The UN Mapper of the month - July 2023
Our Mapper of the Month of July is Pedro André Faria, based in Portugal.
Pedro distinguished himself during the MapRoulette challenge held from June 7th to June 9th, emerging as the winner. His mapping skills were also showcased in 2021 when he secured first place in the UN Map Marathon. Pedro is a highly active member of the community.
We asked him some questions about his contributions to the mapping community.
How has your journey as a contributor in OpenStreetMap been over the past two years? Could you share some highlights or memorable experiences?
Over the past few years, I have been mapping mainly in Africa, as I understand that it is the most vulnerable area of the globe and with the least economic means. The other areas would have the resources for recruiting a mapping team, and as such, I believe that they do not need so much "volunteering". However, I do map in these areas in occasional places. For example, I actively mapped in the Turkey-Syria after the earthquake.
As someone who has been actively mapping with us, what advice or suggestions do you have for other contributors who are just starting out or looking to get more involved?
The main advice I would give is to learn before mapping. There are many courses where you can learn the basics and understand if you will enjoy the mapping process. Once you get into the practice you will become more assertive and make the validators' work easier.
In our previous interview, you mentioned that you enjoyed mapping because doing so you can be agent of change. Has this motivation continued to drive your mapping efforts, or have you discovered new aspects that keep you engaged?
In fact, that remains my main motivation. Being able to contribute so that the most vulnerable places can have a better condition.
Our project provides training sessions to help contributors improve their mapping skills. Did you find the training helpful, and if so, in what ways? Are there any specific training sessions or topics that you found particularly interesting or beneficial?
I find your project of learning sessions extremely useful. I believe that attending them should be a prerequisite for mapping for the UN Mappers (except in cases of proven experience). I consider myself as an experienced mapper, I’m a validator in many teams, including the UN Mappers, I enjoy attending those sessions. This is always a way to share doubts and review points. It is a continuous learning process.
As we celebrate your contributions and recognize your dedication, what message would you like to share with the community of OpenStreetMap contributors worldwide? Is there anything you would like to see more of or any initiatives you would like to suggest for the future?
The main message I would like to transmit is to continue to be agents of change, and to believe that part of your time has improved remote and vulnerable areas.
In the future, I would like to see, some developments of the projects, such as a timeline with the "after mapping".
It would be encouraging, to show the effective contribution of the mapping in the practical part, either in the reports of processing and acceptance of the maps that were produced in OSM, or the use of them in practice (to understand who used the maps, how they used them and how long it took them to be used).
Also, it would be interesting to change the contribution system, because as a validator, sometimes it takes me longer to validate a task than to do it again.
