Foundation/AGM2024/Election to Board/Answers and manifestos/Q08 State of the Map
State of the Map
In 2023, the SotM conference was not held. In 2024, the conference was held, however, some community members expressed concern about safety for participants from marginalized groups and pointed to the OSMF's SotM participant safety policy. How should the OSMF ensure that SotM is held annually, while also being safe and accessible for all members of the global community?
Craig Allan - Q08 State of the Map
I fully support managing risk for SotM attendees and choosing safe venues. I worked with SotM WG to assess possible SotM 2024 venues across Africa and the KE local team constantly advised on safety as well. The choice of Nairobi has proven wonderful with amazing energy and a strong local team. Delegates found for themselves that the rumours of homophobia and violence that were circulating before the conference were not reality ‘on the ground’.
There are mappers in every country, some living in terribly repressive societies and I stand in solidarity with all mappers working under adverse conditions. It is not appropriate for SotM to choose only the ‘safest’ venues in Western Europe. Many other global cities are possible SotM venues without endangering participants. And a few are clearly dangerous, and should be avoided.
Brazil Singh - Q08 State of the Map
Ensuring that the State of the Map (SotM) conference is held annually while maintaining safety and accessibility for all members of the global community is a multifaceted challenge. As SOTM, mainly handeled by SOTM WG, I would collaborate them to avoid such issues. I would suggest to choose conference locations with a focus on inclusivity and safety. This means selecting venues that are accessible, have strong local support networks, and are in regions where attendees from diverse backgrounds can participate without undue risk. Also I would suggest to continue offering a hybrid format that allows for online participation. So that those who cannot attend in person due to safety concerns or other barriers can still be involved in the conference.
Courtney Cook Williamson - Q08 State of the Map
I believe that all humans have a right to feel safe, and I also believe that in some cases--though not all--safety is a relative term that has to be handled carefully. In a world dominated by social and digital media, I worry that we sometimes take headlines and clickbait and apply them as facts on the ground. To me, this is just as bad as using bad satellite data to edit the map. I think we have to think and act locally, as much as possible.
Today, I looked at the photos from SotM 2024 in Nairobi [1] and was struck by how many women were there, how many young people were there, and how many nations (54!) were represented. I was struck by the number of different topics presented on, as well. I was in Florence in 2022, and was similarly struck by how fast the OSM community is growing in the Global South and how wide is the range of projects. I was also able to attend the US SotM in Richmond, Virginia and the EU SotM in Antwerp which further gave me a window into the many different ways that OSM has evolved, country by country, region by region. Based on these in-person experiences, and the window I get into the many OSM communities through social media, I think that the SotM and Local Communities structures are working pretty well to help support the rich diversity of the OSM community, and that we should lean in to that in whatever ways that we can.
Maurizio Napolitano - Q08 State of the Map
I believe the SotM conference should be held every year because it is a vital event that strengthens the sense of community and showcases the real value of OSM to the world. While inclusivity is essential, this should also reflect in the choice of location. Unfortunately, many countries do not guarantee inclusivity outside the event itself, which poses a risk. Each year, strong local communities within our network have shown their ability to uphold the conference’s policies and ensure its success. Supporting local chapters and encouraging them to take an active role in organizing—such as hosting local-style SotM events before the international one—will foster greater inclusivity. Involving local chapters not only promotes inclusiveness but also helps maintain a global standard of safety.
Can Ünen - Q08 State of the Map
Writing these after this year’s SotM, I’m quite content to see the event was free of major incidents. Coming from a country where travel advisories due to terrorism threat or civil unrest are issued from time to time, or visiting countries with similar situations I have seen that the atmosphere on the ground can be pretty different and the risks localized compared to the severity of the warnings. And it can also be hurtful to see people outside your country claiming to pick the moral high ground against you with little to none information regarding the real context on the ground. This might also be risking alienating some very enthusiastic communities by building barriers against inclusion, while the foundation is seeking to remove them at the same time. The security risks might be very real, but they might be at remote locations without posing risks to attendees. Or there might be discriminatory government policies or social customs but the local OSM community and the event organizers are advocating against them. My stance on these kind of issues would be to avoid generalization and to evaluate things in a case-by-case basis with open minds. For this, I would advocate for a risk assessment and mitigation process in event applications to address these potential issues and let the evaluators reach better informed decisions regarding the severity of the issues and the viability of the event.
Michael Montani - Q08 State of the Map
In my opinion, not holding a SotM is a big risk, especially in a context in which that very same year, the regional SotM in EU saw a consistent percentage of corporate workers as compared to volunteers or other professionals. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but I think SotM(s) should represent all the OSM community while not skewing on one side or the other of the corporate spectrum.
I believe SotM to be like the celebration of the OSM community at its finest, the opportunity to meet new and old friends and share experiences and updates, either on site or online. If a project focusing so much on the community is not able to deliver its community gathering conference, even virtually, I believe it to be a fail.
