Ruben Martin and I discuss the recent activities and what’s coming up for the humanitarian open mapping community.

What’s covered this week in brief?

Earthquake response in Turkey and Syria // The first OSM diary from State of the Map Tanzania // Thank you packs received by top performing validators // An interview with OSM Somalia // Advances in the OSM contribution decline analysis and research // OSM Malawi @ community working group // Mappy quote of the week

This week we were excited by…

Earthquake Response

This is not ‘exciting’, but very significant… The open mapping / OpenStreetMap community have responded in numbers to support people affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.. Just yesterday, over 1200 people contributed to mapping tasks in Turkey. New projects have also been published for Syria. The response in Turkey is being coordinated locally by mapping NGO, Yer Çizenler, who are working to connect local partners with the data.

OSM Diary — SotM Tanzania

Jemima published the first OSM diary about State of the Map Tanzania. It was great to read about her experience at the conference, what she learned and who she met.

Thank You Packs for validators

HOT sent out swag packs to top performing validators. The swag packs include a special t-shirt, notebook, and other items. Great to see people tweeting about receiving their gifts.

Interview with OSM Somalia

OSM Somalia travelled to State the Map in Tanzania and presented on their experience mapping in ahigh humanitarian context. The talk was well received and they have now been interviewed on the OpenCage blog. It’s great to see them getting more exposure and telling their story.

Members of the OSM Somalia community at SotM Tanzania in January 2023

OSM Contribution Decline Analysis and Research

The HOT community team is advancing the OSM contribution decline analysis and research and starting to get some granular data. In Latam, for example, there was not a decline in contribution during 2022, and in other areas where there was a decline, there has been an increase in the number of facilities, buildings, and roads. The team is working with HOT regional Open Mapping Hubs to better define the research questions.

OSM Malawi at the community working group

OSM Malawi came and presented their evolution and their challenges around community mobilisation at the community working group this week and it was a good discussion. But, there’s more to talk about. The notes are on the community working group forum, and people can continue to discuss and give advice, tips and share their experience.

What is coming up!

The community calendar is dominated by mapathons organised in solidarity with those affected by the earthquakes. Events are spinning up fast and the best place to keep track of them is OSM Cal. There are events organised by the Open Mapping Hub — Asia Pacific, OSM Uganda, community groups in Mexico and Brazil, UN partners and others. If you want to join, follow the links at osmcal.org.

Mappy quote of the week

Comes from Tsion Taye, OSM Ethiopia volunteer ❤️

Mapping is beautiful! What could be more meaningful than contributing to saving lives, minimising the destruction that hazards cause, and letting others have a serene environment to live in?

Stay tuned for more updates……………………

Also cross-posted on medium