State of the Map Europe 2023

The State of the Map Europe 2023 conference, organized by the collaborative efforts of the OpenStreetMap Belgium community and TomTom took place from November 10th to 12th in Antwerp, Belgium.  The gathering brought together the most active members of the European OpenStreetMap community, as well as members of the global community and representatives from agencies, NGO’s and big corporations working with OSM. The conference provided a unique platform for us to connect with fellow mappers, developers, and educators.

 

 

Our presentation centered around the UN Maps Learning Hub, our learning platform is designed to educate a broad spectrum of mappers, providing them with a comprehensive understanding of OSM, with a particular focus on topographic mapping. By equipping contributors with new tools and knowledge, the hub seeks to elevate the quality of data contributed to OSM. 

 

 

Currently, there are two available courses: OSM Basics and Advanced. These courses are complemented by quizzes designed to test and reinforce learners' skills.  

The OSM Basics course covers foundational topics such as Getting started, OSM editors (iD, JOSM), OSM Mapping, Geographic context, Tasking manager, and Mapping topographic features. 

The OSM Advanced course explores more specialized areas, including OSM validation techniques, Tasking manager process, JOSM validator, Overpass, Osmose, Whodidit, OSMCha, Interactions with OSM contributors, and OSM validation workflow, offering suggestions on how to validate different features.  

These offerings aim to provide a comprehensive and structured learning experience for individuals at varying skill levels. 

Acknowledging the linguistic diversity of OSM contributors and learners worldwide, the Hub adopts a multilingual approach. Supporting multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, and Chinese (which translation was kindly provided by the Chinese community), ensures that OSM knowledge is accessible globally, fostering a more interconnected and inclusive community. During the presentation, we announced that Arabic will soon be added to the list of supported languages in the UN Maps Learning Hub. This expansion is part of our ongoing efforts to make the platform more inclusive and accessible to a broader audience. 

Additionally, participants in our online training programs, by using the Learning Hub and contributing to OSM, are eligible to receive personal feedback on their work and certificates of completion. 

 

 

Among the upcoming enhancements presented during the conference, one noteworthy addition will be the opportunity for students to receive recognition badges for each completed chapter. This feature is designed to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of learners within the UN Maps Learning Hub. 

Our journey at the State of the Map Europe 2023 was inspiring and invigorating. As we continue to build the UN Maps Learning Hub, we invite educators, mappers, and OSM enthusiasts to join us on this exciting journey and provide feedback on how we can enhance and improve the hub. Your insights and suggestions are invaluable as we work towards creating a more effective and user-friendly platform for the global OSM community.