My motivation to apply for a board membership of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team is based on my firm belief that our work, be it disaster mapping, community development or technical innovation can truly make a difference.

Since I joined HOT, I have been an active member of the Fundraising, Communication and recently HOT Summit Working Groups, helped with the development of a new website design and participated in my first two fieldmapping missions. These activities gave me the chance to work closely with other committed community members and to gain insight in various aspects of HOTs work. For me the true strength of HOT lies in the community itself, which allows people with all kind of skillsets and interests to participate and get active. This is a crucial resource that has to be fostered and supported.

As a HOT board member my work will be focussed on the following aspects: strengthen the community life within HOT, initiating a positive dynamic, respectful communication and transfer of knowledge and skills; outreach, support and solidarity with local mapping communities; push our professionalization to gain more independency.

It is my wish to see HOT grow and prosper and my work as a HOT board member will be dedicated to this cause.

How did you become involved in HOT?

When the earthquake hit Nepal in April 2015, a friend introduced me to HOT and the Tasking Manager. Cartography and field mapping was part of my studies so I thought I should give it a try. This soon proved to be the perfect way to combine my abilities with my strong motivation to support people suffering from the impact this natural disaster had on their lives. I was impressed by the numerous ways to get involved in HOT, ranging from remote mapping to working groups to getting active in one of the HOT communities all around the world. It was obvious to me that to become part of the HOT world would allow me to do something I have always looked for: offering my knowledge and skills to a humanitarian cause.

Could you tell us about your involvement in HOT, mapping and/or humanitarian response?

As a member of the Communications Working Group I focus on developing a consistent design for HOT to make it a recognizable humanitarian “brand”. This includes the correct use of logo, colors and fonts as well as using visuals and images to highlight HOT activities. I created icons for the website, designed flyers and the Activation Protocol, and created animations for the HOT Training Center. The next task will be the relaunch of hotosm.org and I am really looking forward to this challenge.

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