OpenStreetMap did not emerge from European research and innovation programmes. It was not created as a policy instrument, nor designed top-down to serve institutional agendas. And yet, OpenStreetMap aligns naturally and deeply with many of the strategies that today guide European action on data, digital transformation, innovation, and technological sovereignty.
Openness, reuse, collaboration, trusted digital infrastructures, digital commons, and technological autonomy are central pillars of current EU strategies – and they are also the principles on which OpenStreetMap has been built for more than twenty years.
For this reason, the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) looks with interest at opportunities for collaboration within EU-funded projects. Not because OpenStreetMap needs to adapt itself to policy frameworks, but because it can meaningfully contribute to making those strategies real – especially where digital commons and digital sovereignty are concerned.
This post is addressed, in particular, to those designing or considering EU project proposals that involve OpenStreetMap. Collaboration, however, starts with mutual understanding.
OSMF is a small foundation serving a very large global community. Its core mission is to ensure that OpenStreetMap remains open, neutral, sustainable, and technically reliable over time. OSMF does not create data on behalf of the community, does not direct contributors, and does not control how the map evolves. Thousands of people around the world maintain and improve OpenStreetMap every day. This is its greatest strength and a defining characteristic that must be preserved.
When this context is respected, OSMF can be a valuable partner in European projects. It can contribute as a strategic partner, bringing experience in digital commons governance, open infrastructures, community-driven models, and long-term sustainability. It can help shape project approaches so that they strengthen the OpenStreetMap ecosystem, rather than treating it merely as a dataset to be consumed.
OpenStreetMap operates under the Open Database License (ODbL), which reflects its commitment to openness and share-alike principles. While many EU projects favour other open licences (such as CC-BY), licensing compatibility and data integration aspects should be carefully considered from the design phase. Addressing these questions early helps avoid legal or practical obstacles later and ensures that project outcomes can effectively interact with the OpenStreetMap ecosystem.
At the same time, OSMF is not – and cannot become – a traditional service provider or a heavy operational actor. Its administrative and operational capacity is limited, and protecting that capacity is essential to fulfilling its role as steward of the OpenStreetMap infrastructure.
A practical invitation to project builders To enable effective and sustainable collaborations, OSMF invites those designing or considering EU project proposals to engage with the foundation at an early stage, before submission.
In practical terms, this means:
sharing a short description of the project idea, explaining why OpenStreetMap is relevant and what role is envisioned for OSMF;
clarifying how the project intends to give back to the OpenStreetMap ecosystem, for example by strengthening infrastructure, supporting governance practices, or contributing to the foundation’s sustainability, including – where appropriate – financial support;
proposing a realistic and proportionate collaboration model, compatible with a small non-profit foundation, and – where appropriate – considering simplified arrangements such as lump-sum funding.
This early dialogue is not a formality. It is the moment where alignment is built, expectations are clarified, and the conditions for a healthy collaboration are created. It helps avoid misunderstandings later and improves the overall quality and credibility of project proposals.
If OpenStreetMap is increasingly recognised as a reliable infrastructure for research, public policy, and innovation, it is because a global community continuously takes care of it. Ensuring that OSMF can provide stability and continuity is a shared responsibility. In this sense, donations remain an important and welcome outcome, as do projects that consciously invest in strengthening the common infrastructure.
OSMF believes in collaboration. It believes in European projects that understand that OpenStreetMap is not just a map, but a collective process, a living digital commons, and a shared responsibility. To those working on such initiatives, the invitation is simple: let’s talk early, build thoughtfully, and work together in a way that allows OpenStreetMap – and its community – to continue growing.
To start a conversation, reach out to the OSMF board before your proposal is finalised.
Did you miss the call for general and OSM Science presentations? Fret not! You can still present your project and initiatives at State of the Map 2026! The Call for Posters for SotM 2026 is now open!