My recommendation would be to hold the SotM conference annually, ensuring OSMF's SotM participant safety policy is respected. If it is not the case (e.g. there are few proposals for locations for the next year, and all these locations have some safety issue), I would unfortunately go for a "SotM Nairobi" again. I believe that to ensure the participation of marginalized groups the OSMF must work on:
- Attract new members of the community and actively search for volunteers to propose SotM locations in safer places. I think people interested in hosting the conference are there but the OSMF should take somewhat initiative in searching for new proposals. I believe many universities to be proud to give an hand in hosting it, as it is often the case, and receiving visibility for it and good networking opportunities. (something in Q10)
- Despite all the efforts, I think there will always be people that gets discriminated in a way or the other. It could be for gender, religion, financial, political or health issues, during COVID times. My suggestion is to carefully evaluate venues in order to give the possibility to participate to anyone on a rotational fashion. We can rely on regional SotM to ensure periodic geographical coverage.
- Improve the quality of online conference items (presentations, participation, networking, interactive experiences). Despite I do not like this solution a lot, this is the very minimal to include marginalized people that cannot physically attend to a conference. This year's SotM had some technical problems for remote participants.
Andrés Gómez Casanova - Q08 State of the Map
I see the State of the Map as a way to reach new communities or communities historically marginalized in OSM; however, I understand that other communities may be affected by this process. The OSMF should promote diversity, welcome new members, and have broader participation. This will lead to more people interested in the map, contributors, and users.
Furthermore, in the process of site selection, we must extend our support to regions that still need to have the opportunity to participate. By doing so, we can strengthen the OSM project and demonstrate our commitment to growth and inclusivity. Similarly, we should promote hybrid events to ensure everyone can participate regardless of their circumstances, even with other formats for people with disabilities.
Laura Mugeha - Q08 State of the Map
The annual State of the Map conference is an important event for our community as it provides a place for community members to meet, network, and learn from each other IRL. So many amazing things have happened in the community as a result of hosting 16 Global SotM conferences.
The challenges faced in 2023 and the concerns raised about the venue selection for SotM 2024 are valid and highlight the need for improving some processes when organizing SotM. For both years, venue selection appears to be the current and primary challenge. Over the last few years, the SotM committee has received fewer bids from communities to host the conference. We can consult local chapters and communities to understand why this is the case and find ways to improve this.
Secondly, I think we should include a stage in the venue selection process for community members to give comments and feedback that the SotM committee also takes into account before making the final decision. This would help us to avoid the case for 2024, where the community could give feedback at the announcement stage.
Given the diversity of the OSM community, it might be challenging to get a venue/location whose local laws, cultural contexts, and other factors would be favorable for all. However, we can still do so much to ensure that the conference is safe and accessible for all.
Héctor Ochoa Ortiz - Q08 State of the Map
I support the rotation of SotM between the different continents, so at least every 5-6 years everyone can attend a SotM within their continent. We are a global community, and SotM should reflect that. Out of the locations that apply, one of the most important selection criteria has to be safety and security, especially of marginalized groups. The OSM community is diverse, and attendees should feel welcome and safe. I particularly like the recent initiative in SotM 2024, of the code of conduct and report system.
I also highly support SotM switching from an English-only event to a multilingual one, allowing talks in at least the local language(s) of the hosting location. This could be done in two ways: separate tracks per language (cheaper but more divisive), or live translation (more expensive, but uniting).
Español
Apoyo la rotación de SotM entre los diferentes continentes, para que al menos cada 5-6 años todos puedan asistir a un SotM dentro de su continente. Somos una comunidad global, y SotM debería reflejar eso. De las ubicaciones que se postulan, uno de los criterios de selección más importantes debe ser la seguridad, especialmente de los grupos marginados. La comunidad de OSM es diversa, y los asistentes deben sentirse bienvenidos y seguros. Me gusta particularmente la reciente iniciativa en SotM 2024, del código de conducta y el sistema de reportes.
También apoyo firmemente que SotM pase de ser un evento solo en inglés a uno multilingüe, permitiendo charlas al menos en el/los idioma(s) local(es) del lugar anfitrión. Esto podría hacerse de dos maneras: sesiones separadas por idioma (más barato pero más divisivo), o traducción en directo (más caro, pero que puede unir más a la gente).
Arun Ganesh - Q08 State of the Map
For any location, there will always be certain communities at a disadvantage to attend such a Global event. Even venues in North America or EU, many communities of the world would find the visa situation or the affordability to travel a significant barrier to attendance.
It's important that as a globally diverse community we are sensitive to the challenges of marginalized groups in any form and provide sufficient opportunities that can serve disadvantaged geographies. As with tourism, there is a general expectation that one would respect local cultures and laws, and for such cases it should be no different.
OSM Foundation's board election 2024: official questions
Q01 Motivation and Objectives
| Q02 Conflict of Interest Management
| Q03 Transparency and Accountability
| Q04 Strategic Vision and Sustainability
| Q05 Decision-Making and Collaboration
| Q06 Fundraising and Resource Development
| Q07 Handling Legal and Political Challenges
| Q08 State of the Map
| Q09 Your Community Contributions
| Q10 Promoting Community and Attracting Volunteers
| Q11 Technology and Innovation
| Q12 Data Quality and Protection
| Q13 Perspective on Open Source
| Q14 Perspective on Overture Maps
All board candidates' manifestos
2024 OpenStreetMap Foundation's: Board election - Voting information and instructions - Annual General Meeting
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