Thumbs Up! Missing Maps is Our Favourite Project of the Month

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Image amala_tc via Flickr

There are tonnes of good ideas that can change the world. Regular readers of RESET will already know of a few. Every month, we will choose one idea that stands out thanks to its impact and innovative approach. Our favourite project in November: Missing Maps.

Autor*in Anna Rees, 11.25.14

There are tonnes of good ideas that can change the world. Regular readers of RESET will already know of a few. Every month, we will choose one idea that stands out thanks to its impact and innovative approach. Our favourite project in November: Missing Maps.

You may recall the project from Louisa‘s blog entry earlier this month titled ‘Missing Maps: Putting the World’s Vulnerable People on the Map‘. The project looks to facilitate mapping in areas (particularly in developing countries) that are otherwise un- or poorly charted or are only sporadically serviced by satellite imagery and GPS. The project builds on the work of the Open Street Map team which connects community mappers – from ground field mappers to GIS professionals and engineers – through open data and open source sharing software. During the Haiti earthquake in 2010, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) proved their success by assisting local NGOs and other crisis responders to use their maps to save time and lives.

As an open collaboration founded by the American Red Cross, the British Red Cross, HOT and Medicins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the point of the project is to allow local people in rural settlements in Africa access to the maps and to edit and develop them.

The team regularly hold Mapathon events around the world to encourage people to bring their skills and get involved in crisis mapping.

Check out the project in further detail by visiting their website.

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