Proposal: Regional mapathons
RobJN
Public
Seen by 47
Hi all,
I would like to propose an idea and appreciate any feedback you may have. It is inspired by the 24 hour mapathon that Tshedy (Mats’eliso Thobei) held in April.
The idea is that we do 24 hour mapathons focused on a specific region in the UK. Instead of one mapper working for 24 hours (I don't recommend that) we welcome people to help map the specified region at time that suites each individual within the 24hour window. The suggestion is to do this once per month and announce the locations well in advance (e.g. a full 12 month list).
I feel that this complements the quarterly mapping projects which a thematic not regional projects. It may help to build community and allows mappers to look beyond their normal patch every now and then - will help to fill in some less mapped areas and to highlight mapping styles inconsistencies.
If uncomfortable with armchair mapping then there are plenty of other ways to get involved:
- If nearby, then visit in person.
- Review how the existing OSM data compare to your normal mapping area. What differences can you find, etc.
- Send messages to locals to encourage them to get active in OSM.
- Search for open data available in the location.
- Reach out to local organisations / councils to encourage them to use and update OSM.
Dates can be picked randomly but proportionate to when most people are actively contributing. A quick look at OSM Stats suggests Mon-Fri are most active. Weekends less so. Over 12 months we can therefore pick 2xMon, 2xTue, etc.. and just 1xSat, 1xSun.
I'm also tempted to pick regions randomly at first so that each place has an equal chance of being selected.
Any thoughts or ideas?
Jez Nicholson Sun 12 May 2019 5:23PM
Nice. I like the approach of picking the date and location in advance so we have a stake in the ground.
I think there is a category in the osmwiki calendar to add them.
RobJN Sun 12 May 2019 6:59PM
Yeah, we can coordinate around them and maybe do some promotion in the region too. I think this could be a god way to encourage new mappers. I'll schedule some tweets in when I have a spare moment.
Gregory Marler (former Director) Mon 13 May 2019 11:10AM
Where did "Wansbeck" come from? It no longer exists with a specific definition. Morpeth might be a good choice around there, unless you really want some seaside.
Why North Dorset? If I could convince it to shift down as far as Cornwall/Penzance, then I think it might be possible to do a lot.
There's ~4 in the list that I'd like to try and attend or be involved with.
If these go well then of course we get to add more to the list. It also doesn't exclude other mapping events being organised.
Gregory Marler (former Director) Mon 13 May 2019 11:14AM
@jeznicholson with your OSM wiki expertise, would the page be better moved to https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/WikiProject_United_Kingdom/UK_24_hour_mapathons or just tagged with the UK category?
I expect each 24hr to have it's own page, which we can link to from the list.
Jez Nicholson Mon 13 May 2019 1:06PM
The whole subject of OSMWiki page naming is a mess. I wouldn't worry about it until we've agreed a naming convention. Personally, I would like to rename 'WikiProject_UnitedKingdom/' to straight 'United Kingdom/' making a sub-category for every page for which UK OSMers are responsible for. I don't know what other wiki people want. I would also hold off from creating individual pages until they have enough content.
RobJN Mon 13 May 2019 4:14PM
Hi Gregory. I used December 2018 parliamentary constituencies (+ Isle of Mann and Channel Islands). My theory is that these are (very) roughly the same population unlike other admin or postal regions which vary massively in population.
These are not supposed to replace the self-selected mapping parties. The premise of the idea is to encourage us to look at existing mapping styles and help in places we might not have normally picked. I think your comment nicely demonstrates why keeping most as random selection is actually a good things (otherwise North Dorset would have been looked over - we may discover something amazing there!).
@jeznicholson : Nice idea re the wiki. Perhaps open a vote here?
Jez Nicholson Wed 15 May 2019 7:38AM
do you want a slot to talk about the Regional Mapathon at the AGM?
RobJN Wed 15 May 2019 9:25PM
Can do. If people want to hear about it and share ideas.
Brian Prangle Sun 19 May 2019 7:57PM
I'm prepared to visit some of these in the days immediately preceding with the chapter's Waylens Camera and capture some streetlevel imagery as long asyou can pay my fuel expenses
RobJN · Sun 12 May 2019 4:48PM
P.S. If any of these do appeal for an in person visit, let me know. We can look in to booking a hostel/apartment out and making a trip.