As a proud OSM contributor since the start of 2023, I’ve been busy mapping my way around Jalpaiguri and the North Bengal region, leaving a trail of improved data in my wake. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’m thrilled to have made a tangible impact on the OSM community. But, I didn’t stop there.

Last December, I learned about the Open Mapping Hub AP’s OMGuru Fellowship from a fellow OSM India member, and I just had to apply. Long story short, I got accepted, and it’s been quite great ever since.

Through the OMGuru Fellowship, I’ve had the chance to dive deeper into the world of OSM and learn about an array of tools and techniques for contributing to and improving OSM data and sharpen up my skills using JOSM. Specialising in Validation Track, I’ve honed my skills in ensuring the accuracy and quality of data – a crucial aspect of mapping that’s often overlooked. But it’s not just about validating HOT TM tasks; I’ve also acquired the skills to further map my region, add quality data, and even use it for research and analysis (cue the HOT x DataCamp Scholarship).

It’s been an incredible experience, and I’m excited to see where my newfound expertise takes me next. The OMGuru Fellowship has been a game-changer, and I’d like to extend my gratitude to HOT and APHub for the opportunity to have been a part of it, and to Mikko, Dinar and Honey for their guidance (esp. Mikko and Dinar, you guys have helped me out a lot and take on questions which I now realise were REALLY dumb :’D).

I started using OpenStreetMap in 2020 when I realized the amount of surveillance put upon us by Google and other similar services. I wanted to use software which respects my privacy. In the process, I discovered OpenStreetMap - a map which is privacy-respecting, run by the community, and can be used without restrictions, similar to Wikipedia. When I noticed that some points of my interest were not on the map, I started editing and adding things in 2021. Subsequently, I became an active mapper by mapping regularly over many years. Besides using and mapping, I also advocate and promote the use of OpenStreetMap and raise awareness about it.

At the start of 2024, I enrolled in the Guru Program of Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) and got to know about the OMGuru Mapping Fellowship program in March 2024. The tasks ranged from mapping amenities using mobile applications like Every Door to remote mapping using HOT Tasking Manager, which is a sophisticated mapping management tool.

Before the fellowship, I did not have much experience with remote mapping, especially buildings. This program gave me an opportunity to hone my skills in JOSM, adding one more editor to my mapping arsenal. My friend contrapunctus helped me in catching up with JOSM. Another skill I learnt was validating already mapped tasks, which is done to ensure data quality and provide feedback to mappers on their work. My mentor Honey Grace Fombuena was very patient and accessible throughout the fellowship, making my experience smoother.

I am highly grateful to HOT and APHub for providing me this opportunity.

Credits: contrapunctus and sahilister for proofreading.

… See full entry

I thought i would never finish this village. Kafaraj is a big farming village surrounded by greenhouses located in Fier and with a population of around 1120.

“#100villagesin100days #day16”

It was a privilege for me to be part of the HOT’s Open Mapping Guru Fellowship Programme, where I sharpened my mapping skills and became more knowledgeable about OpenStreetMap (OSM) tools. Though I had many trainings for volunteers in OSMmany times, this was first time I am involved in a longer programme with a structured plan. The structured training activities and assignments helped me learn about OSM such as validation techniques, changeset discussions, and creating MapRoulette challenges. Beyond expanding my knowledge base, this fellowship introduced me to an energetic community of mappers that has livened up my journey as a mapper.

As a Fellow of Open Mapping Guru, my adventure was a crazy pursuit of education, discovery and community involvement. The program allowed me to go deeper into the Open Street Map (OSM) tools and sharpen my skills in mapping, validation and community collaboration.

In this fellowship period I explored some new JOSM plugins such as validator.other which made validation tasks much faster, easier and enhanced data quality. Another different aspect of mapping is when I would actively contribute to changeset discussions. The use of tools such as OSMOSE and OSM Inspector to identify issues of data quality was something which I liked the most in the entire program. For some reason creating my first MapRoulette challenge was not done to a satisfying level. I will be exploring the tool in detail later in the programme.

