OpenStreetMap Blogs

Little did I know when I first started my job in Antarctica that I’d become obsessed with editing OpenStreetMap during my empty hours at work. While I made an account back in 2019, that was simply to add a missing sidewalk from my mission in India that bothered me. Last month, I was playing around with some maps, seeing how different engines would interpret a cycle route I frequently took back home, and I noticed the trail was laid out with a bit of jank. I decided I had an account and the fix would be easy, so I went ahead and did it. I then saw the sidewalk options, and started playing with infilling the sidewalks around the route.

That was a mistake.

I have since spent hours adding sidewalks everywhere I’ve been. As I learned the tools and improved my methods, I started looking at other options. Street lamps, lowered curbs with tactile paving, and power poles were next. I started looking into other ways to contribute and installed Street Complete on my phone. I saw my office trailer wasn’t listed on the map at McMurdo, so I used OSMTracker for Android to map it out (Turns out, my phones GPS combined with the poor signal so far south makes things a bit more challenging). I then started using it to map all the infrastructure I could reach. I spent 2 hours on one of my few 2-day weekends down here out in -10F weather mapping out the power poles and lines connecting them.

Needless to say, this has become a bit of an obsession, but I suppose if I’m going to have that, I can at least use it to do some good in the world, no matter how small. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some suburban sprawl to map out. Those sidewalks aren’t going to add themselves!

Данный ресурс предоставляет возможность поиска интересных мест в Таиланде для отдыха. inth.ai Также возможность снять жилье или арендовать мотоцикл

mapa:

Am 12.Mai hat sich die Arbeitsgruppe Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Kommunikation getroffen, um sich darüber zu unterhalten, wie die AG-Arbeit auf breitere Füße oder mehrere Schultern verteilt werden kann, wie neue Mitstreitende gewonnen und integriert werden können. Auch die Unterschiede zwischen Öffentlichkeitsarbeit, Kommunikation, Marketing und Presse wollten besprochen werden, sowie gemeinsame Standards, um die AG-Arbeit nachhaltiger zu organisieren. Dazu hatte Katja einen kleinen Impuls vorbereitet

Derzeit sind Astrid, Laura, Dirk und Katja in der Arbeitsgruppe aktiv und haben sich gefreut, dass Jochen und Falk die Session mit ihren Ideen bereichert haben.

Die AG kümmert sich um Marketing, Kommunikation, Presse und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit in Form von Blogposts, Mailinglisteninfos, trifft sich regelmäßig für Absprachen, nutzt das Gitlab für die Diskussion der Themen und zur Dokumentation sowie einen Matrixchat für spontanen Austausch.

Es wurde schnell klar, dass wir viel mehr darüber reden sollten, was in der FOSSGIS-OSM-Community tolles passiert und entsteht oder was in den Vereins-AGs besprochen und erarbeitet wird. Als Ziele unserer Öffentlichkeitsabrbeit haben wir herausgearbeitet, dass wir regelmäßig berichten sollten, warum es uns als Gesellschaft voranbringt, wenn Open Source, OpenStreetMap und Open Data gefördert wird (Vereinsziele). Wir sollten konkrete Anlässe nutzen, um Ziele und Aktivitäten zu kommunizieren sowie die Aktivitäten aus der Community zu multiplizieren.

Wir haben die verschiedenen Zielgruppen betrachtet, die jeweils differenzierte Ansprachen benötigen. Mit der Zielgruppe Konferenzteilnehmende sind wir schon richtig gut, die Anzahl der Teilnehmenden steigt jedes Jahr. Die Frage ist, wie wir die Politik, Verwaltungen und Institutionen erreichen, um Open Source und Open Data als unterstützendes Element einer Digitalen Souveränität zu unterstreichen. Wie erreichen wir junge Leute, Studierende, Auszubildene, Freiwillige und Interessierte, um sie zum aktiven Mitmachen zu gewinnen. Wir könnten die Vereinswebseite neu strukturieren, dort mehr Inhalte und wichtige nformationen abbilden. Außerdem könnnten wir ein Corporate Design entwickeln, um den Output des FOSSGIS e.V. besser erkennbar zu gestalten, insbesondere für Social Media. Auch unsere Social Media Aktivitäten könnten wir ausweiten und Plattformen nutzen, auf denen junge Menschen unterwegs sind. Derzeit zeigen wir Aktivitäten im Fediverse auf Mastodon, LinkedIn und ein bisschen BlueSky. Für Instagram und Tiktok braucht die AG noch Kompetenzverstärkung.

Wir könnten Artikel in verschiedenen Medien platzieren, beispielsweise GIS-Report (Harzer), GDI-Newsletter, Kartographische Nachrichten, Heise oder Informatik Aktuell, um nur einige zu nennen. Weitere Ideen waren, dass jeden Monat ein Softwareprojekt vorgestellt werden könnte oder ein Interview mit einer Person aus einem Projekt stattfinden könnte.

Dies können die AG-Mitglieder nicht alleine stemmen und brauchen Zuwachs, Zuarbeit und Unterstützung von den Vereinsmitgliedern und aus der Community.
Mit unserem Gitlab ist es möglich, eine Mail an die Arbeitsgruppe zu senden. Diese eröffnet ein Issue und die AG kann sich damit beschäftigen.