Your poster could show how well your community is mapped. It could be a new beautiful style or a map. It could be a community project or statistics, or a poster explaining and inviting people to OpenStreetMap. The important thing is that it is about OSM. We also welcome academic posters on research around OpenStreetMap data.
The poster must be open, innovative and transparent (no copying).
The poster must be an original work (individual, collective or institutional).
The poster must be submitted under an open license (CC-BY-SA 4.0 or CC0).
Maximum of two entries per person, team or institution.
You’re welcome to use generative AI/LLMs like ChatGPT to improve your abstract or text, but you must mention this in the “Notes” field of your submission. Please refrain from generating the whole Poster, images or large parts of it using AI/LLMs. It’s fine to use it to improve the wording, the grammar and to avoid spelling errors, or to create a translation of texts you have written yourself in your native language. We do prefer imperfect submissions with a human touch that make us look forward to an exciting and interesting poster. We do not want “perfect” and unnecessarily bloated submissions that all sound the same since they were generated by some tool.
Please provide a description of your poster in the upload form. For example, the background of the project or whatever you consider important to mention in the context of the poster – all that you would tell people if you show them your poster. We will publish this text together with the poster on the SotM website.
Timeline
Deadline: 31 July 2026 23:59:59 UTC +0
The SotM team hopes to shortlist up to 15 posters that will be published on our website and some other SotM channels under CC-BY-SA 4.0
The State of the Map Working Group
Do you want to translate this and other blogposts in your language…? Please email communication@osmfoundation.org with subject: Helping with translations in [your language]
The State of the Map conference is the annual, international conference of OpenStreetMap, organised by the OpenStreetMap Foundation. The OpenStreetMap Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation, formed to support the OpenStreetMap Project. It is dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free geospatial data for anyone to use and share. The
OpenStreetMap Foundation owns and maintains the infrastructure of the OpenStreetMap project, is financially supported by membership fees and donations, and organises the annual, international State of the Map conference. Our volunteer Working Groups and small core staff work to support the OpenStreetMap project. Join the OpenStreetMap Foundation for just £15 a year or for free if you are an active OpenStreetMap contributor.
OpenStreetMap was founded in 2004 and is an international project to create a free map of the world. To do so, we, thousands of volunteers, collect data about roads, railways, rivers, forests, buildings and a lot more worldwide. Our map data can be downloaded for free by everyone and used for any purpose – including commercial usage. It is possible to produce your own maps which highlight certain features, to calculate routes etc. OpenStreetMap is increasingly used when one needs maps which can be very quickly, or easily, updated.
The OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) Board of Directors is excited to share this blog post with all of our community members. From June 6th-7th, members of the Board of Directors Craig Allan (Chair), Dani Waltersdorfer Jimenez (Secretary), Roland Olbricht (Treasurer), Héctor Ochoa Ortiz, Laura Mugeha, Maurizio Napolitano, and facilitator Allen Gunn (also known as Gunner), met for two full working days in Madrid to discuss and tackle priorities and action items that need to be accomplished in the next 12 months. Amongst the discussed topics are a fundraising campaign, the “reviving” of the Communications Working Group (CWG), a new job posting which will be shared in the next coming months, the OSMF move to the European Union (EU), the launch of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy, and other topics. It is truly a pleasure to work with a team that is aligned on shared values including trust and respect, who are pushing for the success of a shared passion: the OpenStreetMap project. It must be noted however, that all of this could not have been possible without the leadership, patience, and tremendous organizational skills of Gunner who has been the OSMF facilitator for over 10 years. Thank you, Gunner!
What made this meeting particularly special is that we had the honor and pleasure of working from the TomTom offices in Madrid. We want to truly highlight our gratitude for TomTom for sharing their space with us, and most of all, we want to give a big shout-out to Priscilla Zachée for spending her weekend with us.
Face-to-face meetings are unlike others. For those who don’t know, us Board Members live in different countries all over the globe, so having the opportunity to work together, “ideate”, brainstorm, discuss tough topics, and enjoy our time together is quite treasured and important for us. And on the front of the importance of human connection, we promise to keep pushing forward the key that makes OpenStreetMap truly unique, unlike any other geospatial database out there: Our essence is our community.
