Dear OpenStreetMap Community, As we celebrate the vibrant spirit of OpenStreetMap (OSM) and the incredible progress it has made over the years in the upcoming annual meeting, I am excited to express my interest and enthusiasm in becoming a potential board member for the OpenStreetMap Foundation.

While I may not boast thousands and thousands of edits on the OSM platform, I have dedicated my efforts to advocacy and education, recognizing the which I think play a crucial role these aspects play in fostering a thriving OSM community. My journey with OpenStreetMap has been one of constant learning, teaching, engagement, and a commitment to making OSM accessible and valuable to people users around the world.

From when I made my first OSM edit in Nepal during a HOTOSM & Maptime Miami Mapathon. (Maptime is a global volunteer meetup group that teaches beginners and experienced folks alike about mapping, geography, OSM and more.) Since then I have volunteered to teach others about OSM in a few ways, such as through Maptime meetups, where I served as the leader of Maptime chapters in Miami and Boston, and to teaching the basics of geography and OSM to Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) fellows about how they can use and apply geography and OSM in their communities, to leading Maptime chapters in Miami and Boston (as I moved around).

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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

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Who am I?

Hello, My name is Daniela Waltersdorfer, although in the OSM Community I’m known by some of you as Dani. I had the pleasure of serving as a OSMUS Board member for this past, and very difficult, year. I work in the Transportation Industry and run, with my awesome two co-hosts, Maptime Boston. 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 this past 2020 we published the first ever OSMU US Code of Conduct (you can find more information here: osm.wiki/Foundation/Local_Chapters/United_States/Code_of_Conduct_Committee/OSM_US_Code_of_Conduct#OpenStreetMap_US_Code_of_Conduct )

Why am I running?

If you’d like to read my Manifesto for 2020, you can find it here: osm.org/user/DW2515/diary/392037 As you probably read, I am passionate about making this awesome community more welcoming, regardless of your technical skills. 2020 proved difficult to make these connections in-person- we didn’t have our beloved and biggest event of the year, State of the Map. However, although discouraging at times, this did not stop the Board in brainstorming with Maggie ways to increase grow our community. For more transparency, something I really value, I’ll share about my big expectation. I had hopes of creating a bigger connection between the transportation world and OSM US, especially with the private sector. You see, I work for a transportation consultant firm, meaning I work closely with cities, MPOs, States, and sometimes federal agencies in making transportation planning and engineering decisions. For various projects, OSM data has proven to be quite exquisite and impactful. So why not give back to this awesome project? Unfortunately, the pandemic slowed down some of my goals of creating a more connected community, especially when it comes to sponsorships and funding, for it has impacted many individuals and companies negatively in the economic realm.

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Personal Statement

Hello,

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