Vereinbart ist zunächst die Erstellung von Vorlagen, um die Social Media Arbeit zu unterstützen, sowie einen Artikel zur AG-Sitzung zu veröffentlichen, um mit gutem Beispiel voranzugehen und eventuell weitere Mitstreitende zu gewinnen. Die AG Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und Kommunikation trifft sich am 16.06.2025 um 19 Uhr das nächste Mal. Der Termin ist, wie alle Vereins- und AG-Termine im Vereinsḱalender eingetragen.

Brillenputztuch Edition 1 war der Renner am FOSSGIS-Stand, Edition 2 erfolgt mit Namensnennung

Tischfahnen mit OSM-, FOSSGIS- und OSGeo-Design unterstützen die Sichtbarkeit bei Treffen

Banner mit OSM-, FOSSGIS- und OSGeo-Design unterstützen die Sichtbarkeit bei Events

Today, I had a good time at the national office and Mapathon center of Unique Mappers Network-the OpenStreetMap Nigeria Community NGO (osm.org/#map=18/4.899962/6.921081) to engage newbies, signing them up and training them on how to contribute to OpenStreetMap. Among them are Ngozi,Fortune,David and Chika (NMak,verified,Peter Msiion D and Victoria Jaja). Please, check out for them to welcome them and share your success stories and motivation for OSM volunteering. Fortune(verifiedfortune) joining Unique Mappers IT cohort 1 for 2025 would be contributing for the next 6 months as part of his IT task.

On 3rd May, We got back to our Map Nigeria Monthly Mapathon to sustain active OSM community participation in Nigeria, especially as we have mapping projects being coordinated in collaboration with TomTom one of Unique Mappers Network partner https://tasks.openstreetmap.us/projects/815#coordination . Volunteers joined from across the states and universities in Nigeria in a virtual coordinated mapathon, especially, the Unique Mappers Team we recently established in Abuja,Kaduna.Ile-Ife and Enugu.

In the first quarter of 2025, we have mobilized,signed-up and trained more than 100 newbies coordinated in a new whatsaap group of the community whatsaap group for orientation purposes. However, mapping contributions has been quite slow as the recent high increase in internet data subscription in Nigeria makes it more difficult for both old and new OSM volunteers to sacrifice the high cost of internet for voluntary mapping in OSM. You can hardly find free internet broad band access to engage volunteers in Mapathon.

We sincerely appreciate TomTom for enlisting Unique Mappers Network,Nigeria as one of the Countries OSM community beneficiaries of their recently distributed laptops. These few laptops in addition to the previous laptops from HOT Grant in 2018 are great support to growing and evolving community of volunteers but cannot engage a coordinated mapping volunteering without internet data access and other basic motivations.

Through HOT/WNAH community building grant support of 2022/2023,Unique Mappers Network OSM Nigeria was able to establish and sustain mapathon centers across Nigeria, where, volunteers on weekly basis had access to Internet data subscription,refreshment ,electricity supply and other basic motivation. Due to lack of funding support these mapathon centers are struggling to volunteer.

To seek for free will donations to provide humanitarian response mapping,implement our strategic plan and sustain active community engagement,Unique Mappers OSM Nigeria has created a donation page https://uniquemappers.org/donate to enable passionate individuals, partners and supporters help to sustain active community engagement in Nigeria.

We appeal to OSM data users in Nigeria. our partners and supporters to support Unique Mappers Network-the OpenStreetMap Community NGO in Nigeria to sustain an active volunteer community for OpenStreetMap project .

Today 12th May 2025, I got to the place i’m suppose to do my IT, [INDUSTRIAL TRAINING], As at 10am in the morning when asked to come. I met 2 other people David and Ngozi, they welcomed me while i waited for the National Coordinator DR VICTOR .N. SUNDAY of unique mapper. After was, the National Coordinator DR Victor sunday came in, with out wasting much time, another person enter named chika i guess so, so he introduced OpenStreetMap to all of us that were there together. He said a lot of things about the OpenStreetMap, As what we use in carrying out mapping and it’s also free, like a volunteer thing. It was exciting to have DR Victor Sunday, the coordinator teach and talk about the OpenStreetMap, Me been introduce to OpenStreetMap, its not my first time but i was able to get a clear picture of what an OpenStreetMap was all about, which it was intresting, Now i can say i know how to map a building. yoooo!!! With everything that went on, everyone had to practice for themselves on learning how to do the mapping there self, which was cool and right now we are done with the classes on mapping as at 1:56PM, Everyone is expected to sign up with OpenStreetMap and map out at least 10 buildings showing you have learnt something for the day, hmmm its really a lot today though, i’m happy to have come here today and i’m ready for it. This is my passion, This is my dream,for the next six [6] months i will be here, i hope to achieve a lot, and thats it.

Un script python pour nettoyer les données OSM

گالری کاشی و سنگ اهورا

01/05/2025-07/05/2025

Community

• asciipip has detailed a method for naming trails in the Catoctin Mountain Park, by combining on-the-ground observations, such as coloured blazes marked on trees, with official trail information from the park’s website.
• BingoBongo has been testing its in-house game engine, for realistic terrain and vegetation rendering, by integrating global geographic data from OpenStreetMap, high-resolution surface imagery from NASA’s BlueMarble, and elevation data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission.
• The Trufi Association is celebrating their Volunteer of the Month, Anahi Gonzalez: a Mexican public-transport-mapping phenomenon.

OpenStreetMap Foundation

• Grant Slater, of the OpenStreetMap Operations Team, has announced that OSM planet exports, including minutely, hourly, and daily diffs, are now being published through an Amazon Simple Notification Service. This move enables AWS users to automatically trigger workflows as soon as new OpenStreetMap data is released.

