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2016

Seattle

Building community through mapathons and community mapping

community

Drishtie Patel 30min

American Red Cross
This talk was transcribed.

The Missing Maps Project is a dynamic and unique cross sector collaboration that brings various groups together at multiple stages to help serve vulnerable people around the globe. From the first step where remote volunteers trace satellite imagery, followed by local volunteers that physically walk door to door to add information so that finally humanitarian organizations can use the data to provide services back to the community. Partners have been able to recruit diverse and large numbers of remote and local volunteers who posses a wealth of knowledge that adds the necessary information to make the map complete and useful. Thus far 7,000 volunteers have mapped 14 million people. American Red Cross has led field trainings in 8 countries.

I will talk about how we have built a remote mapping community through leaders that have emerged from engagement with universities, local OpenStreetMap groups and corporate partners who have now become mapping event ambassadors and host their own mapping events. In regards to community mapping we would like to share our lessons learnt from this project designed to engage the local community, empower and encourage people to take action themselves and build capacity.