Besides that, going through OpenStreetMap Changeset Analyzer aka OSMCha again reminded me of how we dealt with vandalism in OSM of Taj Mahal before thanks to the development SEED blog post quoting the Taj Story. That was noticed by chance and usage of tools like OSMCha will help in analysing these in a much better systematic way.

… See full entry

20 new districts will emerge in Cyprus on July 1, 2024.

Needs mapping

• Μεταρρύθμιση Τοπικής Αυτοδιοίκησης (Κύπρος) (Wikipedia)

• https://www.moi.gov.cy/moi/moiup/moi.nsf/All/DB4E590D370B845EC22587FB002B3982?OpenDocument#

• Mapping convention

Other:

• 2022 district groups

To map with a cause in mind…

---

THROWBACK… My mapping journey began in 2016. I started as a volunteer of Project NOAH – a disaster risk reduction and management program of the Philippine Government. Through its risk mapping initiative, I was engaged in OpenStreetMap tracing of building footprints in some provinces of our country. Even though the project was phased out last 2017, I continued to contribute to other initiatives that utilize and improve on OSM data. Some of these are UnmappedPH and OSMaPaaralan. Driven by my interest in carrying out humanitarian mapping focused on Disaster Preparedness and Response, I was fortunate to join the 2022 Data Quality Internship of Humanitarian Openstreetmap Team. This program paved the way for more opportunities for me.

Forward to 2024, Open Mapping Hub Asia Pacific’s call for Guru Fellows:

… See full entry

Kuzhnen was almost fully mapped, so I only had to add some buildings. I also surveyed the surrounding area and added a few more structures, but there wasn’t much left to map.

After that, I decided to explore around my hometown and added buildings in some small villages. Still not satisfied, I moved down the list and also mapped Kotorr.

I didn’t know we had a village named Kotorr in Elbasan. The only Kotorr I knew of was in Montenegro.

I have also been mapping in Kosovo and North Macedonia lately and have been enjoying the process.

“#100villagesin100days #day15”

It amazes me how much of my city mapping is already well kept and documented. I did not realize Trivandrum had so many OpenStreetMap enthusiasts till now!

Together, we can make the world a happier place by adding verified information to OpenStreetMap!

​Nice to see you all.

Fieldwork:

This is my town.

… See full entry

Ever been so tired that you miss a day without even noticing? :P

In my head, I had already mapped the village for yesterday, and I was wondering why it was showing “No Changesets”. Had to refresh multiple times before realizing that I had indeed not mapped the village.

Anyway, today I mapped Lapulec a village in Mallakaster, Fier and the surroundings.

Following the suggestion from a comment on one of my previous diary entries i am also adding link to the mapped area osm.org/node/728420122#map=17/40.62743/19.73867 .

I am not sure how to add images in here. Will get there!

“#100villagesin100days #day14”

OMGuru Validation Fellowship 2024 Journey

This year 2024 I got a OMGuru Validation Fellowship of OpenMappingHubAsiaPacific. Fellowship was started in January 2024 and end will be June 2024.I had a great experience in the 6 month fellowship. I validated 125 task in tasking manager. OSM Data quality issue cleaned by OSMOSE or OSM Inspector. I created a Connected highway/cycleway MapRoulette Challenge

.

And I validated the OSM data cleaning by OSMCha base on Mapillary Imagery. ##I also participated the training session : 1. JOSM Plugins 2. MAPSWIPE FOR WEB DEMO 3. Communication Skills + Miro Board Training. 4. Disaster Activation. 5. Rapid Editor with Meta 6. OM Guru Network X HOT Tech Training: Accessing and Visualizing Open Map Data 7. QGIS for Specific Use Case Scenarios: Flooding/Landslide, Land Tenure 8. QGIS to JOSM Workflow Training. 9. Overpass Turbo - Unleashing the Power of Querying OSM Data

… See full entry

Using OpenStreetMap for the first time after meeting with one of the core devs on meetup.com! Decided to start small and add/edit some entries around my neighbourhood.

