Using their phones, they took photos of important evacuation-related features and shared the images, coordinates, and key information in a dedicated WhatsApp group.

Over the following days, communities carried on mapping independently, with BPBD Karangasem mainly monitoring progress and data completeness.

"The communities are active – very active, even," Pika shared with excitement. "The communities living around Mount Agung have already understood the importance of preparedness in facing a volcanic eruption. That's why they're also very enthusiastic to support this mapping effort."

Making mapping more accessible also meant having local people with local knowledge guide the process. Through their deep understanding of their area, community mappers played a key role in locating and identifying features that needed to be mapped.

"There are many criteria in determining a feature that should be mapped. The selection comes from discussions with local communities, including village officials. Temporary assembly points ideally have sufficient capacity, and we prioritize permanent buildings that meet earthquake-resistant standards. Local communities also [help identify] places that cannot be used as assembly points due to local rules or customary restrictions." – AA Ngurah Gede Mahesmara (Ngurah), Emergency and Logistics Coordinator at BPBD Karangasem

Going Above: Drone Mapping for Early Warning System Installations

Properly mapped evacuation routes are a key step toward stronger volcanic preparedness. However, for villages in the high-risk zone closest to the volcano, such as Ban Village, additional measures such as early warning systems (EWS) are also needed.

"EWS is very important for my villagers, because recently, during disasters such as earthquakes, they were able to know in advance and prepare. So far, there is only one EWS unit that has been facilitated by BPBD Karangasem. Its coverage is only 2 kilometers. Meanwhile, there are 15 hamlets located within the high-risk zones. I hope there can be more units, because evacuation routes for our villagers are extremely difficult." – I Gede Tamu S., Chief of Ban Village

This is where drone imagery comes in. Over three days, the BPBD team ventured across steep, uphill terrain to different flight points in Ban Village, capturing 18 sets of aerial imagery.

Reflecting on the entire field mapping experience, Pika highlighted how HOT’s E2E tools had really sped up their work:

"Previously, with satellite data or the data that we collected, the process took a long time and the results were not up-to-date. Now, we can obtain data and map information that is actual and real – on the same day, at the exact second when we collect them."

The Results: Official Maps for Contingency Planning

Following the field mapping activities, BPBD Karangasem, working closely with AP Hub and BPBD Bali, continued analyzing and visualizing the 1,000+ data points collected. By the end of the project, these data had been transformed into up-to-date, village-level evacuation route maps for the five Zone II villages.

Together, these maps can support faster, more informed decisions during emergencies for a combined population of at least 43,000 people, with additional potential reach to surrounding villages involved in the coordinated evacuation efforts.

Printed, thematic versions of the maps were then shared with village offices, along with QR codes linking to their respective digital versions on uMap.

"With these maps, communities have a better understanding of the conditions in their area. The maps are easier to use as a guide for evacuation, or when evacuation drills are needed in their respective villages." – Pika

Ultimately, these maps were incorporated into BPBD Karangasem's latest official Agung Volcano Contingency Plan document, used at both the regional and provincial level.

"A contingency plan outlines the strategies for who will do what and with what resources in a specific disaster scenario," explained Pika. "The goal is: before an eruption happens, we have already evacuated the communities, starting with those who are considered part of vulnerable groups and the livestock."

Building on the plan's existing population data and written evacuation procedures, the maps add a practical, visual guide with detailed information about individual evacuation points and the routes leading to them. With a well-developed contingency plan in place, should the risk of a volcanic eruption arise, communities will already have clearer guidance and directions on how and where to evacuate.

Another result was a recommendation map for future EWS installations. With the drone imagery offering a detailed, up-to-date bird's-eye view of the landscape and settlements, BPBD Karangasem can better assess potential installation sites to ensure future EWS units reach as many communities as possible.

Bringing the Maps Back to Communities

With the maps going back to the participating villages, community mappers could see their contributions reflected in each individual map point, highlighting the value of their everyday local knowledge and participation in the mapping process.

Meanwhile, the maps could also support local village offices in community outreach and information-sharing efforts.

