OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free and open source collaborative platform that puts on the map places all around the globe thanks to its volunteers that create geospatial data individually or collectively, through its platform and different editor options. OSM was created in 2004 and since then has grown to become an alternative to Google Maps, with millions of edits and an important number of corporations using its cartography as a base map.
The OpenStreetMap Foundation, responsible for managing and maintaining the platform, organizes the annual event so-called “State of the Map” (SoTM) to bring together people who collaborate in this “community of communities”. This year, the State of the Map was held in Florence, Italy, from August 19 – 21, 2022. The first hybrid conference, after two years of just virtual events due to pandemic restrictions, gathered 407 in-person and 193 virtual attendees.
Arizona State University (ASU) participated in the conference, represented by YouthMappers’ Committee Team, students and alumni. YouthMappers is a global community of students, researchers, educators and scholars that use public geospatial technologies to highlight and directly address development challenges worldwide. Additionally, YouthMappers members collaborate to fulfill the demand for open geospatial data access in all parts of our world, becoming leaders in creating resilient communities and defining their world by mapping it.
Executive Director of Knowledge Exchange for Resilience and Associate Research Professor at ASU, Dr. Patricia Solis, is the founder and director of YouthMappers. ASU also has a local chapter, YouthMappers ASU.
For this year’s SoTM, YouthMappers was a silver sponsor and supported 23 fellows from 18 countries to attend the conference. The consortium was represented in numerous talks and workshops, with members presenting the research and projects that their home chapters have been working on. Three current and former members of ASU’s chapter of YouthMappers joined the international group.
In addition, YouthMappers launched the premiere of its first full-length documentary: The Power of YouthMappers: Shining a Light on the Movement. The documentary can be viewed here.