Missing Maps turned ten years old in November and it may be running a full-blown internship in its tenth year.

Partially to celebrate this tenth birthday Missing Maps member organizations met for two full days in September in Nairobi, Kenya.

Vojtech Rehak (MSF) top left presenting on day one of the gathering, clockwise onwards around the table: Jorieke Vyncke (MSF), Benjamin ‘Benni’ Herfort (HeiGIT), Nash Naufal (MSF), Paul Knight (British Red Cross), Zacharia Muindi (Map Kibera), Rory Nealon (YouthMappers) and Sam Colchester (HOT) taking photo

What we talked about

A Short History of Missing Maps … the Last Ten Years

We reflected on the fact that on 5 November 2014, HOT, American Red Cross, British Red Cross and MSF launched the Missing Maps Project. Originally stating:

The main goal of the project is to map the most vulnerable places in the world, in order that international and local NGOs and individuals can use the maps and data to better respond to crises affecting the areas.

Largely speaking, ten years on, this ‘main goal’ remains the same. But a lot has happened since!

We looked in wonder at the various logo designs that were considered for Missing Maps shortly before it was launched:

Missing Maps logos considered before launch

In July 2016 MapSwipe was launched. MapSwipe is now a crucial part of the Missing Maps picture, with Missing Maps members continuing to maintain and improve it.

Over the years, Missing Maps has grown from just four members to a network of twenty organizations. We are still open to new members, in fact one of the themes of our discussion this year centered on welcoming members which are only involved in the use of OSM data (traditionally Missing Maps has had more of a focus on organizations which are involved in both the creation and use of OSM data).

The Missing Maps website

The Missing Maps website is broken, this is why I’m writing this as an OSM Diary post and not as a Missing Maps blog post. Although the website loads cleanly and all the information is there, it is effectively locked in time, no new blog posts, images or text can be added or changed.

The website is important, during the gathering Benni (HeiGIT) pulled stats showing that the Missing Maps website received around 3,100 visitors in the two weeks prior to 4 September. For comparison, HOT’s Tasking Manager received approximately 5,400 visitors in the same period.

We considered various options for resolving the broken website and took away a priority to launch a new working website. Missing Maps meetings since have found consensus on improving a draft version of a new website (created kindly by Nicolelaine) based on OSM US’s Dogwood Jekyll theme, which OSM US built and use for their own website.

How Missing Maps members use OSM data

Paul Knight (British Red Cross) led a great discussion on how Missing Maps members use OSM data in their work (workflows). In particular, the discussion focused around how Missing Maps members use varied approaches to create sampling frames with OSM building footprints. These can be used, for example, to estimate disease prevalence in a settlement.

The discussion demonstrated that there is clear value in talking through our use of OSM data and we promised to keep this conversation on data use and workflows alive going forward.

Missing Maps internship?

HOT used to run an annual ‘Data Quality Internship’, this was a 12-week, full time, remote opportunity offered to 20-30 interns. It was designed to train interns to be active members of the validation community but also to contribute to the growth of sustainable communities (e.g. create trainers and leaders within an intern’s community).

HOT has not run a Data Quality Internship since 2022, and the Missing Maps members spoke up for the value that the internships have brought since. For example, former intern Yves Emmanuel worked with MSF for several months this year through the OSMer in residence program.

The Missing Maps members suggested re-booting the Data Quality Internship, but under a collective effort through Missing Maps. MSF, YouthMappers and HOT have all taken this forward to develop a concept note that outlines a potential Missing Maps Internship – hopefully much more to come on this!

After the gathering

Immediately after the gathering the Missing Maps members headed to the State of the Map 2024 global event which started just down the road. We tend to choose the gathering location based on a State of the Map event in order to limit travel demands. With State of the Map global taking place in Manila, Philippines for 2025 we already have a possible location for the next Missing Maps gathering in mind!

Missing Maps representatives and volunteers on the balcony of the University of Nairobi Tower during State of the Map 2024

More about Missing Maps and the gathering

MSF kindly hosted us in their office and this came with added benefits:

• The GIS specialist from the MSF Nairobi office attended some of our meetings
• Our meeting room was surrounded by large MSF wall maps that all credited OSM – very motivating!

Missing Maps members meet every two weeks on a one hour call, but the idea of the annual gathering is to make space for deeper conversations between members, to discuss thorny issues that are easier to tackle in-person, and make decisions on future activities.

Several Missing Maps member organizations could not send representatives to Nairobi and so joined by dialing in remotely. Not pictured above, but we were also lucky to be joined by Erica Hagen (YouthMappers) and special guest Boneya Hindada from Kenya Red Cross.