The State of the Map Kerala 2025 will take place in Payyannur—an area known for the cultural vibrancy of Theyyam, the coastal charm of North Malabar, and the ecological richness of the Kunjimangalam mangrove belt, the largest mangrove stretch in Kerala. This year, the OSM Kerala Community, in collaboration with the Department of Geography, Kannur University, Swami Ananda Theertha Campus, Payyannur, is hosting the 4th annual community gathering and the 2nd official SotM Kerala conference—one of the few sub-national SotM events recognized globally.

The 2025 edition places a strong emphasis on environmental resilience, featuring discussions and hands-on sessions on open mapping tools (OSM, QGIS, Wikidata), participatory panchayat resource mapping, disaster preparedness, biodiversity documentation, wetland and mangrove mapping, and citizen-driven geospatial storytelling. With 18 talks scheduled on Day 1, experts from government agencies, research institutions, global open-source communities, and local conservation groups will share practical insights and field experience.

Kerala’s OSM community has roots going back to 2008, with more structured activities emerging by 2012. The 2018 floods marked a turning point, bringing mapping into the center of community action. The momentum continued through the pandemic years with strong online collaborations, tool-building, and quality-improvement efforts. Since the first state-level gathering in 2022, SotM Kerala has blossomed into a vibrant platform for open mapping and civic data innovation.

SotM Kerala 2025 includes two full days of activities. Day 1 (Nov 15) features the inaugural address by Dr. Srikumar Chattopadhyay, a keynote by Dr. Sekhar Lukose Kuriakose, a foundation address by the OpenStreetMap Foundation Board, sessions on geospatial storytelling, accessibility mapping for visually impaired communities, community updates, and a series of lightning talks.

Day 2 (Nov 16) begins with an early-morning Mangrove Walk at the Kannur Kandal Project, followed by workshops on OSM basics, Wikidata visualization, QGIS, field mapping, TomTom tools, and school mapping initiatives, concluding with the closing ceremony at 4:00 PM.

This year’s event is supported by 16+ community partners, ranging from global humanitarian projects like UN Mappers to grassroots groups such as the WalkWithVC Community, along with organizations like the Kerala Federation of the Blind and KITE (Govt. of Kerala). Hosting and facilitation are powered by 2 hosting institutions, 3 facilitation organizations, 3 sponsors, 18 talks, 2 field walks, and 6 hands-on workshops—all coming together to strengthen Kerala’s open mapping ecosystem.