OpenStreetMap
While the inaugural Missing Maps mapathon in Edinburgh was a positive event, there are a few changes I’d make that I hope would improve the outcomes.
First, I’d make more effort to lead new mappers into the local community. I would emphasise that contributing to OpenStreetMap is not primarily about “armchair mapping”, but about local surveying, adding to and maintaining the map of one’s local area. There are regular meetups and mapping parties in many areas, and where there are not yet, a missing maps event presents a great chance to bootstrap a more active surveyor community.
I appreciate that in areas where the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and The Missing Maps are focusing, there may not be local mappers with the leisure, infrastructure and bandwidth to contribute surveyed data to OSM, but it is almost always more work to correct poor armchair mapping than to build up from the ground.
Notes in progress:
NLS historical imagery, JOSM benefits of multi layers, iD and tag prescription, this was a technical audience and yes it was well balanced also
Diskusiyon
Comment from SK53 on 6 February 2015 seate 12:34
Fundamentally I agree with this, but I also think that practical surveying experience greatly assists in interpreting images even in unfamiliar places.
I know that my initial mapping in Port-de-Prince was very much informed by how much I had learnt from adding stuff remotely and then discovering that in reality things were rather different. There is always a danger of over-interpreting remote imagery, and exposure to this issue by actual survey experience really helps.
In the short time allotted for a Missing Maps session practical surveying is obviously impossible, but I think there is scope for using things like Mapillary sequences etc., to place remote mapping in a context together with on-the-ground surveys.
Years ago nickw and I spent half a day presenting OSM at a MapAction training weekend. I remember being surprised by how many of those present had edited OSM in their local area. Perhaps this was besides being GIS pros, many wanted a feel for how data was created. After all, they use it in earnest during humanitarian crises.
Comment from pedrito1414 on 6 February 2015 seate 12:48
Mapillary sequences would be amazing. We have done a low tech version of this, where we scour for images of the place to be traced and then link a pinterest board from the task, so mappers can get some sense of how imagery and what the ploace actually looks like link up.