.

The greatest motivation for my mapping journey was to map those numerous people who do not exist on a global footprint and are overlooked. It’s not just about filling the blank spaces but validating their existence, recognizing these people and making sure that no one is left behind. Validation of the data makes sure that each data we create on OpenStreetMap (OSM) is accurate enough to create an inclusive and complete world. Through this diary, I share my enormous journey of these 5 months showcasing my motivation, challenges and triumphs that I encountered in maintaining the accuracy and quality of data in OSM.

Learning the Ropes

“Everything starts from a dot” - Wassily Kandinsky The journey from a beginner mapper to being an advanced mapper, trainee, a trainer has brought me here where I stand as a Validator Fellow from being a validator at HOT Global Validator. The opportunity provided by Open Mapping Hub Asia Pacific as an OM Guru Validation Fellow has not only boosted my validating skills but also opened the door to explore more new, powerful and qualitative tools to increase the speed as well as the quality of the validation. Validating tools like OSMCha, OSMose, Maproulette and many more have created an environment where we see the quality of the data through the lens of the mappers and make sure that they are adding quality data into the existing database of OpenStreetMap. There’s a saying “Practice makes men perfect”. I believe that practice along with patience and motivation makes men perfect and you have to be patient and there must be someone to motivate you while you’re mapping to embark on your mapping journey. The constant motivation and praises from mentors like Dinar, Mikko, and Honey have made this journey look great and fruitful.

Collaboration and Community

… See full entry

set up JOSM, and intend to use it for most of my future changesets.

I am excited to share my experiences leading in-person training sessions with Open Mapping Guru under the Open Mapping Hub Asia-Pacific. These sessions have significantly contributed to my professional growth and self-discovery, offering valuable opportunities to connect with others.

As an Open Mapping Guru with the Open Mapping Hub Asia-Pacific, participating in this year's fellowship and completing my second year with OMGuru has been profoundly enriching. My initial involvement began in 2023, and I am deeply grateful to OMH-AP for providing me with another opportunity this year to further develop my skills as a trainer.

… See full entry

It took me 4 days to finish mapping this village because I could only map for 5–10 minutes every day for the past 4 days. It was fun, though, mapping during the coffee breaks while volunteering on WordCamp Europe.

Contributing to an open source project does not mean contributing to code. There are so many ways to do from translation, meetups, volunteering, etc. My favorite one, especially for WordPress, is to volunteer for WordCamps and this one was my second. It is tons of fun contributing to bringing together around 3000 participants in a 3-day event from all over Europe and more.

Next year will be my third year contributing to WordCamp Europe and I already applied to join the organizing team. Can not wait to start working on it.

Good news is from tomorrow, I will be continuing my personal challenge and keep mapping!

“#100villagesin100days #day13”

Greetings! Welcome to the first entry of my diary. Here I’ll be sharing my experience as an OMGuru, i.e., Open Mapping Guru.

Open Mapping Guru is a training program for next generation individuals who are seriously interested in community driven Open Mapping, just kidding, it’s for anyone who wants to help the community by mapping.

There are a plethora of skills and softwares/interfaces to be learnt here, but more importantly meeting a lot of people of the same mindset is a boon.

For starters, I never got to enroll this with the others as a batch. I got to know about it after two months passed when two people left two seats open. But, the people working in OSM AP Hub are gems. They guided me in every way possible. I could cover all the necessary requirements in a very short amount of time, earning the skills in the way.

When I first started, I was reluctant.. thinking how can this mountain of tasks be covered within such a miniscule amount of time? But our guide from OSM AP Hub curated the tasks so well that I started enjoying it.

Then the Climate Change Challenge event started where we had to pair up as a team.i love it how they gamify the events and we learn the skills in the process. The person who came up with this idea is a genius.

I can’t fathom how it ended so soon. I’m so glad that I could get this opportunity. I determine to enroll again if they permit me, moreover help other aspirants get enrolled in the process.

Thank you for such patience. I’m really grateful.