My May 2021 in OSM

• Mapping
  • Kept mapping as normal. Over the last few weeks, I might have missed a day, and not mapped every day.
• Communication Working Group
  • Promotional Material Programme
    • Posted an envelope to USA, and another to USA after Martijn van Exel posted a dare on twitter
• Hacking
  • “There is a place called X in Y, there is a place called Y in Z, …”
    • Code on Github: osm-longest-place-boundary-includes
  • Made a script for a friend’s River Modernisation Project to find things in OSM which look like rivers, but might not be tagged that way (code will be published shortly)
  • It was nice to get some recretational hacking done. The OSMF Board is important work, but it feels like work, and takes time.
• OSMF Board
  • Bank account
    • Our bank is kicking us out because they asked if we had any contact with a list of countries (like DRC), and they paniced, and cancelled our account.
    • I investigated opening an account with Bank of Ireland, one of the two big prestigous banks in my home country of Ireland.
      • I phoned them up, and the customer service rep did ask about OSM, so I managed to explain it.
      • I also had a successful conversation with a proper sales rep later.
    • Updated OSMF website to remove references to bank account
    • Since we’d be non-functional without a bank account, we approved temporarily paying the current Treasurer to spend time on it, rather than relying on volunteer free time. This is not something the OSMF should do regularly, but extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
  • OSMF’s BigBlueButton server, I had to email Cloud68 to tell them we’ll be late with payment due to bank issues.
  • OSMF Board May 2021 Board meting
    • email LCCWG to remind them of meeting
  • For one application for Active Contributor Membership, the applicant didn’t provide a lot of data, so I voted not. But a fellow board collegue found evidence of their contributions. I wanted to change my vote to “Approve”, but the time had passed. I mentioned this at the board meeting. The application passed, and the person is rightly recieved Active Contributor Membership to the OSMF. Please include as much info as possibl
  • Local Chapters
    • emailed about AB reps: DRC
    • emailed FOSSGIS to remind them to sign the new Local Chapter Agreement
  • Advisory Board meeting
    • Emailed them to remind them
    • Emailed the wider OSMF membership to inform & remind them
  • The OSMF is thinking of moving to out of the UK
    • I investigated moving to Ireland
      • I talked to members of OSM Ireland which I’m a member of
      • I contacted member of TOG, the Dublin hackerspace that I co-founded and used to be active in to ask for advice
      • I informed the OSMF’s LWG to inform them

(Sorry for the delay, I’ll try to catch up, which might result in less detail for this month)

Previously:

2021: Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr.

2020: Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.