Join Our Network and Be the Change

We are looking for excited, inspired humanitarians. Are you ready to be part of something extraordinary? We’re on a mission to empower young people – students and early career professionals – with the skills, connections, and purpose to drive meaningful change through OpenStreetMap (OSM) activities. Join Our Network to be eligible for our new Cities Spatial Award (part of the Spatial People Award program)

The Spatial People Network aims to…

…build the foundation for a strong, vibrant and engaging network of young people (students and early career professionals) looking to build geospatial skills, meet like-minded people and contribute to something meaningful through OpenStreetMap (OSM) activities.

Call to Action!

Join us in mapping cities in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region and unlock the potential of open data.

If you are a mapper, humanitarian, someone who is passionate about making maps and wants to increase your mapping and event planning experience, you can apply for a grant of $200 to host a mapping event for you and your peers.

Your contributions will not only combat climate change, improve urban planning, and enhance disaster preparedness but also create valuable open data resources. This data will empower communities, drive economic development, promote social equity, support public health, preserve cultural heritage, and connect us globally. Join us in harnessing the transformative power of open data for a better future!

The Cities we are putting on the map

The Cities Spatial Award is for groups to host mapping events that help us to build the base map in cities across Eastern & Southern Africa. We have projects in:

• Nairobi
• Kinshasa
• Addis Ababa
• Cairo
• Maputo
• Antananarivo
• Lusaka

What we’re looking for

The Spatial People Award is open to mapping groups in the Eastern and Southern Africa region. We expect lead applicants to:

1. Inspire contributors to map the cities listed above
2. Have edited on OpenStreetMap before (please note that we ask for your OSM username here to check this on our side)
3. Have attended a virtual or in-person mapathon

If you have experience organising events (or have organised a mapathon before, that’s a plus!)

If you haven’t done any of the above, follow us on Twitter to learn more about upcoming events that you can participate in so that you can gain the experience to apply for the Spatial People Award.

The selection process will consider:

• Clear and detailed event details (date, venue, activities, participants). Activities should be directed at improving OpenStreetMap data through remote or field mapping activities
• An event with great participation and involvement of OSM volunteers and other spatial people in your community. Please note that in-person or hybrid events are preferred
• Social media indicating previous events organised by the applicants
• Character reference, you are encouraged to check with your referee before listing them

Who can apply

You are eligible to apply for the Spatial People Award if you are a mapping group within the Eastern and Southern Africa region, and are a member of the Spatial People Network. We consider a mapping group as a self-organised group of individuals who are interested in or plan activities that involve open mapping. This might include a Youth Mappers Chapter, a national (or local) OSM community group. Please note: your application won’t be affected if you are applying as a member of a “mapping group” or not.

Experience organising mapping events will be considered. If this will be your first event, please let us know and we will be happy to support you.

How to apply

The application form can be found here: Spatial People Award Application Form.

The Application forms consist of 4 sections:

Section 1: Provides general information about the Spatial People Award. Only action from you is to share your email address.

Section 2: In this section, we would like to learn more about you, the lead applicant and your mapping group. We’ll ask you some administrative questions. These will include your contact information, where you’re based, some information about your group and your mapping experience.

Section 3: Here we would like to learn more about your event. This asks about the date, venue, number of participants you plan to host and the activities you plan to have during the event and other logistics. Carefully describe what you plan to do during your event. Top tip! Break down your description into 5 key categories: (1) who (2) what (3) where (4) why (5) how?

• WHO? Who do you plan to host at your event? Are they members of your existing “mapping group”? Are they new map contributors? Are they people from your class / academic course? Are they your friends? Etc.
• WHAT? You’ve already stated if you’ll be doing remote mapping or field mapping. So tell us more! If you’re planning on doing remote mapping, will you be using the Tasking Manager? Or if you’re going to be doing field mapping, which tools will you use?
• WHERE? Tell us the location that you will be mapping
• • Kinshasa
• • Nairobi
• • Addis Ababa
• WHY? Tell us why you are mapping this particular location
• HOW? Tell us the format of your event. Will you spend the first 20 minutes training? Will you make a presentation? Will you have validators? Etc.

The Spatial People Network is an ongoing initiative, and applications are accepted at any time. Apply today!