Séverin Menard

This talk will present the rise of active, self-standing grassroots communities in Haiti, Western and Central Africa since 2010 resulting from a unique set of continued support actions replicable in other territories, by an ensemble of speakers from (at least) France, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Togo

This breakout session will produce a narrative about how since 2010, OpenStreetMap communities emerged in Haiti and expanded to Western and Central Africa after 2012 partly as the result of a combined set of support actions spanning technical and organizational OSM trainings, voluntary and professional OSM mapping projects, OSM local and international volunteering programs, documentation as well as preparedness and crisis mapping work... Tied to the overall support of the global OSM community and the commitment of Haitian and African mappers, these actions allowed the OSM project to come forth in the form of a network of organized and self-standing communities and economic stakeholders in Haiti, Western and Central Africa cognizant of and active with OpenStreetMap, Open data and free geomatics. Like in Milano's Bird of Feathers sessions last year, this talk will be collectively built with African mappers involved in these multi-years activities and ideally co-facilitated by those from Western Africa successful in getting visas and traveling to Heidelberg. This talk is meant to introduce a Bird of Feathers session opened to anyone active or interested in growing OSM the grassroots way in the hard environment of the countries of the Global South and especially southern countries of Africa. ### Moderation * Nicolas Chavent (France) * Séverin Ménard (France) * Amadou Ndong (Senegal) ### Speakers * Claire Halleux (Belgium, SotM DRC) * Jariatou Jallow (Gambia, Connected YMCA Gambia) * Trudy Hope (Zambia, Mapping for Wash in Zambia) * Fanevanjanahary Andriamiadantsoa (Madagascar, OSM MG community) * Nathalie Astou Sidibé (Mali, Mapping access to water in rural Mali) * Saliou Abdou (Benin, SotM Benin) Additional scholars from Africa may also join.

Other people: Nicolas Chavent

This talk will share lessons that OSM and OSMF members can learn about the multi-years collective dynamics around OpenStreetMap which unfold in French-speaking southern countries of Africa and the Caribbean with the view of identifying paths for local OSM grassroots groups evolution towards a formal OSMF local chapters.

It has been some years that OSM and OMSF members have been discussing the topic of OSMF local chapters over emails, wiki, physically through BoF sessions at SotM events. In 2019 the Ugandan NGO MapUganda applied to be the OSMF local chapter in this country. This talk will share lessons that OSM and OSMF members can learn about the multi-years collective dynamics around OpenStreetMap which unfold in French-speaking southern countries of Africa and the Caribbean. In these countries, since the start local OSM actions (outreach, communication, mapping and training) have been organized collectively. These actions lead to the de facto building of first informal collective of mappers which organized internally over the years and for some incorporated as local associations mandated to the promotion and support of the OSM project playing the role of a de facto OSM Chapter. The talk will look at the collective practices of these de facto OSMF local chapters in the light of the OSMF requirements but also look at the OSMF local chapters requirements in the light of this multi-years OSM associative experience with the view to identify itineraries to the building of OSMF local chapters. Like in Milano's BoF sessions, this talk will be collectively built with African mappers involved for many years in these activities and ideally co-facilitated by those from Western Africa successful in getting visas and traveling to Heidelberg. This talk is meant to introduce a BoF session opened to anyone active or interested in supporting the growth of OSMF local chapters connected to the pioneering grassroot collective in the hard environment of the countries of the Global South and especially southern countries of Africa.

Other people: Nicolas Chavent

Who benefits from the mapathons: between (over)communication and (over)attribution, critical feedback on the inflation of a form of action oversold in the field of humanitarian action and development aid. Really for the benefit of OSM?

It would be possible to multiply the subtitles for this "Mapathon, mapathon, mapathon!" talk which questions the almost mandatory use taken by this form of collective OSM contribution for humanitarian and development aid stakeholders in the southern territories. "Mapathons in the "south" for what?", "A mapathon does not make a summer", or "Who benefits from mapathons?"... This presentation will aim to open a discussion about the inflation of one specific OSM contribution, to identify the diversity of its practices, the logics of communication, attribution, the quality issues of the data produced, and list the necessary conditions for a mapathon to actually benefit the OSM project in the southern countries and not harming its database. Like in Milano's Bird of Feather sessions last year, this talk will be collectively built with African mappers involved for many years in these activities and ideally co-facilitated by those from Western Africa successful in getting visas and traveling to Heidelberg. This talk is meant to introduce a Bird of Feather session opened to anyone active or interested in this topic and how it impacts the OSM dynamics in the hard environment of the countries of the Global South and especially southern countries of Africa.

Other people: Nicolas Chavent