We’d like to extend a thank you to all members of the community for your continued trust and passion for the OSM Project. We are always here for you should you have any questions or comments.
From 28th April to 1st May 2026, I attended the Geospatial World Forum (GWF) 2026, representing the OpenStreetMap Foundation. The GWF is an annual forum attended mostly by companies and public administration delegates in the geospatial domain. Henk Hoff, all the way back in 2013, was the last OSMF representative attending the GWF, when we received the award for “Geospatial Content Organisation of the year 2012”. So it was long overdue that OSM’s voice could be heard in this professional setting.
Aarti Holla-Maini, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, speaking at the Opening Plenary. Own picture under CC-BY 4.0
This year’s theme was Sovereignty, Economy, Society. A theme greatly fitting to OSM’s mission: to collaboratively create open geospatial data, by everyone and for everyone. Data that allows reuse -including commercially-, and which runs on open source software. The forum included several days of talks and panels, and a tech and exhibition fair, where companies and governments could showcase their solutions and make business deals. OSM is integral to the solutions of many of the companies exhibiting, so directly talking with representatives of these organizations is relevant, to explain how important it is to contribute back to the ecosystem, so it can be kept sustainable over time.
Sovereignty, but not isolation, was one of the main ideas mentioned during the event. As we need to collaborate in an evolving and uncertain world, both politically and also technologically with the rise of AI agents, while keeping the infrastructure that powers so many use cases up and running, and stable for the years to come. OSM and the open-source software that powers it can be key to this, as shown by the recent decision by the French government to use a fork of OSM’s core infrastructure as its choice to renew the technology powering its Cadastral systems.
“OSM is more vibrant the more diverse its community is”, this is the main idea I shared at the panel I took part in. A panel that, paradogically, could and should have been more diverse. We need more, and more diverse, people and organizations to know how important it is to contribute to OSM and its ecosystem, so we can together build an accurate representation of our world. Contribution to the ecosystem does come in various forms: data, resources (people, money, time), community building, improving the technology that powers the project, and more. In that sense, communication goes a long way, and it is something that we are improving on at the Foundation, and we should keep aiming for. Thanks to Geospatial World for allowing us to participate in the forum, so the OpenStreetMap voice could be heard in these professional events.
Panel “Embedding GKI into Digital Public Infrastructure: Connecting Digital Systems to Physical Reality”. Own picture under CC-BY 4.0
We’re excited to invite bids for the next State of the Map conference, taking place in 2027. This is a unique opportunity to partner with us and host the conference in your city!
Why bid?
Share your community’s experiences and successes with the global OpenStreetMap community
Showcase your city’s unique culture and attractions
Contribute to the growth and development of OpenStreetMap globally
How to bid:
Read the guidelines and selection criteria on the OSM Wiki page
Plan your application carefully, considering dates, venues, and logistics
Avoid clashes with other relevant conferences, such as FOSS4G and local SotMs
Early bird advantage:
By bidding now, you’ll have the greatest flexibility in choosing dates for the 2027 conference. Don’t miss this opportunity!
We look forward to receiving your bid and partnering with you to bring State of the Map to your community/Country
Key Dates
Call for venues open: 11 May 2026
Deadline of bids: 19 July 2026
We will review the bids for State of the Map 2027 in July/August 2026 and will inform the teams immediately after the decision.
The SotM Working Group is available for any further clarifications! Please contact via email: sotm [at] openstreetmap.org as early as possible so that we can provide guidance, if needed. We look forward to collaborating with you.
