Day 15/100: Mapping access to education 🎓
When I started working on mapping education access in Sierra Leone, the question was simple: how far are children from schools?
Answering it meant going beyond straight-line distance. I combined Mapbox GL for visualization with the Mapbox Isochrone API to calculate realistic walking times across terrain, valleys, and communities. From each school location I generated 15, 30, and 60-minute isochrone zones showing travel duration rather than abstract proximity.
The result highlights where access is strong and where barriers remain. This kind of spatial analysis helps organizations decide where to invest resources: building new schools, improving transport, or supporting satellite learning centres.
The interactive map allows exploration by region and comparison across districts, revealing patterns that inform education planning and policy. When mapping serves education equity, every pixel represents a child’s opportunity to learn.
Project: Sierra Leone Education Access Mapping (2021)
Client: Fab Inc
Tools: Mapbox GL, Mapbox Isochrone API
Link: Sierra Leone isochrones
The project
Week 3 opens with client work. After tool-evolution on Aiudului (Day 14), Day 15 is applied equity mapping: school access as travel time, not crow-flies distance.
| Layer | Role |
|---|---|
| School points | Origins for access |
| Isochrones 15 / 30 / 60 min | Walking duration across terrain |
| Mapbox GL | Interactive district / region exploration |
Straight-line buffers hide valleys and community layout. Isochrones make duration the unit of analysis.
Why this day matters in the series
Score in campaign mapping: 50 points (strong applied piece). It shows MapTheClouds work outside portfolio experiments: spatial analysis that can inform where to build, improve transport, or support satellite learning centres.
How to follow
- Blog: blog.maptheclouds.com
- LinkedIn: Day 15 post
- Live project: sl-isochrones
- Previous: Day 14 – Aiudului tool evolution
- Hashtag: #100DayMapChallenge
#100DayMapChallenge · Day 15/100 · Sierra Leone education access · LinkedIn
Previous: Day 14: Ten Years Later, Same Place, Different Tools