Local chapter news

• Since late 2021, FOSSGIS e.V. has been curating ► a growing directory of companies and independent professionals offering support and services around Free and Open Source Software in the GIS sector, including OpenStreetMap and open geodata. The updated list is now available at dienstleister.fossgis.de, where new service providers can also register their businesses directly.

Events

• A special opportunity is being offered by the organisers of the III Workshop on Participatory Mapping and Social Cartography – MPCS 2025, which will be held 100% online this August. Some projects from lusophone countries, presented at the Mapping Projects Exhibition, will be selected for publication as chapters in the second volume of the book series Case Studies in Collaborative and Participatory Mapping, to be released in early 2026 under the IVIDES publishing ► label. More information can be found in a post by the event’s chair, Dr Raquel Dezidério Souto.
• In the latest episode of the Geomob Podcast, Ed interviewed Silas Toms, co-organiser of the recent GeoMeetup event in San Francisco. Silas discusses his geospatial tech background, the event’s success, and the resurgence of the local GeoMeetup scene. This episode also explored the growing role of AI, OpenStreetMap, and the importance of community and collaboration in the geospatial field.
• Several upcoming GeoMob events have been announced, including Geomob Zürich, set for the evening of Thursday 15 May, at the Meta Zürich office; Geomob Netherlands, taking place in Utrecht on Thursday 22 May, at NOVI University of Applied Sciences; and Geomob Brussels, scheduled for Tuesday 3 June, at The Sister Cafe.
• OpenCage GmbH’s Ed Freyfogle interviewed Juan Arellano and Andrés Gómez, from the Organising Committee of SotM Latam 2025, about the upcoming edition of the event in Medellin 4 to 6 September this year.
• The OpenStreetMap US Mappy Hour will be held remotely (by Zoom) on Saturday 21 May 8:00-9:00PM ET. Hear from Bill Wetherholt, Professor at Frostburg State University, about how OpenStreetMap can be used in the classroom to teach Geography’s five themes. The OSM US Software Engineer, Jake Low, will also demonstrate OSMCha, a tool for monitoring changes made in OpenStreetMap.

OSM research

• After analysing 746 mapping projects organised by the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team between December 2021 and November 2023, a group of researchers have found that humanitarian mapping largely relies on remote contributors performing basic tasks with minimal collaboration. The system, they concluded, is sustained primarily by the expertise of a small group of advanced mappers. While these projects generally succeed in achieving short-term mapping goals, the researchers noted they often fall short when it comes to building long-term, sustainable mapping capacity.

Maps

• ^[1] Demonstrating the integration of OpenStreetMap with Wikidata, Matt Whilden has developed DecommissionedAircraftMap, which uses a daily bot to generate thumbnails from Wikidata entries and Overpass Ultra to retrieve geodata for displayed aircraft (historic=aircraft) from OSM.
• Students in the Accounting Technician course at Jerónimo Emiliano de Andrade Secondary School, as part of Citizenship and Development, have made a map called Moedas do Mundo (Currencies of the World). This map shows the currencies of different places in the world, from ancient to current ones, and also a bit of their history. With this map, students were able to discover places in the world and some of their history. As it is always possible to improve, they will continue to do so next year.
• LUN, together with the MasterZoo pet store chain, has launched an interactive map of dog walking areas in Kyiv. The initiative aims to support the development of a pet-friendly culture and responsible walking, and help create a barrier-free, comfortable environment for pet owners and their pets. The map already features over 200 locations: individual playgrounds, parks where walking is allowed, green areas and other places where you can walk your dog. Each location contains a brief description and notes on amenities, such as fencing, benches, litter bins, and training equipment for pets. You can read ► more about it in the accompanying blog post.

OSM in action

• The Duitama Mapping Stars, a group of Colombian high school students, have digitised informal transport networks from East Africa, via Southeast Asia, to Latin America. The Trufi Association is raising money to send them to SotM Latam.
• Gosfilmofond, a state film archive in Russia, has published a map with previously unpublished newsreels and archive photos linked to the places and dates of the events of the Second World War. The map lets you filter events by date, add your own photos, and uses OpenFreeMap tiles as the base layer.

Open Data

• Michaël showed how to cross check between OSM elements IDs and their counterparts on Wikidata, using the R language.

Software

• CoMaps, the emerging community-driven fork of Organic Maps, has released an updated version of its open letter addressed to Organic Maps stakeholders (we reported earlier). In the statement, the group reaffirmed its commitment to moving forward with the fork but emphasised that it remains open to ongoing negotiations with the original project’s leadership. A project on Codeberg and a Matrix chat have been created for the current working name ‘CoMaps’.
• Tobias Zwick has announced that the StreetComplete project is receiving sponsorship from NLNet to support its full migration to a multiplatform app. The transition will leverage Kotlin Multiplatform and Compose Multiplatform for the user interface, paving the way for future releases on platforms beyond Android, including iOS and potentially Linux. Volunteer contributions are welcomed, particularly in areas such as migrating the UI to Jetpack Compose, improving the stability of MapLibre-Compose on iOS, and assisting with iOS development for those with the necessary expertise.
• OpenAerialMap (OAM) V2 has been released, providing faster, more reliable access to satellite and drone imagery for humanitarian mapping. HOT and Development Seed are rebuilding OAM with a new STAC-based infrastructure and modern tools.
• Panoramax tooted that, one year after version 3, the Panoramax viewer is undergoing a major update with version 4. A new look, better readability and a series of small details will make all the difference in using the programme. It’s being tested before being implemented. For more details, see the forum.

