Post-disaster mapping workshop with OpenStreetMap and JOSM

Today, Monday 19th May 2025, Made me one week at my IT, And so far i can say it has been great for me, Topping the chart, mapping over Thousands of building just in one week. Yes i sign up for this, that’s why I’m here to lead and take the topflight. Saying about today, I got the opportunity to teach and lecture one of my new IT College on what OpenStreetMap Is, His name is Alex though, And it was fun throughout the whole process. For fact, i know a lot is gonna come my way through this program, which I’m waiting for it and ready for success!!!

Hoffen wir mal, dass die Leute nicht auf die OpenStationMap zurückgreifen oder sich zumindest denken können, dass der Fahrstuhl so nicht aussieht.

So today i learned what is mapping and how to map and i mapped some building. it was a beautiful experience and i really enjoyed it. i met a guy called fortune he taught me almost everything i learned about mapping he is and easygoing guy, i still met a lot of fun people that will make learning easy. When i started i first learned what is mapping the site used for mapping which was later introduced as OSM US tasking manager. after that i created my account did my first mapping under the supervision of fortune and when he checked what i did and approved it i continued with some project he gave me and i finished 2 mapped task.

An open, cross cutting feature request for streetcomplete, everydoor, organicmaps and anyone else who targets mobile data capture.

• Ask for location detection (yup), device activity sensors (maybe not already asked for)
• If I am detected in the same place and that place has a shop=* or amenity=* for 5-15 minutes
• Activity detected is “still” or similar (I put my phone down, or walked around a shop)
• Can I please get a nuanced prompt at some point either then or within a few hours?
• And limit current notifications to 1

Particularly for cafes, restaurants, pubs, etc.

Why: Google maps does this for reviews, to great effect. Ask me, while I am at a restaurant, with a physical menu “Is the cuisine vegetarian?” Or “what’s the website?” (Often printed on menus) Ask me, while I am a cafe, “is there outdoor seating?”

The problem this solves is often I don’t know when a favourite place is missing data. I go there all of the time, why wouldn’t it be mapped?

Give me a “no thanks” option so if I don’t want the intrusion I can opt out easily. But if I hit “yes please, nudge me”…

Following various discussions and requests over the previous years, Ive adapted parsing of the machine-readable tag in waymarkedtrails for route symbols to cover more use cases.

Announcing changes to `osmc:symbol` rendering in waymarkedtrails

Hello fellow mappers,
I’m Ezekiel Kiariro, a passionate GIS and remote sensing expert based in Tanzania, and I’m truly honored to be nominated as a 2025 Voting Member of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT).

Although I read the newspaper (almost) every day, lately I’ve been getting news faster through my social circle. It usually starts as a rumor from an online friend, popping up on my timeline :

I am honored and humbled to introduce myself as one of the nominees for the 2025 Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) Voting Membership.

My name is Adamu Muhammad Adamu, a geographer, mapping advocate, and dedicated leader from Gombe State, Nigeria. I currently serve as the President of the National Association of Geography Students (NAGS) at Gombe State University, where I also lead our active YouthMappers chapter—a platform that has significantly shaped my journey into open mapping, humanitarian work, and global collaboration.

• What HOT Means to Me

HOT represents more than an organization—it is a movement that embodies inclusion, empowerment, and action.

To me, HOT stands at the intersection of technology and humanity, where data becomes a tool to respond to crises, build resilience, and bring visibility to marginalized communities. It is through HOT that young people like myself have found a purpose in contributing to real-world solutions, bridging the gap between global challenges and local realities.

• My Journey into Mapping and HOT

My engagement with HOT began in 2020 through YouthMappers. What started as curiosity evolved into a passion and a responsibility to serve. I joined mapping campaigns, led training sessions, and participated in field data collection. In time, I became a mentor and mobilizer, encouraging others to see maps not just as tools, but as voices for the voiceless.

In 2024, I was proudly selected as a Leadership Fellow to represent my country in Bangkok, Thailand, and now selected as a Volunteer Regional Ambassador for YouthMappers in Nigeria, a role through which I support chapters across the country, encourage inter-campus collaboration, and promote open mapping as a vehicle for humanitarian and sustainable development.

• Selected Projects and Community Impact

• Kwakwambe Village Mapathon – Adamawa State.

I led a community mapping project in Kwakwambe Village along the Numan River in Adamawa State. This rural area had been largely unmapped, and through this initiative, we documented key infrastructure, roads, schools, and risk-prone areas.

The goal was to use geospatial data to highlight the community’s challenges and advocate for government and NGO intervention.

