Missing Maps Project

Entry Level

The areas we need to map often have no base maps. This means we need to trace aerial photographs to build a picture of what is there. This could be streets, buildings, residential areas, lakes, rivers, and the list goes on. Tracing these elements is very simple to do and can be done from your laptop. Once we have the trace, people who live in the area being mapped go out, often with paper copies of the trace, and label all the features in their own language, meaning that the data on the map will be relevant and local (very important for their own use, but also for organisations working in the area). Then, all those bits of important data, which make the map usable and useful, are added to OpenStreetMap. Again, this is something you can do! With no specialist skills or knowledge, you can help the Missing Maps project add all this information.

You can, of course, do all this at home, but there are also regularly organised Missing Maps mapathons that you can come along to and get involved. These events are an effort to complete big sections of a map in a very short space of time. They are a lot of fun and really help the project move forward. Find a mapathon in your neighbourhood on our website.

Experienced Mappers - Validation

The Missing Maps Project needs you!

Once you gain experience adding map features, the next step is to validate the changes made by others. Experienced mappers check the mapping done by others, to limit potential errors, and ensure the data is of a high standard and completeness. The OSM Tasking Manager/Validating data page provides useful information on why validation is necessary, and, general things to look for when validating. When you finish validating a map tile, the Tasking Manager comments tool is useful for explaining to the mappers who worked on that tile what changes you made, if any. This process should increase the knowledge of the mapper, and reduce future errors, thus improving the quality of the data.

Just like the entry level mapping, you can validate at home in your own time, or at regularly organised Missing Maps mapathons. Come and sit on the validator table to develop your skills and learn from other experienced mappers. When validating at mapathons, you can provide real-time feedback to the mappers working on the project.

Mapathon supporter

We are also always looking for people who can support new mappers at mapathons. You needn't be an expert to do this, just know enough to get someone started and to troubleshoot simple problems they come up against. Find a mapathon in your neighbourhood or sign up here.

MapSwipe

MapSwipe is an app for classifying imagery, developed by MSF as part of the Missing Maps project., The idea is that MapSwipers do the first 'pass' of an area, identifying where buildings and roads are present. This means that mappers don't spend hours scanning jungle, bush and desert, looking for things to map.

healthsites.io

The Global Healthsites Mapping Project is building a global commons of health facility data by making OpenStreetMap useful to the medical community and humanitarian sector. This open data approach invites citizens and organisations to share health facility data and collaborate to establish an accessible global baseline of health facility data.

Help establish accurate health care location data with OpenStreetMap

1 - Create an http://openstreetmap.org account

2 - Sign into http://healthsites.io with your OSM account

3 - Find the health facility that you would like to update

4- @sharehealthdata Help establish accurate health care location data with OpenStreetMap 1 - Create an

Help us solving GIS challenges

Eager to do more than mapping? We listed for you some GIS challenges that Missing Maps organisations encounter. Find our list here and help us with your technical, statistical, programming,... knowledge!

Throw your own Missing Mapathon

You can throw your own Missing Maps mapathon and there are pages to help you! Missing Maps mapathons or Missing Maps mapathons: for students and universities

Check out also our website full of hints, and checklists on how to host your own mapathon.

In London every first Tuesday of the month a mapathon is organised. Find some of there work on the Missing Maps London page.

Events you can still come to

We keep track of all our Missing Maps events on the event page of our website: missingmaps.org/events

If you would like to add the event you are organising, please fill in this form.

If you are coming to a mapathon for the first time, check out Missing Maps Mapathons - before the event

Learning

Helpful Resources/Tools

Partners

BBC video Concerning Ebola, Red Cross, Openstreetmap

BBC World News with Harry Wood (OSM) and Andrew Braye (Red Cross)

Articles