Greetings, fellow mappers! I am thrilled to share my journey as an Open Mapping Guru Validation Fellow. This fellowship, organized by the Open Mapping Hub Asia-Pacific, has been an enriching experience filled with learning, collaboration, and significant contributions to the OpenStreetMap (OSM) community.

My OSM Journey From Beginner to Advanced Mapper

My journey with OpenStreetMap began back in December 2021 during a training organized by the Geomatics Engineering Students’ Association of Nepal (GESAN). The collaborative spirit of OSM and its mission to create free, up-to-date maps for everyone instantly captivated me. Unlike other mapping services, OSM is a community-driven platform that offers unrestricted use, much like Wikipedia. Till then, I’ve started mapping my way around different parts of Nepal and have since expanded my efforts to encompass the global landscape. Over time, I became an active mapper, regularly contributing to the platform. The more I mapped, the more I realized the importance of accurate and up-to-date data, which led me to the Open Mapping Guru Fellowship. Last December, I learned about the Open Mapping Hub AP’s OMGuru Fellowship from a fellow colleague and luckly I got selected for the Validation track. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I am thrilled to have made a significant and tangible impact on the broader OSM community.

Becoming a Validation Fellow

In early 2024, I enrolled in the Guru Program of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) and learned about the OM Guru Fellowship. Intrigued by the Validation track, I applied and was fortunate to be selected. The Validation track focuses on ensuring the accuracy and reliability of map data, which is crucial for disaster response, humanitarian efforts, and other vital uses. The sense of purpose that comes from knowing my work helps create dependable maps for these causes has been deeply fulfilling.

Fellowship Experience

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