During validation on HOT’s Tasking Manager giving feedback to mappers is crucial to enable improvement and encourage them to continue mapping. Beginners make the most errors, catching them as early as possible to provide constructive feedback can limit the quantity of errors and steer them in the right direction. This can lead to an overall increase in data quality.

I’ve outlined some of the most frequent feedback that I give to mappers while validating projects that involve mapping buildings as well as explaining the importance of intervening. Please feel free to use these comments in your own validation efforts on HOT’s Tasking Manager.

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Live Validation:

Live Validation involves real time data cleaning conducted during a mapathon. It aims to give feedback to mappers as soon as possible after they mark a task in the Tasking Manager as mapped.

How Live Validation is done:

1.A validator joins a mapathon (either remote or in-person) accompanying the mapathon trainer. Ideally the validator gets a chance to introduce themselves near the start of the session and explain their role.

2.Once mapping has started, the validator uses Tasking Manager to focus on most recently mapped tasks: Within a project in the Tasking Manager under the ‘Tasks’ section select tasks that are ready for validation and sort by ‘most recent’. Carry out validation using JOSM and give feedback in the Tasking Manager.

3.After main training elements are covered - validator gives verbal feedback while screen sharing during the mapathon. It tends to be more polite not to mention mapper names - participants typically recognize the task they have been working on when you share your screen.

Advantages:

1.Capture data quality issues very early to prevent further occurrences by giving mapper feedback to improve.

2.Live validation helps the trainer to identify recurring issues where the mappers might need more guidance during the mapathon. The trainer can then adapt quickly and focus their training on those issues.

3.Live validation gives the validator the chance to give verbal feedback while also sharing those issues visually on their screen - this is an impactful way to give feedback, particularly compared to the typical method which only involves text-based feedback.

4.A validator gets the chance to demonstrate feedback channels (Tasking Manager notifications) with mappers to make them aware of where they can find feedback after a mapathon - this improves communication between the mappers and validators.

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Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team’s Data Quality Internship 2021 was a twelve week programme. An opportunity to become deeply involved within the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and community while gaining readily transferable geospatial skills.

The interns focused on validating priority disaster response projects, projects with imminent field mapping and also on tackling the backlog of un-validated HOT projects. In total, they validated 74 projects across 12 countries, See here

The interns were led through a series of webinars hosted by a range of professionals in the humanitarian mapping sector. Meta, Kontur, Mapbox and OSGeo ran skill sharing sessions for the interns - this involved training the interns how to use tools which the organizations had created, for example Disaster Ninja, OSGeo Live and RapiD. This broadened the interns knowledge of geospatial tools and enhanced their ability to validate.

In addition several key individuals in the geospatial sector participated in Ask Me Anything sessions, where the interns heard about their inspiring geospatial career paths and had the chance to ask insightful questions

Interns also received live training in a wide range of geospatial tools culminating in their ability to confidently validate the work of other mappers.

Some of the training sessions were recorded, please view this playlist to see all of these in order. Of particular interest might be:

• If you’ve never used QGIS before but are keen to learn, here is how to setup and use QGIS to create maps from scratch in this two part series Episode 1, Episode 2
• If you’re already into validation but want to learn about the mysterious art of “3rd pass validation” check this video.

Highlights

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