• Mapping for Heat and Health – Akure and Gombe

As part of a national YouthMappers initiative, I represented my chapter in Akure, Ondo State, where we mapped urban heat exposure and its effects on public health. Inspired by this experience, I returned to Gombe and replicated the project, leading a student team to collect and contribute data for heat vulnerability and public health preparedness in our region.

• Leadership, Training & Mentorship

Through my leadership role at Gombe State University, I’ve organized mapathons, GIS workshops, and peer mentorship programs, introducing over 50 students to open mapping and humanitarian data work. Many of these students have gone on to become contributors to HOT, OSM, and YouthMappers.

• Why I Want to Serve as a HOT Voting Member

I believe this is an opportunity to elevate the voices of underrepresented communities—especially young people, students, and those in the Global South. My intention is to serve as a bridge between local mapping communities and global platforms like HOT. I want to contribute to decisions that create more opportunities, tools, and resources for those working at the grassroots level to make a difference through maps.

• My Responsibilities and Vision as a Voting Member

• 
  As a voting member, I believe it is my duty to:
  
• 
  Advocate for inclusive and community-centered mapping practices
  
• 
  Contribute to HOT’s governance with integrity and transparency
  
• 
  Support the development of sustainable local mapping ecosystems
  
• 
  Collaborate across borders to advance shared humanitarian goals

• I plan to participate actively in HOT working groups, especially those focused on:

• 
  Youth Engagement and Leadership Development
  
• 
  Climate Resilience and Disaster Response
  
• 
  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Open Mapping

• HOT’s Greatest Challenge and My Perspective

One of HOT’s major challenges today is ensuring equitable participation and long-term sustainability of local mapping efforts, particularly in communities facing systemic barriers to access and recognition. I believe this can be addressed by:

• 
  Expanding access to funding and mentorship for local initiatives
  
• 
  Building stronger partnerships between HOT and academic institutions
  
• 
  Creating inclusive feedback mechanisms where mappers can influence global strategies
  
• 
  Encouraging intergenerational collaboration across the mapping community

• Final Thoughts

This nomination is not just a personal honor—it is a responsibility to represent my peers, my community, and the many emerging mappers who are committed to using data for good. I am deeply inspired by HOT’s vision, and I am ready to contribute thoughtfully, respectfully, and actively to its continued success.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about me. I look forward to connecting with many of you, learning from your experiences, and growing together as part of this incredible community.

With sincere gratitude,

Adamu Muhammad Adamu President – (NAGS) Gombe State University Volunteer Regional Ambassador, YouthMappers – Nigeria OSM: adamutafidah

My Journey to HOT Voting Member Nomination

I will stop editing here after more than year of contribution because of various reasons, mainly political reasons.

I feel like continuing to support the project which is politically involved in mapping scope is not my moral thing to do anymore.

OSM’s ridiculous policy about who controls the ground, those determine the border is far more ridiculous than occupation itself. I am not surprised that these people do not understand what is international recognition means. The policy of “who controls the ground” is simply supporting any “invasion / annexation / or whatever term here” and running away from the reality of internationally recognized borders. If OSM is run by Europeans or Americans or Russians (who support their invasions and military presence in Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia) I am not remotely shocked. Because if they understood, world would not have been this trash since WW2.

I have seen it first time when I was removing fake Armenian names from the Karabakh area (was under occupation in between 1992 and 2024), DWG contacted me about not removing them because they have talked to Armenians who felt nostalgically bad about those. I was in utter shock for an American in DWG who did not think about occupation a second, but being fully biased on occupiers side asking how they would feel.

The same goes to Russo-Ukrainian war, for some reason they show Donbas as Ukraine area while it is under occupation, but showing Crimea not as a part of Ukraine while it is under annexation and occupation.

Same situation is with Georgian occupied areas.

I am familiar with double standards of Europeans, so no surprise here at all. You guys can enjoy mapping with disputed areas and changing borders every day.

Good luck to you all!

I’m a skilled cartographer and GIS professional with expertise in mapping, spatial analysis, and information visualization using various software, including ArcGIS, QGIS, AutoCAD, ACAD, and OpenStreetMap. I create informative maps, conduct network analysis, and perform connectivity studies to drive insights and inform decision-making, leveraging my skills in GIS mapping, spatial analysis, and cartography to deliver high-quality solutions and contribute to projects that require spatial analysis, mapping, and data visualization.