The State of the Map Working Group
The State of the Map conference is the annual, international conference of OpenStreetMap, organised by the OpenStreetMap Foundation. The OpenStreetMap Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation, formed to support the OpenStreetMap Project. It is dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free geospatial data for anyone to use and share. The OpenStreetMap Foundation owns and maintains the infrastructure of the OpenStreetMap project, is financially supported by membership fees and donations, and organises the annual, international State of the Map conference. Our volunteer Working Groups and small core staff work to support the OpenStreetMap project. Join the OpenStreetMap Foundation for just £15 a year or for free if you are an active OpenStreetMap contributor.
OpenStreetMap was founded in 2004 and is an international project to create a free map of the world. To do so, we, thousands of volunteers, collect data about roads, railways, rivers, forests, buildings and a lot more worldwide. Our map data can be downloaded for free by everyone and used for any purpose – including commercial usage. It is possible to produce your own maps which highlight certain features, to calculate routes etc. OpenStreetMap is increasingly used when one needs maps which can be very quickly, or easily, updated.
Whether you’re passionate about maps, data, or shaping the future of OpenStreetMap (OSM), the community is always looking for your inspiring ideas! Why not sharing them during State of the Map 2026?
The call for participation of SotM 2026, taking place in Paris, France, on August 28 – 30, 2026, is now open! The programme committee is ready and waiting, eager to unwrap your submissions for talks, workshops, and panels. These sessions aren’t just part of the conference; they’re its beating heart, driving conversations and sparking ideas that resonate worldwide. Presenting your work, projects and ideas at SotM is also a great way to get in touch with the wider OSM community.
Tracks
Sessions can be submitted for the following tracks:
OSM Basics – Information dedicated to newcomers
Community and Foundation – Bringing people together, working group experiences, strategies & vision
Mapping – All about making the mapping easier and better
Cartography – Your ideas on how to create good-looking presentations of the OSM dataset
Software Development – Software for processing and editing data
Data Analysis & Data Model – Reflections about the OSM data, its model and analysis of quality and completeness
User Experiences – Stories of using OSM and its data as a user
Education – How you use OSM in an educational context
If your submission doesn’t seem to fit into one of these tracks, don’t worry – as long as it is clearly related to OpenStreetMap, you’re perfectly fine if you simply choose the track that feels to fit best.
OSM Science (Academic Track) at SotM 2026
In addition to this general call for participation, there will again be a proper academic track with a separate CfP, which will be announced later. So, if you’re knee-deep in the captivating world of OpenStreetMap, stay tuned for the official call: The working group is eagerly awaiting the most riveting insights and groundbreaking results from your studies. Get your research hats on, gather your data, and prepare to submit the best of your studies.
Stay tuned for more news about the State of the Map 2026! See you later this year in Paris, France, and online!
The State of the Map Working Group
Do you want to translate this and other blogposts in your language…? Please email communication@osmfoundation.org with subject: Helping with translations in [your language]
The State of the Mapconference is the annual, international conference of OpenStreetMap, organised by the OpenStreetMap Foundation. The OpenStreetMap Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation, formed to support the OpenStreetMap Project. It is dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free geospatial data for anyone to use and share. The OpenStreetMap Foundation owns and maintains the infrastructure of the OpenStreetMap project, is financially supported by membership fees and donations, and organises the annual, international State of the Map conference. Our volunteer Working Groups and small core staff work to support the OpenStreetMap project. Join the OpenStreetMap Foundation for just £15 a year or for free if you are an active OpenStreetMap contributor.
OpenStreetMap was founded in 2004 and is an international project to create a free map of the world. To do so, we, thousands of volunteers, collect data about roads, railways, rivers, forests, buildings and a lot more worldwide. Our map data can be downloaded for free by everyone and used for any purpose – including commercial usage. It is possible to produce your own maps which highlight certain features, to calculate routes etc. OpenStreetMap is increasingly used when one needs maps which can be very quickly, or easily, updated.
The State of the Map Organizing Committee provides a Travel Grant Programme (TGP) to facilitate accessibility and diversity at the global SotM 2026 Conference, which will happen in Paris, France, August 28-30.
