Introduction:

Over the past year, I have been working as a backend developer on the Field Mapping and Tasking Manager (FMTM) project for the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT). My role has involved system design, feature development, and bug fixing, all aimed at enhancing the efficiency and usability of field mapping for humanitarian purposes. One of my key contributions has been developing and refining the FMTM Splitter —an algorithm designed to streamline field mapping by dividing map Areas of Interest (AOI) into manageable tasks for mappers.

In this post, I will discuss the workings of the FMTM Splitter, the challenges we’ve overcome, and how OpenStreetMap (OSM) data plays a vital role in making this tool effective for humanitarian efforts.

The FMTM Splitter: Two Key Algorithms

The FMTM Splitter is crucial for breaking down large AOIs into smaller, manageable tasks for field mappers. The goal is to ensure that mappers can efficiently collect and update information without having to cross major obstacles like highways or rivers. This makes the mapping process not only faster but also safer and more convenient for field mappers.

We developed two main algorithms for splitting AOIs:

SplitBySquare:

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