Cartographers in Uganda’s National Water and Sewerage Corporation would play a vital role in water resource management by creating maps of water infrastructure, such as pipes and treatment plants, and mapping water sources like rivers and lakes. They would also identify areas prone to flooding, monitor water quality, and inform infrastructure planning using geospatial data. By providing accurate spatial data, cartographers would enhance planning, efficiency, and decision-making, working closely with engineers, hydrologists, and environmental scientists to ensure effective water resource management and infrastructure development.

May 16, 2025 (22.46 PM) : Before starting validation on Project 18915, would you mind assisting with validation on another project first? It would be helpful for practice on a few tasks/grids beforehand.

A particular goal of mine will be to map Jackson Mississippis highest poverty areas.
Source: Poverty Rate by Open Data for the City of Jackson, MS

Joining the Unique Mappers Network Nigeria has been a turning point for me. As a passionate student of Surveying and Geoinformatics, stepping into the world of OpenStreetMap was like unlocking a new level in my career and community impact journey.

My OSM Goals Contribute high-quality spatial data that makes real-life impact Master advanced mapping tools like JOSM, iD Editor, and HOT Tasking Manager Inspire fellow students and young professionals in Nigeria to embrace open mapping Support humanitarian mapping, disaster response, and climate resilience efforts.

To Everyone in the OSMFight Arena… This is more than a competition – it’s a movement. A call to action. A chance to leave our digital footprints across the globe. So whether you’re mapping buildings in Port Harcourt, roads in Kano, or health facilities in Bauchi – know that YOU are making a difference.

Let’s light up the map, one building at a time! Let’s bring the crown home 🏆🗺️ Let’s make Unique Mappers Network Nigeria proud 🙌🏾💚

It works !! OSMfight as a gamification for community engagement of OSM contribution -This week we are engaging paired mappers for OSMfight for the next one week - we need to get our project task
running,engaging and fun to map
https://tasks.

Deutsche Post, which operates almost all of Germanys postboxes,
recently changed the collection times for most of them. This was
discussed on the
German Forum
starting 4th of April. I wondered if this could be seen in the
database.

Streetcars Rule

I’m trying to make a map of a streetcar line that I think ought to be built.

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!

Today, I had a good time at the national office and Mapathon center of Unique Mappers Network-the OpenStreetMap Nigeria Community NGO (https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/4.899962/6.

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 Angle, 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.

Secure everyday maps

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.

Hello all, to start with, Ive always been interested in open software and collaborative projects. I actually made an OSM account way back in 2012, as you can see on the HDYC website. I cant really remember why I made it to be honest.

Mapping the days

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.

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

A special opportunity: projects from the Workshop MPCS 2025 will be selected for publication as a book chapter

oh well, imgur doesnt seem to work.

Happy thoughts

It was a beautiful day for a hike, so I set out early at 8am sharp. I headed back to Ely, trekked some of the trails in Plymouth Great Wood, cut through the park in St Fagans, passed through Western Cemetery, then over to the iron-age hillfort in Ca…

Hello all, to start with, Ive always been interested in open software and collaborative projects. I actually made an OSM account way back in 2012, as you can see on the HDYC website. I cant really remember why I made it to be honest.

lord is the youngest of all purpose have to do it actor and the daughter hasn’t seen it yet but I will be done with the death penalty in both careers and then in jesus name amen.

Placeholder

I want to talk about how to name the trails in Catoctin Mountain Park, a
US national park in Maryland. The available information about trail names
is a bit inconsistent.

Mapping & Hiking: how to collect open data while having fun

How complete are addresses in OpenStreetMap in Belgium? After several status these previous years (see September 2022, in May 2023, and in May 2024, November 24), I finally adapt the process to analyse addresses completeness for all Belgium!

Ich haben einen Track hochgeladen. Der Import hat geklappt steht in der Bestätigungs-email und bei meinen Tracks wird angezeigt:

” 2025_04_27_2195689183_bsjw_all_tracks_openmaps.gpx.gz 5330 Punkte IDENTIFIZIERBAR

vor 16 Minuten von angela_bsjw

Braunschweiger Jakobsweg ist ein Pilgerweg. Er beginnt in Magdeburg am Dom. Dort zweigt er vom Jakobusweg Sachsen-Anhalt ab. In Hildesheim-Marienrode trifft er auf den Jakobsweg Via Scandinavica und endet nach 275 km am Kloster/Schloß Corvey bei Höxter . “

Aber der Track wird in der Karte nicht angezeigt. Was ist falsch??

Cartographie OSM des dommages du bâti à Mayotte après Chido

OpenStreetMap Indonesia, in partnership with TomTom, organised a Community Mapping Party at GoWork Plaza Indonesia in Jakarta on Saturday, 26 April 2025.