Taking into consideration the success of last year, the programme will also dedicate a portion of the budget available to support remote attendance (e.g. by providing access to a reliable internet connection) for those who cannot travel to Paris because of imposed restrictions, travel costs, or other reasons.
The call for applications to the Travel Grant Programme will be open until 1st March 12:00 UTC.
It is fundamental to read all the information on this page before submitting an application.
For applicants
This section sets out the benefits of a Travel Grant to attend SotM 2026 and the process and criteria by which applicants will be selected. The TGP is administered by the State of the Map Organizing Committee.
Travel Grants
The Travel Grant will include a full conference ticket and a lump-sum contribution towards travel, accommodation and other expenses.
There will be five (5) different sizes of travel grants available:
Applicants from other European countries or High-income economies based on World Bank country rating by income
5
E
£1.300,00
Applicants from other countries classified as Upper-middle-income economies or lower based on World Bank country rating by income
6
The size and number of grants may be adjusted at the discretion of the Organizing Committee, depending upon the level of funding raised and the number of applications received. Applicants will only be able to apply for one size of travel grant, and they should apply for the grant depending on their country of residence. The World Bank rating is available at the link https://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/the-world-by-income-and-region.html
Anyone applying for more than one grant will be excluded from the application process.
For categories C, D and E, a maximum of 2 winners will be chosen for each country of origin.
Online Attendance Support Grant
For those interested in attending the conference remotely but with limited internet connectivity, smaller grants will be made available to subsidise the cost of purchasing mobile data passes. The size of each grant will vary depending on the country and mobile data packages available, but it’s expected not to exceed £ 30.
With an estimated 1GB per hour of streaming videos in HD quality (720p), it’s expected that a maximum of 40GB will be sufficient to cover the entire conference. Arrangements will be made with grant recipients to purchase the data packages directly or to transfer the amount needed via mobile money.
Criteria
In order to guarantee a transparent and fair allocation of funds, the travel grant programme uses a points system for ranking applications. Points are awarded if applicants match specific criteria. After the application phase is over, all applicants are ranked by points, and the applicants with the most points will receive funding.
Please note that the travel grant programme aims to enhance diversity at the conference. We might reserve a few programme spots for people with unique and outstanding applications. However, most programme spots will solely be determined by the point ranking.
To ensure the participation of OSM contributors who have not attended any in-person SotM conference, the in-person Travel Grant winners of the previous three SotM (SotM 2025 Manila, SotM 2024 Nairobi and SotM 2022 Firenze) will not be eligible for this Travel Grant.
Furthermore, once the ranking has been drawn up and the scholarships assigned based on it. The next two people for each grant size will be informed of their position. If one of the first winners communicates by the 3rd of July that he will not be able to participate, the scholarship will be provided to the people who are in the second ranking. However, those people will receive a free online ticket to attend the conference virtually. Moreover, if they are able to attend the conference in person, they could receive a free ticket if they provide support volunteering.
Note on authenticity and use of AI
Submissions are expected to reflect the applicant’s personal and direct experience within the OpenStreetMap project. The use of generative AI tools to write or substantially edit these sections is strongly discouraged. Overly generic, self-promotional, or marketing-style narratives may be penalised.
Ranking criteria
Nationality
The allocation of points is based on the World Bank country rating by income.
Applicants from Low-income economies receive 1.5 points.
Applicants from Lower-middle-income economies receive 1 point.
Applicants from Upper-middle-income economies receive 0.5 points.
Applicants from High-income economies receive 0 points.
Residence
The allocation of points is based on the World Bank country rating by income.
Applicants who are currently living in Low-income economies receive 1.5 points.
Applicants who are currently living in Lower-middle-income economies receive 1 point.
Applicants who are currently living in Upper-middle-income economies receive 0.5 points.
Applicants who are currently living in High-income economies receive 0 points.
Gender and Minorities
In order to create a more diverse community, women and applicants from other underrepresented groups will receive 2 points. The minority criteria will be considered with respect to the other candidates of the same category.
