Loomio
Wed 8 May 2019 8:56PM

Proposal: Regional mapathons

R 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?

SH

Steven Horner Sun 19 May 2019 8:37PM

I maybe able to visit the Northumberland area in advance with my Xiaomi 360 camera and get some imagery up on Mapillary before the date if useful.

JN

Jez Nicholson Wed 29 May 2019 7:24AM

I love the idea but uncertain how we do fuel expenses (officially, that is). You might be able to claim mileage, or maybe we could create a grant scheme that anyone can apply for? ...and maybe a larger external organisation to cover it. One to discuss in person at the AGM perhaps?

GMD

Gregory Marler (former Director) Fri 7 Jun 2019 12:17PM

A grant scheme might be good. Could we allocate a set amount per mapathon/location. Grant applications should state the amount they would want, why, and if they would still do stuff for a fraction of the amount(e.g. state minimum and mileage rate desired). If only one acceptable person applies for Milton Keynes they get the full amount asked for (up to the allocated amount). If several people apply, then only some get the grant or they get a fraction (or a combination).

This would be good if we can state the next 3 mapathon dates will be funded. If grants aren't fully awarded then it's extended to future mapathons. We might even get companies willing to donate to it.

There is the question of who decides who gets grants (directors or a special panel), and defining a simple criteria to score against.
Also worth rereading the AoA with regard to item 26 which talks about limits to Directors and "Connected Persons" getting paid by the CoC.

JN

Jez Nicholson Tue 4 Jun 2019 7:03AM

According to https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/UK_24_hour_mapathons#The_mapathon_list the first mapathon is next Weds 12 June. We might want to publicise this. I am due to write a mailing list article about the AGM and could knock out some words for the mapathon too. I will schedule these for this afternoon.

BP

Brian Prangle Sun 23 Jun 2019 7:39PM

Hi everyone Is there any feedback from this event? Is it possible to measure the number of edits in a bbox by day? It would be nice to report a big spike. Perhaps we should promote the next one well inadvance

JN

Jez Nicholson Mon 24 Jun 2019 7:52AM

Overall "could do better". Being the first one, it was a bit of a toe-in-the-water effort and weren't expecting very many edits to be reported. Personally, I found that FHRS was an easy start, but this area was quite well covered.

I started to get a bit of a template going with tasks that need to be done early on or before it starts:
* Get the location boundary
* Assess the quality/quantity of street-level imagery
* Identify places of interest
* Link to Food Hygiene Rating System (FHRS) matching
* QA Tool Direct Links
* OSMWiki

Next one is Crewe and Nantwich https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/UK_24_hour_mapathons/Jun_2019_Crewe_and_Nantwich

GMD

Gregory Marler (former Director) Fri 28 Jun 2019 10:58AM

I had started to add bits to the August one, some of that might help for a template.
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/UK_24_hour_mapathons/Aug_2019_Wansbeck

To Jez's list I would also suggest "communication channels", which I haven't done yet. E.g. updates are being shared on Twitter with some-hashtag(link). For August I'm going to try and monitor/update that even when I'm not mapping. Other months people may use mailing lists/loomio/irc more.

BP

Brian Prangle Tue 17 Sep 2019 1:35PM

Are we still pursuing this initiative? Didn't see any promotion or activity for the September one. The next one planned is for Oct 9th in Abreconwy.

JN

Jez Nicholson Wed 18 Sep 2019 6:24AM

I like the idea. It moves the focus around the country. But it comes around so quickly that I don't get organised in time

R

RobJN Wed 18 Sep 2019 6:40PM

Yeah I still like the idea too but have so far failed to get the tweets and emails scheduled. Beyond that I'm not sure what organising is needed. It's ok to just role up on the day and do some mapping. @jeznicholson what organising were you thinking off?