FRCC Humanitarian Mapathon

The Front Range Community College (FRCC) Boulder County Campus GIS Department is sponsoring a Humanitarian Mapathon!

Join us for a fun evening of learning about, and doing, humanitarian mapping. Mapping in OpenStreetMap for humanitarian causes is easy, gratifying, and a great way to help some of the most vulnerable populations on Earth. No experience is necessary!

Volunteers from the FRCC student body, faculty and the public will map buildings, roads and waterways in Binga, Zimbabwe to support flood resilience projects from the comfort of… Oscar Blues Brewery in Longmont. Mapping will be based on satellite imagery. (Quick Start Guide instructions) (http://files.meetup.com/1672600/2016_04_13_Mapathon_Quick_Start.pdf)

Annual flooding and recurring drought have devastating impacts on communities in Southern Africa. In the Zambezi River basin, seasonal weather patterns often result in crop failure, shelter damage, livestock death, soil erosion and increased water and sanitation issues. Since late 2011, the American Red Cross has been working with communities in Binga district, Zimbabwe to identify and mitigate common hazards, as well as implement small-scale resilience projects such as latrine construction to improve household hygiene and building fuel-efficient cookstoves to reduce environmental degradation. At the same time, the American Red Cross is strengthening the capacity of the Zimbabwe Red Cross through trainings and community contingency planning support.

FAQs

Q: What software/platform will we be using?

A: You can make edits using any OpenStreetMap editor. We will provide instructions for the iD Editor (http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/ID), and there will probably be several mappers in attendance who will be using the the more advanced JOSM Editor (http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/JOSM).

Q: What should I do to prepare?

A: No preparation is necessary, however, if you don't have an OpenStreetMap account you can create one ahead of time here (https://www.openstreetmap.org/user/new). Learning resources are available at learnosm.org (http://learnosm.org/en/beginner/introduction/) and MapGive (http://mapgive.state.gov/learn-to-map/) . However, none of this is required ahead of time.

Q: Do I have to bring anything?

A: You should bring a laptop computer, Linux, Mac or Windows will work. If you don’t have a laptop computer you can still attend and team up with someone who has a laptop to learn about OSM (or if you are experienced, teach!).

Q: What can I expect?

A: A "quick start" guide will be provided, and experienced folks will be on hand to answer questions. Then it is just folks sitting around mapping from imagery and socializing. Some of that socializing will probably be about the mapping ("how do I...?" or "how would you map this?"), but most will probably not be. I will tabulate the results after and send out to the participants.

Q: Does participation in a humanitarian mapathon count toward my GISP?

A: I corresponded with the GISCI and they indicated it does. I don't have other details as to what category it may be listed under. Be sure I have your contact info and make me aware that you need documentation for the GISP.

Q: I am with the media and would like to do a story on this event, do you have more information?

A: We are working on a press release, in the meantime, you can contact the organizers through this forum.

Q: I can't make it exactly at 5:00 pm, can I come late?

A: Absolutely! Arrive at any time and leave at any time (between 5:00 pm and shortly before 7:00 pm). These are very laid back informal events.

Q: I am a long ways from Longmont (or otherwise cannot attend in person), can I participate remotely?

A: Yes, it won't be nearly as much fun as hanging out in person with 30+ other map geeks, but you can participate remotely. Check back here later for the “quick start guide.” We will be working on this project: http://tasks.hotosm.org/project/1673

The quick start guide is here (http://files.meetup.com/1672600/2016_04_13_Mapathon_Quick_Start.pdf)