Students
Students, including PhD students, receive 1 point. You may be asked to provide evidence of enrollment.
First State of the Map
Applicants who attend SotM for the first time receive 1 point.
Amount required
The expected cost amount requested is to be indicated in pounds sterling (£). Applications without an explicit request for the amount required will not be considered. The minimum between the expected cost and the grant size based on the residence country will be assigned.
OpenStreetMap and Community
Details of their past contributions to OpenStreetMap projects or community activities: up to a total of 4 points. Up to 2 points for mapping activities based on your OpenStreetMap username and up to 2 points for other contributions to the project as you will describe.
You & OpenStreetMap
Present the most valuable experience, mapping activities, or community moment that describes the travel grant experience in the OpenStreetMap world. This is not the call for participation; the call will be open, and there will be the possibility to submit talks and workshops. So, this is not an instrument to present talks; you are invited to participate in the call for talks and workshops if you would like to present your activities.
Please provide a short abstract about what you would like to present, with a maximum length of 100 words.
No points; the abstract will be used as a discriminant for the final decision.
Volunteering
The travel grant winners will be asked to volunteer for a time proportional to 1/3 or less of the conference length, depending on the number of other volunteers. Indicate the roles that you are confident to do: Room Assistant, Registration and Infodesk, Session Assistant, Venueless Assistant (only for remote grants). For more detailed info on the roles, see the wiki pages of volunteers for Sotm 2025: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/State_of_the_Map_2025/volunteers#Roles . No points.
Payment
You must be able to fund the direct costs of your travel to SotM and be in possession of a valid passport and entry visa and other documents (for example, vaccinations). Successful applicants will receive a conference pass and become eligible for reimbursement of expenses up to the limit of the travel grant when they check in at the conference registration desk. Reimbursement of expenses will be by electronic means (details to be advised).
The travel grant amount will NOT be provided in advance. The applicants should be able to cover the costs on their own.
How to Apply
If you wish to be considered for a SotM travel grant, please fill out the application form.
All data will be held confidential and only used for assessing TGP applications. Please ensure that the email address that you provide is regularly monitored, as the selection committee may wish to seek clarification of responses. If no replies have been provided to requests via mail for the Travel Grant Committee within 5 days, the Travel Grant will be removed from you and assigned to the next applicants in the ranking.
Applications must be received by the 1st March at 12:00 UTC.
The selection committee will aim to notify recipients of grants by the 16th of March.
Supporting the Travel Grant Programme
The travel grant programme is funded through the State of the Map Sponsors.
The State of the Map Working Group
The State of the Map conference is the annual, international conference of OpenStreetMap, organised by the OpenStreetMap Foundation. The OpenStreetMap Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation, formed to support the OpenStreetMap Project. It is dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free geospatial data for anyone to use and share. The OpenStreetMap Foundation owns and maintains the infrastructure of the OpenStreetMap project, is financially supported by membership fees and donations, and organises the annual, international State of the Map conference. Our volunteer Working Groups and small core staff work to support the OpenStreetMap project. Join the OpenStreetMap Foundation for just £15 a year or for free if you are an active OpenStreetMap contributor.
OpenStreetMap was founded in 2004 and is an international project to create a free map of the world. To do so, we, thousands of volunteers, collect data about roads, railways, rivers, forests, buildings and a lot more worldwide. Our map data can be downloaded for free by everyone and used for any purpose – including commercial usage. It is possible to produce your own maps which highlight certain features, to calculate routes etc. OpenStreetMap is increasingly used when one needs maps which can be very quickly, or easily, updated.
WaterwayMap.org displays how waterways in OpenStreetMap (OSM) are connected, helping mappers find and fix tagging mistakes. The site maintains a river database based entirely on OSM data and is used as a reference source by entities like Wikipedia. The grant covers approximately one year of web hosting costs for this service. (Read more.)