Programming

• In response to feedback on his OpenStreetMap diary post and Mastodon toot (we reported earlier), Daniel has demonstrated the versatility of the Z-Curve + BIGMIN technique by developing a cloud-native static spatial index for 2D points. Leveraging the same Z-order space-filling curve and BIGMIN search space pruning, the solution enables users to host a single .parquet file, similar to ProtoMaps, as a spatial index that can be queried efficiently without relying on GeoParquet, R-Trees, or PostGIS.
• TrickyFoxy demonstrated that you can run JOSM in a browser using CheerpJ, a tool for running graphical Java applications in browsers.

Did you know that …

• … TrickyFoxy has introduced new functionality to OSMBuilding, enabling the platform to render building data from custom OpenStreetMap servers? This update allows individual buildings from alternative sources, such as OpenHistoricalMap and OpenGeoFiction, to be visualised, expanding the tool’s reach beyond the main OSM database, which was previously its only data source.

OSM in the media

• The mapping of trees with OpenStreetMap and MapComplete was promoted ► by the Fluminense Federal University and also noted ► by the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro. This initiative, a partnership between IVIDES.org and the YouthMappers chapters at UFRJ, UFRRJ, and UFF Campos, also included speakers at the Green Open Data Day 2025 evening session. The results are available on Wikimedia.

Other “geo” things

• Alex Woodie, of Big Data Wire. has interviewed the Overture Maps Foundation CTO, Amy Rose, regarding the technical aspects of the foundation’s efforts to build a foundational reference map, something that other mapmakers around the world can build upon.
• Deborah Pickett’s toot highlighting some confusing street names in Melbourne quickly sparked a wave of responses, with users sharing similar examples from around the globe.
• Sean Gorman has experimented with a point-of-interest (POI) relocalisation method to improve the accuracy of POI data in the Overture database, by developing a mobile application that detects nearby POIs based on the user’s location. This enables users to select a POI and capture an image to enhance location precision. This effort sparked a discussion on Mastodon, noting that it is beneficial for improving commercial POI datasets, which are strong in coverage but weak in positional accuracy.

Upcoming Events

Country	Where	What	Online	When
	Santiago	Taller Datos Abiertos y Mapas Colaborativos: Uniendo Comunidades y Tecnología.		2025-05-08
	Oslo	OSM Pils #1v1.1 2025		2025-05-08
	Berlin	203. Berlin-Brandenburg OpenStreetMap Stammtisch		2025-05-08
	Bochum	Bochumer OSM-Treffen		2025-05-08
	Zürich	175. OSM-Stammtisch Zürich		2025-05-09
	Yaoundé I	INITIATION A MAPROULETTE		2025-05-09
	Minta	INITIATION A MAPROULETTE		2025-05-09
	Dundee	Dundee OSM Meetup – Spring 2025		2025-05-10
	Alipur Tehsil	16th OSM Delhi Mapping Party		2025-05-10
	København	OSMmapperCPH		2025-05-11
	Kiel	Stadt-Spaziergang mit OpenStreetMap		2025-05-11
	Grenoble	Atelier applications mobiles autour de la contribution à OSM & Panoramax		2025-05-12
	中正區	OpenStreetMap x Wikidata Taipei #76		2025-05-12
	L’Argentière-la-Bessée	Atelier cartopartie – Pays des Ecrins		2025-05-13
	Budapest	OSM térképest 2025-05-13		2025-05-13
	Salt Lake City	OSM Utah Monthly Map Night		2025-05-14
	San Jose	South Bay Map Night	✓	2025-05-14
	Hamburg	Hamburger Mappertreffen		2025-05-13
	Αθήνα	Mapping Hidden Stories: reflecting on pedestrian accessibility in Athens		2025-05-14
	City of Perth	Workshop & City of Canning Hackathon		2025-05-14
	München	Münchner OSM-Treffen		2025-05-14
	Grenoble	Atelier analyse de données géographiques		2025-05-15
	Essen	FOSSGIS-OSM-Communitytreffen im Linuxhotel		2025-05-16 – 2025-05-18
		OSMF Engineering Working Group meeting		2025-05-16
	Olomouc	Missing Maps Day Olomouc 2025		2025-05-17
	Comuna 13 – San Javier	Junta OSM Latam – Avances SotM Latam 2025 Medellín		2025-05-17
	Manchester	Joy Diversion		2025-05-17
	Estrablin	Microcartopartie Estrablin (38)		2025-05-17
	Mamoudzou	Aprendendo sobre mapeamento pós-desastre: estado das edificações em Mayotte		2025-05-19
	Lyon	Réunion du groupe local de Lyon		2025-05-20
	Bonn	188. OSM-Stammtisch Bonn		2025-05-20
	Lüneburg	Lüneburger Mappertreffen	✓	2025-05-20
		[Online] Map-py Wednesday		2025-05-21
	Karlsruhe	Stammtisch Karlsruhe		2025-05-21
	Hannover	OSM-Stammtisch Hannover		2025-05-23
	Stadtgebiet Bremen	Bremer Mappertreffen		2025-05-26

Note:
If you like to see your event here, please put it into the OSM calendar. Only data which is there, will appear in weeklyOSM.

This weeklyOSM was produced by Elizabete, Raquel Dezidério Souto, Strubbl, Ted Johnson, TheSwavu, TrickyFoxy, barefootstache, derFred.
We welcome link suggestions for the next issue via this form and look forward to your contributions.