"In Tulamben Village, for example, the information dissemination has been very good. Even the tourists there already know about the digital evacuation route maps that we developed." – Pika

Beyond the Maps: Local Teams and Communities Taking the Lead

Although the maps serve as direct, practical outcomes of the project, what drove the journey forward was the people behind them. As E2E Bali's project lead, Harry Mahardhika, emphasizes, "It’s not just about making maps. It’s about strengthening people’s capacity to make their own maps."

When the project started in September 2025, most of the BPBD Karangasem and BPBD Bali staff involved had only just begun learning to use the HOT's E2E tools. By the end of it, they had the skills and tools needed to independently keep the data updated and adapt the workflow to other areas and types of disaster risks.

The participatory mapping approach also enabled the knowledge to be shared with local communities. On this, Pika noted:

"Before, only those with specialized mapping skills could map an area. Even collecting geotagging data required people with specific mapping knowledge [and] GPS devices. Now, through the collaboration, knowledge sharing, and technology from HOT, people from across the community can contribute to mapping their areas."

He particularly recalled how quickly communities learned the tools and took ownership of the process.

"During mapping in one of the villages, the community only needed a 30-minute briefing on how to collect data through geotagging. Then, they spread across their village for one hour to map all the critical features. In 15 minutes after they finished mapping, I can already show them the data and map in ChatMap and uMap.

This was one of the proudest moments for me, because within just a few hours, we could already show the communities the result of their own work."

But the knowledge did not stop with BPBD Karangasem or the community mappers. Over time, it continued to grow as they kept sharing what they learned with others and, in the process, contributed to a more locally led approach to mapping.

From early on, Pika also believed that the skills and methodologies developed through E2E Bali should not only stay in Karangasem. Following the project’s conclusion, Pika co-founded "Garudeya Kemanusiaan Global" (GKG, or Garudeya Global Humanity), an independent organization advancing drone technology and mapping for humanitarian purposes.

Initially, GKG brought together BPBD Karangasem staff and some local community members who were involved in E2E Bali's mapping activities. Since then, its network has expanded to include other disaster actors and communities across Bali. Through this broader network, GKG can support disaster and humanitarian mapping needs in areas beyond Karangasem.

Latest Takeoff: Mapping in Temukus Customary Village

One recent highlight of how the work in Karangasem has continued to evolve took place in Temukus Customary Village at Mount Agung.

In August 2026, BPBD Karangasem, together with the SIAP SIAGA Program and members of GKG, collaborated with the communities in Temukus to map evacuation routes, combining technology with local wisdom.

While the foundational workflow was similar to what was implemented during the 2025 E2E Bali project, the mapping in Temukus reflected greater independence, innovation, and a more integrated use of the tools.

Going back to the Agung Volcano Contingency Plan, which prioritizes livestock evacuation, Pika emphasized how the mapping in Temukus further supported the plan by including the locations of cattle shelters:

"In Mount Agung, cattle are one of the most treasured possessions for communities. They are often the reasons why communities do not want to evacuate, or return home during high-alert situations to feed their livestock. Therefore, it is important to consider evacuating livestock first to ensure communities are calm during the evacuation process."

The Journey Continues: Communities Leading and Shaping What's Next

As shown through BPBD Karangasem's work with communities, especially most recently in Temukus, the journey that began with E2E Bali has demonstrated what is possible when local communities own the knowledge and tools to shape their own preparedness.

Looking back, the work in Karangasem has truly become a journey beyond the maps – reaching more communities and villages, while continuing to expand into new possibilities for community-led mapping.

When asked about his hopes for the future, Pika's answer remained much the same as back in 2025: that “the work we have implemented and the technology developed here in Karangasem can serve as an example for other places – not only in Bali or Indonesia, but around the world.”

Seeing what BPBD Karangasem and local communities have accomplished in just one year, that hope feels closer with each step.

Where will the next coordinates lead? Only time will tell. But for us, we're sure it'll be an exciting journey to follow, as BPBD Karangasem continues working alongside communities – and communities continue shaping their maps and charting their paths toward resilience.

Thank you to I Wayan Pika Wiadnya and AA Ngurah Gede Mahesmara from BPBD Karangasem for sharing their insights, voices, and experiences through interviews that made this article possible.

To learn more about the project, visit this page, read its impact article, or watch the documentary video below.