Tell Us About Yourself
My name is Hemed Lungo a 24 years old Tanzanian Or Place where Mount Kilimanjaro is found (cause people seem to be familiar with that).I stay at Dar-es-salaam to be specific, I recently graduated this year from the Institute of Finance Management (IFM), where I studied Information Technology (IT). My background in IT has helped me build strong technical and analytical skills, but what really excites me is using those skills in creative ways — especially through Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and digital cartography.You’ll mostly find me posting a lot of maps at Twitter,Mastoodon,Bluesky,Linkedn,Reddit and so on,I love spending time talking on GIS participating virtually or live for example I participated virtually on QGIS Open Days and Physically on conferences like State of Map Tanzania,Community Mapathons and Currently State of Map Africa which would be done later this Month ,Of course im Huge fan of Geohipster.I also try to contribute as in I make qgis plugin (Terraclimate downloader) and really contribute a lot of color-ramp xml files over at Qgis resources repoitory.To end it up on my downtime or as hobby I like spending time at my Hometown Bagamoyo where you’ll probably find me at the beach taking in that fresh air.
Tell us the story behind your map (what inspired you to make it, what did you learn while making it, or any other aspects of the map or its creation you would like people to know)
I’ve always been a big fan of the QGIS YouTube channel, where they share amazing tutorials, creative mapmaking sessions, and useful GIS tips. One of my favorite episodes which at current talking this was three years ago was “Festive Freestyle Island Mapping with Nyall Dawson and QGIS Friends.” It was such an inspiring session where mappers from around the world came together to create their own unique Antarctca islands using QGIS. The session’s data was shared on GitHub, and the community was encouraged to post their maps — with a fun prize for the most creative one, a QGIS mug!
Seeing how freely everyone experimented with style, color, and creativity made me want to take part in that spirit of exploration. Many mappers created imaginative versions of Antarctica, and I felt inspired to do the same. Using the Quantarctica dataset from the Norwegian Polar Institute, I designed my own map of Antarctica in QGIS, experimenting with projections, color schemes, and composition to capture both the scientific and aesthetic beauty of the continent.
This project taught me a lot — from handling polar coordinate systems to balancing simplicity and detail in map design. More than anything, it reminded me how maps can bring people together through creativity, learning, and a shared love for geography.
Tell is about the Tools, data, etc., that you used to make the map
- Software: QGIS
- Data Source: Quantarctica dataset (Norwegian Polar Institute) Includes glaciers, ice shelves, coastlines, and maintained the blue theme required
- Projection: Antarctic Polar Stereographic (EPSG:3031)
· Design Steps:
- Selected and styled key layers
- Adjusted colors, labels, and layout balance made sure it look blue
- Added legend, scale bar, and title
- Focused on clarity, contrast, and cartographic aesthetics inspired by the festive mapping theme