Manila

The State of the Map Call for Proposals deadline is approaching fast, and I know that feeling - staring at a blank page, wondering if your OSM experience is “conference-worthy.” Here’s the truth: if you’ve ever mapped something, solved a problem with OSM data, or helped someone learn about OpenStreetMap, you have a story worth sharing at State of the Map 2025!

Photo from SotM 2024, CC BY-SA 2.0

What to Present On?

I think that often, the biggest hurdle isn’t writing the proposal - it’s deciding what to propose.

Talk About What You Know: Your OSM Journey

The best State of the Map talks come from personal experience. Think about:

• What tool or technique do you use that others might not know about?
• How has your mapping journey evolved?
• What do you know now that you wish you’d have known when starting?

Share What You Learned the Hard Way

• What OSM challenges have you overcome or are struggling with?
• The workflow you developed after trial and error
• Technical challenges you solved in unexpected ways
• Data quality issues specific to your area and how you addressed them

Consider Your Unique Perspective

• What makes your OSM experience different?
• The local mapping challenge is unique to your community/country/region
• The community-building approach that finally worked
• Creative uses of OSM data in your field and community

Remember: There are no rules and limits (I think 😄). Your proposal can cover ANY aspect of the OSM project - from personal stories and experiences to technical reviews and critiques. Maybe you’ve developed an innovative workflow, created a design breakthrough, or built something cool with OSM data. Perhaps you want to share your mapping process, showcase a real-world use case, or present insights from past projects. You could even explore futuristic ideas and what’s next for OpenStreetMap.

Once you’ve identified a potential topic, it’s time to shape it into a proposal by drafting an abstract and a session title.

Structure Your Abstract

Your abstract is a brief session description - other than this being what SotM attendees will read and make a decision when choosing among concurrent sessions, it’s also what the program committee reads, reviews, and scores. Think of it as a mini-story with four key parts:

1. Start: What’s this about? Open with a statement that immediately tells what your talk covers.
2. Problem: Why does this matter? Identify the challenge, pain point, or gap in knowledge your talk addresses. What struggle have you experienced or observed in the OSM community? Why should people care about this topic?
3. Solution: What’s your unique angle? How did you approach this problem differently? What’s your innovative solution, fresh perspective, or unique insight? This is what sets your talk apart from others on similar topics.
4. End: What will people learn? Be specific about what attendees will gain. Will they learn new techniques? Discover tools? Master a workflow? Leave with actionable insights? This helps attendees (and reviewers) understand the practical value of your session.

Choose Your Session Format

State of the Map offers various session formats to suit different topics and presentation styles.

• Classic talks (20 minutes) are perfect for sharing specific projects, techniques, or experiences - this is the most common format and great for first-time speakers.
• Extended talks (40 minutes) allow for deeper dives into complex topics or comprehensive case studies - choose this if your topic truly needs the extra time.
• Workshops(60 minutes) are hands-on sessions where participants follow along on their devices, which is ideal for teaching practical skills or tools.
• Panels(60 minutes) bring together multiple perspectives on hot topics - consider this format if you want to facilitate discussion rather than present alone.
• There’s also an Academic Track(now OSM Science) for research-focused presentations on OSM, perfect for sharing scholarly work, data analysis, or research findings. Most topics work well as classic talks, so when in doubt, start there!

Tips for First-Time Speakers

• Don’t Do It Alone!

Consider submitting a proposal with a fellow community member or colleague. You can co-present with someone you have collaborated with, a community, or an organisation that has done similar work.

Last year, I worked with Zacharia Muindi, Map Kibera, for an extended talk on a previous collaborative project!

One of the best(at least for me) talks from last year’s conference was On the Ground by Jochen Topf and Frederik Ramm, watch it here.

• Look Back for Inspiration!
  Check what previous accepted sessions looked like. Visit https://stateofthemap.org/ and review past conference programs for inspiration. The archives are full of talks from all experience levels.

• Get feedback
  Ask someone from the community to review your proposal and/or idea.

• Submit!
  Don’t overthink it. Done is better than perfect.

Common Concerns

If these doubts have crossed your mind, you’re not alone:

“I’m not an expert”

You don’t need to be! Fresh perspectives and beginner experiences are valuable.

“My topic seems too basic”

Introductory topics presented help countless newcomers. Your “obvious” knowledge might be someone else’s breakthrough or might spark new ideas.

“I’ve never spoken at a conference”

Your proposal is what counts, not your speaking experience.

“My English isn’t perfect”

The OSM community is global and understands that English isn’t everyone’s first language. Clear communication matters more than perfect grammar.

“I might not be able to travel to Manila”.

State of the Map 2025 is a hybrid event! You can present virtually via pre-recorded video (with live Q&A), participate in virtual panels, and connect with the global community online. Additionally, travel grants are available to help you attend in person; apply here. Distance shouldn’t stop you from sharing your story.

Remember: Your Story Matters

The OpenStreetMap project thrives on diverse voices and experiences. Whether you’re mapping sidewalks in your neighborhood or building complex routing algorithms, your contribution to the conversation is valuable. Photo from SotM 2024, CC BY-SA 2.0

Start drafting this weekend. The deadline will be here before you know it! 😄

• Call for Proposals Deadline: May 18, 2025
• General track: https://2025.stateofthemap.org/calls/general/
• Academic track: https://2025.stateofthemap.org/calls/osm-science/
• Regional and local SotMs also have calls for proposals open/coming soon (e.g., SotM Africa 2025)

Note: Speaking personally here (not as an OSMF Board member or as a SotM Committee member) - I really want to encourage you to submit your proposal!

