Who am I?

Hello, my name is Daniela Waltersdorfer, although to some I’m known as Dani. I am from Lima, Peru and after some moves, my family and I ended in the U.S. Fast-forward to now, after a few moves on my own, and now I find myself as a resident of the wonderful District of Columbia. I’ve had the pleasure and joy of serving in the OSMUS Board for the past two years, two very special and difficult years. As a professional I work in the Transportation Industry, where I help many transportation agencies with their transit, logistics, supply-chain, and asset management needs. I love cities and advocate for proper accessibility and mobility for people and goods. In the past, I’ve led Maptime Boston and Maptime Miami, where I (along with my awesome co-leads) provided GIS and mapping education to the local communities, led mapathons, and hosted a space for everything map-related in our urban areas. In 2019 I joined in on the OSM US Code of Conduct Committee, developed to lead efforts to foster a diverse and inclusive OSM US community, and in 2021 the first ever and this first ever OSMU US Code of Conduct was published (osm.wiki/Foundation/Local_Chapters/United_States/Code_of_Conduct_Committee/OSM_US_Code_of_Conduct#OpenStreetMap_US_Code_of_Conduct). Last year I committed to make this, our community, more welcoming. Albeit it being a difficult year, I believe what we learned from the obstacles in 2020 pertaining to the COVID-19 Pandemic, led us to be optimistic and proactive. Listed below, you can find some of the initiatives and pushes that I was involved in this past year, with the help of our super Executive Director, as an OSMUS Board Member:

• Continue hosting Mappy Hours - A great way to engage our community from all over the U.S. in a virtual setting

• Host two GeoLadies virtual meetings- Diversity is crucial and we must continue to push for a space that is welcoming for all. As a woman, knowing that this space exists in an industry that certainly lacks diversity, has been a very welcoming and relaxing experience

• Attend the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) Advisory Board Meetings

• OpenHistoricalMap became a Charter Project- You can learn more about this awesome project by checking out their recorded Mappy Hour here.

• Published our Vision Statement and Strategic Priorities.

• We welcomed Jess Beutler.

• We welcomed our first intern Maya Lovo Dominguez.

• Hosted another successful Mapping US- Two years without our beloved State of the Map has been rough, but thankfully, we were able to engage the community with this event where many of you were able to educate others about your current OSM projects and passions and, likewise, learn from others.

• Attended in person, along with Maggie Cawley and Jess Beutler, the 2021 All Things Open Conference: Networked with OpenSource Software Companies, agencies, and organizations. To my surprise, some of these were not aware of what OSM was, albeit them perhaps using their data. This was a great opportunity to get our name out there and educate others of what we do, how we can help, the resources we offer, and of course, express to them how they can help us.

• Launched the Trails Working Group: This past fall, after some communication with the National Park Service (NPS), we created the Trails Working Group, where many member of the community got together to discuss how to properly and responsibly map and utilize trail data on OSM US.

• Continue to work closely with the Code of Conduct Committee if and when needed.

• Was a user of the OSMUS Slack Channel, where I’ve sought help and have tried to help whenever possible

Why am I running?

OpenStreenMap US is an organization that means a lot to me. It has welcomed me with open arms, introduced me to some of my best friends, and has provided me a space where I feel safe in asking questions to continue learning. I recall the first time I contacted the OSMUS Board directly was when my former colleague Nohely, and I were chosen lead a class about OSM to some winners of the prestigious YALI Initiative based in Florida. I sent an e-mail to the then Board asking if they could please send some stickers or something that we could offer to the participants. We were doing this because we knew of and were passionate about OSM but had no official connection to the OSMUS group. In less than a week, we received a thank you letter and stickers. Something about receiving this acknowledgement made me feel powerful, like “yes, I’m a member of this community, I can do this!”

I want this to continue, and I hope with my more hands-on involvement these past years the community feels welcomed and encourage to communicate with one another. You see, the OSM US Chapter is more than “simply an events planning organization”. We provide a space, whether it be virtual or in-person for the community to engage with and learn from each other. We provide opportunities to projects and initiatives that may need them, whether it be through the Charter Projects Program, or perhaps through having us being the channel that connects you to the proper organization or user, and in many other ways. And, if you see this Chapter as only an events planning organization, then I would like to kindly ask you to speak up and tell us how we can do better, how we can help you.

I encourage and promote new people to come on-board to the Board (hehe), and if elected once again I will work closely with any new comers to show them the ropes. I am running again because I would like to continue from the momentum we were able to build last year. And, as I have said in previous OSMUS Board Election Statements, , I believe I can continue to push our community in the right direction; I want to work to expand our footprint and encourage others to come, I want OSM US to be a diverse and inclusive community where all feel safe.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and considering me to represent you. Please feel free to reach out should you have any questions. Slack: @DWaltersdorfer Twitter: @DWaltersdorfer