Day 1) Home

忘れるかもしれないので備忘録として書き留めておく。

幅員は 自治体の提供する幅員マップを参考にはするが、必ずしも正確ではないので、最終的には見た目で判断する。

We know OpenStreetMap is one of the most powerful and collaborative geospatial databases in the world. It relies on contributions from everyday users, developers, humanitarian workers, and mapping enthusiasts to keep data accurate and up to date.
But like any open data project, OSM faces issues. And understanding the types of issues we encounter is essential to maintaining map quality. One simple and effective way to think about OSM data problems is, to divide them into two broad categories:

1. Existing Issues: Errors in the Map

These are problems that exist within the current OSM data. The features are already mapped, but something about them is incorrect, inconsistent, or outdated.

Common examples:

• Incorrect tags: A residential road tagged as a motorway.
• Geometry errors: Buildings that are misaligned, roads that don’t connect properly, or rivers overlapping with buildings.
• Outdated features: A shop that closed years ago but still shows up on the map.
• Inconsistencies: Using different tags for the same type of feature in nearby areas (amenity=school vs. building=school).

2. Non-Existing Issues: Missing from the Map

These are features or data that should be on the map but are completely absent. The problem here is not about fixing what’s wrong, it’s about recognizing what’s not there at all.

Common examples:

• Unmapped buildings visible in satellite imagery.
• New roads or paths that haven’t been digitized.
• Missing POIs like schools, hospitals, or shops.
• Lack of metadata such as opening hours, accessibility info, or addresses.

Why This Distinction Matters

Thinking in terms of “existing” vs. “non-existing” issues helps:

• Prioritize tasks: Fixing vs. adding require different skills and time.
• Guide new mappers: Beginners can focus on adding missing data, while experienced users fix complex issues.
• Organize mapping campaigns: Humanitarian or local efforts can be tailored to the type of issue in a region.
• Improve data validation: Tools like OSMCha, or Osmose focus on identifying existing issues, while others like MapSwipe or HOT Tasking Manager target missing data.

Please comment your thoughts and write another diary by linking this problem sets with your solutions.

طريق غير معبدة

This article is also available in Taiwanese Mandarin (台灣華語) and Taiwanese Hokkien / Taigi (台文)

In 2025, OpenStreetMap Taiwan Community has started to cooperate with Wikidata Taiwan Community to organize Street View Tour again, and in April, the tour was to Huwei and Tuku townships in Yunlin county. The funding source of this tour was Wikimedia Association of Taiwan, and the lunches for the two days (4/26 and 4/27) were sponsored by TomTom company.

The tour gathered outside the Yunlin High Speed Rail station in the morning of 4/26, and then set off to Huwei and Tuku townships to take photos of various temples related to Yunlin Liufang Mazu religion. Even though this was a street view tour, there were a lot of problems with the 360 camera this time 🫠, the one in the author’s car was always crashed (overheated?), while the one in the other car was never able to connect to the cell phone. The one on the car I was driving was always crashed (overheating?), while the one on the other car could not be connected by cell phone. Nonetheless, 53,854 street photos were uploaded to Mapillary this time (including both flat and 360 panoramic photos, some of which have not yet been uploaded at the time of writing this diary).

The next day (4/27) was the editing workshop for the mission, held at this year’s Red Altar (Hongtan) of Yunlin Liufang Mazu religion, where OpenStreetMap edits related to the mission were tagged with the #tt_event theme (either directly in the notes of the changeset or in the hashtags tag of the changeset), and Wikimedia Project edits were viewed in the Wikimedia project’s Dashboard. editors of Wikimedia projects can view them in their Dashboard.

About OpenStreetMap Taiwan Community

The OpenStreetMap Taiwan Community (OSMTW) comprises passionate mappers who are interested in Taiwan. Since 2010, mappers have transformed Taiwan from a coterie of individuals to a local community that gathers increasing public to participate in co-editing map projects. OSMTW is currently co-hosting monthly gatherings and aperiodic expeditions with the Wikidata local community in Taipei. Feel free to check out and join us!

This material is released under CC-BY-SA 4.0 International License, translated from original work 2025年4月街景踏查團（雲林虎尾、土庫） in Taiwanese Mandarin.

This article was translated with the aid of DeepL.

Pertanyaan mimin SGPC alias tukangsampat at the OpenStreetMap sederhana.

Banyak variasi jalan gang yang tergambar di peta OSM di Indonesia yang tidak seragam. Sebaiknya, untuk standarisasi sebaiknya, jalan gang di Indonesia:

• ditanda sebagai alley (highway:service, service:alley)
• ditandai sebagai jalan setapak untuk pejalan kaki (highway:footway) - yang artinya satu jenis tag dengan jalan setapak biasa
• atau sebagai jalan bersama (highway:living_street)

Cukup banyak gang di kota-kota maupun pedesaan di Tanah Air yang terasa terlalu lebar untuk sepeda motor namun sempit untuk kendaraan roda empat, tetapi dalam editor tag Allowed Access (motor_vehicle) bisa diartikan baik roda dua maupun roda empat, jadi sulit mencari pengecualian. Saat ini, versi mimin adalah merupakan sebuah alley.

Silahkan tanggapi di kolom komentar dan argumennya.

Para que servem os dados do OpenStreetMap?

O OpenStreetMap (OSM) é um projeto colaborativo que tem como objetivo criar um mapa mundial livre e editável. Mas para além de um simples mapa, o verdadeiro poder do OSM está nos seus dados geográficos abertos, que são utilizados por milhares de pessoas, empresas e governos em todo o mundo. Mas afinal, para que servem os dados do OpenStreetMap? 1. Navegação e Mobilidade Urbana

Muitos aplicativos de GPS e navegação utilizam os dados do OSM para oferecer rotas, calcular distâncias e estimar tempos de viagem. Serviços como o OsmAnd, Maps.me e até partes do Mapbox e Uber usam esses dados. Além disso, o OSM é essencial para soluções de mobilidade urbana, como planejamento de ciclovias, linhas de ônibus e análise de acessibilidade. 2. Planejamento Urbano e Infraestrutura

Prefeituras, engenheiros e urbanistas utilizam os dados do OpenStreetMap para:

Mapear ruas, calçadas, escolas e hospitais;

Identificar áreas sem infraestrutura básica;

Planejar novos bairros e serviços públicos.

Como os dados podem ser atualizados por qualquer pessoa, isso permite uma visão mais atualizada e comunitária da cidade. 3. Resposta a Desastres e Ações Humanitárias

Durante terremotos, enchentes ou epidemias, os dados do OSM ajudam organizações como a Cruz Vermelha e o Médicos Sem Fronteiras a localizar vilarejos, rotas de acesso, centros de saúde e áreas de risco. Projetos como o HOT (Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team) organizam mutirões de mapeamento colaborativo para ajudar regiões afetadas. 4. Educação e Pesquisa

Professores e pesquisadores utilizam o OSM para ensinar geografia, planejamento territorial, programação geoespacial e ciência de dados. Além disso, por ser livre e personalizável, permite projetos educacionais acessíveis, inclusive em escolas públicas e universidades. 5. Empreendimentos e Negócios

Empresas usam o OpenStreetMap para:

Localizar clientes ou pontos de venda;

Analisar dados demográficos e de tráfego;

Criar mapas customizados para delivery, logística ou turismo.

Por ser gratuito e sem restrições comerciais severas, é uma alternativa poderosa aos mapas proprietários. 6. Cidadania Ativa e Participação Social

Cidadãos e movimentos sociais usam o OSM para mapear problemas e soluções urbanas, como:

Buracos nas ruas;

Lâmpadas queimadas;

Áreas sem saneamento;

Roteiros acessíveis para cadeirantes.

Esse uso participativo dos dados transforma moradores em agentes ativos na construção de suas cidades. Conclusão

Os dados do OpenStreetMap são muito mais do que um mapa. Eles são uma ferramenta poderosa para construir conhecimento, promover inclusão, fortalecer a cidadania e melhorar a qualidade de vida. Seja você um técnico, estudante, gestor público ou morador comum, o OSM tem um papel para você — e cada dado mapeado pode fazer a diferença.

Ajude a manter os mapas sempre atualizados!

O Projeto COCAR é uma iniciativa colaborativa que disponibiliza mensalmente mapas atualizados do Brasil e da América Latina para dispositivos Garmin, baseados no OpenStreetMap — o mapa livre e aberto que todos podem editar.

Para que esses mapas continuem precisos e úteis, contamos com o apoio da comunidade! Precisamos de voluntários para verificar e atualizar as notas deixadas por outros usuários no OpenStreetMap e inserir novas informações nos mapas, como ruas, estabelecimentos, nomes de vias e muito mais.

👉 Pesquise por Notas no OpenStreetMap e atualize as notas na sua Região,

osm.org/#map=12/-8.0720/-35.0100&layers=N

Seu apoio é fundamental para garantir que o mapa continue sendo uma ferramenta confiável para todos.

🔗 Saiba mais e participe em: www.cocardl.com.br

Colabore com o Projeto COCAR e ajude a construir mapas melhores para todos!

Está difícil dar visibilidade ao seu projeto para a comunidade mundial, entre tantos eventos pagos e/ou presenciais? Nós temos um convite especial pra você!

Participe e concorra à publicação do seu relato como capítulo de livro a ser lançado em 2026

Comunicamos que parte dos projetos de países lusófonos apresentados na Mostra de Projetos de Mapeamento do III Workshop Mapeamento Participativo e Cartografia Social - MPCS 2025 serão selecionados para publicação como capítulo do segundo volume do livro da série literária Estudos de caso em mapeamentos colaborativo e participativo, a ser lançado no início de 2026, com o selo da editora IVIDES.

As informações sobre o envio de propostas para o evento, 100% online e gratuito e aberto à comunidade, podem ser encontradas no no site oficial.

https://ivides.org/workshopmpcs2025

As inscrições para a mostra de projetos de mapeamento estarão abertas até 20 de maio de 2025.

Podem participar grupos e coletivos externos ao meio acadêmico também, as propostas serão avaliadas da mesma maneira, segundo os critérios estabelecidos e disponibilizados no portal oficial do evento.

Podem ser inscritas iniciativas desenvolvidas em países lusófonos: Angola, Brasil, Cabo Verde, Guiné-Bissau, Guiné Equatorial, Moçambique, Portugal, São Tomé e Príncipe e Timor Leste.

A organização agradece ao patrocínio da FAPERJ e da empresa IVIDES DATA e à parceria com os laboratórios Lageot-UFF Campos, GeoCart-UFRJ, LiGA-UFRRJ, Programa de Pós-graduação em Geografia da UFRJ, Observatório do Mapeamento Participativo (IVIDES.org e GeoCart) e a Associação de Geógrafos Brasileiros (Seção Campinas-SP).

Is it difficult to present your project for the world community among so many paid and/or in person events? We have a special invitation for you!

Send your submission and be in with a chance of having your story published as a chapter in a book to be released in 2026.

We would like to inform you that part of the projects from the lusophone countries, presented at the Mapping Projects Exhibition of the III Workshop on Participatory Mapping and Social Cartography - MPCS 2025 will be selected for publication as a chapter in the second volume of the book series Case Studies in Collaborative and Participatory Mapping, to be released in early 2026 under the IVIDES publishing lable.

Information on submitting proposals for the event, 100% online and free and open to the community, can be found on the official website.

https://ivides.org/workshopmpcs2025

Applications for the mapping project exhibition will be open until May 20, 2025.

Groups and collectives external to the universities can also take part. Proposals will be assessed in the same way, according to the criteria established and made available on the event’s official website.

Initiatives developed in Portuguese-speaking countries can be sent in Portuguese language: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and East Timor.

The organisation would like to thank FAPERJ and the company IVIDES DATA for their sponsorship and the partnership with the laboratories Lageot-UFF Campos, GeoCart-UFRJ, LiGA-UFRRJ, the Postgraduate Programme in Geography at UFRJ, the Participatory Mapping Observatory (IVIDES.org and GeoCart) and the Association of Brazilian Geographers (Campinas-SP Section).

oh well, imgur doesn’t seem to work.

Прекрасно коли моя рідна громада була мною розмальована раніше. А ще приємніше коли ти малюєш сусідні громади. Сьогодні 7 травня 25 р. роботи по нанесенню на карту території Вовковинської громади завершені. Природні об’єкти громади картографовані на 100% (в т.ч. території населених пунктів, АЛЕ за винятком об’єктів всередині самих же населених пунктів, вони не враховані). Першими малювались об’єкти близ села Галузинці, останньою правкою було нанесення границь села Старий Майдан. Особлива увага була звернута на залізницю (некоректно було намальовано зупинні пункти), на траси (неточності геометрії) і на старі об’єкти які були намальовані колись іншими учасниками (актуальність була втрачена, на нових супутниках багато полів та лісів змінили свої границі).

І око милує, коли з електрички ти дивишся на не білу пусту текстуру, а на кожен нанесений об’єкт.

Wegweiser für Ansprechpartner zu Lösungen im Bereich OpenStreetMap und Geo-Open-Source-Software

Seit November 2021 stellt der FOSSGIS e.V. eine Liste von Firmen und Selbständigen zusammen, die Institutionen und Unternehmen Hilfestellung bei der Suche nach Dienstleistern zu FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) im GIS-Bereich, OpenStreetMap und offenen Geodaten geben soll. In den letzten Monaten haben wir diese Liste aktualisiert und erweitert.

Open Source funktioniert nur dann, wenn alle etwas dazu beitragen, und die “kostenlose” Software und Daten nicht nur benutzen. Viele Unternehmen auf unserer Liste entwickeln selbst bei Open-Source-Software mit, manche Mitarbeiter dieser Unternehmen sind sogar verantwortliche Maintainer von Projekten. Andere Firmen unterstützen das Ökosystem mit Sponsorings oder auf andere Weise. Das wollen wir unterstützen und besser sichtbar machen. Wir haben daher die Firmen auf der Liste gebeten, dass jeweils auf ihren eigenene Webseiten darzustellen, wo das bisher nicht eh schon der Fall war. Und in unserer Liste kann man jetzt nicht nur vermerken, welche Projekte die Firma benutzt, sondern auch ob sie selber aktiv mitentwickeln oder sogar verantwortliche Maintainer stellen.

Jeder Auftraggeber soll selber entscheiden können welcher Dienstleister der richtige ist. Wir können und wollen Ihrer Entscheidung für das eine oder andere Unternehmen nicht vorgreifen. Wir wollen mehr Transparenz in die Entscheidung bringen und es Ihnen leichter machen, die Dienstleister auszuwählen, die Ihren Kriterien genügen. Und wir hoffen natürlich, dass Sie auch explizit nach den Unternehmen schauen, die nicht nur von der Arbeit einer großen Open-Source- und Open-Data-Community profitieren, sondern die sich auch aktiv einbringen.

Für die Dienstleister heißt das: Schreiben Sie auf, was sie tun. Diese Angaben sollten so konkret wie möglich sein und aufzeigen, welche Organisationen oder Projekte (mit Link zu Projekt- und Github-Seiten) wie unterstützt werden. Ihre potentiellen Kunden wollen sich ein Bild von Ihren Aktivitäten machen. Das kann zum Beispiel auf einer speziellen “Open Source”-Seite sein oder ein Teil einer allgemeinen “Über uns”-Seite. Es ist dabei nicht so wichtig, ob sie das Ökosystem durch Spenden oder Sponsoring-Gelder unterstützen oder ihre Mitarbeiter zu Open-Source-Projekten beitragen oder diese sogar maintainen, oder ob sie auf ganz andere Weise etwas tun. Wichtig ist, dass Sie es darstellen und diese Informationen gut zu finden sind.

Die Dienstleisterliste finden Sie unter: https://dienstleister.fossgis.de/.
Ihr Unternehmen tragen Sie hier ein: https://dienstleister.fossgis.de/informationen-fuer-unternehmen.