Map Review Team
The Map Review Team project supports teams of mappers in collaboratively reviewing changes to the map within a specific geographical area. Its grant will support integrating with existing OSM tools and APIs, such as WhoDidIt and OSM Notes, to gather event data. A key feature is the introduction of an “approval” status, allowing teams to focus their efforts on changes that have not yet been reviewed by another team member. (Read more.)
Field Tasking Manager
HOT (Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team) will use their grant to enhance their Field Tasking Manager (FieldTM) tool. Their development focuses on improving OSM integration by creating compatible survey forms and developing a robust conflation workflow to merge field-verified data with existing OSM data. The plan includes partnering with a local OSM community/university chapter in a priority country to test the tool and field-verify a city’s data. (Read more)
UseOSM
Developed by the Unpatterned Lab team, UseOSM hels discover unused opportunities in OSM data. Its platform is live at useosm.org but is not fully operational. The launch is projected to be in January 2026. (Read more)
OSM Apps Catalog
The OSM Apps Catalog helps people discover apps that use OpenStreetMap. The grant will be used to redesign the landing page to look more like an app store, including: What’s new, daily featured apps; Language support; new categories and improved search; and a support/donate (to apps accessed) function. View the current platform at osm-apps.org. (Read more.)
StreetComplete
The StreetComplete team will use the grant to help encourage users to be more involved in the OSM community. They are working on ways to notify about nearby community events, list local community channels, and integrate Weekly OSM news. (Read more)
OpenStreetMap Stats Generator
OpenStreetMap Stats Generator reports stats about user contributions in mapping campaigns. They will use the grant to revamp the project after some years of not being maintained. The’ll move from Planet files to Parquet and are targeting SotM 2026 for the working version release. (Read More)
Following the call for applications launched in April, we are thrilled to announce the results of the State of the Map 2025 Travel Grant Programme. This initiative aims to support contributors who may face challenges in attending the global OpenStreetMap conference, which will be held in Manila, Philippines, from October 3rd to 5th, 2025.
The Travel Grant Programme is a part of the OpenStreetMap Foundation’s ongoing commitment to making State of the Map more inclusive, diverse, and globally representative. By providing financial assistance, the programme enables community members from various regions and backgrounds to participate in the conference, both in person and online.
This year’s call for applications received an extraordinary response, with over 180 applications submitted by mappers and community members from more than 35 countries. The majority of applicants hailed from Asia and Africa. Notably, approximately 78% of all applicants were students or early-career mappers. However, only about one-third of the applicants identified as female. Furthermore, over 80% of the applicants had never attended a State of the Map event before. These figures underscore the ongoing success of the Travel Grant Programme in reaching new and emerging OpenStreetMap communities, particularly in the Global South.
Applicants represented a wide spectrum of mapping experience within the OpenStreetMap ecosystem. For example, using one of the multiple selection criteria (the number of changesets), we could see the wide spectrum of OSM mappers who applied to the call. Around 20% of applicants were new or had minimal mapping experience (fewer than 10 changesets), while approximately 30% were in the intermediate range (100–2000 changesets), showing consistent engagement and growing contributions. Notably, nearly one in four applicants were highly active mappers with more than 2,000 changesets, demonstrating deep, ongoing involvement in OSM projects. Overall, the applicant pool combined new contributors eager to join the global community with experienced mappers making strong local impacts, reflecting the programme’s success in attracting a balanced mix of experience levels.
After careful evaluation, 37 grantees were selected to receive support for travel and participation. However, only 25 of them were able to attend the event in Manila. The selected applicants represent a diverse range of grant categories, from £215 to £1000. The allocation of funds was based on factors such as the distance traveled, regional cost levels, and individual circumstances.
Grant category
Number of recipients
Origin countries
£215
8
Philippines (outside Metro Manila), Indonesia
£675
7
Nepal, Bangladesh, India
£750
3
Poland, Canada, Portugal
£1000
6
Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Rwanda
Online support
9
Various countries
The selection criteria employed in the call successfully achieved the objective of increasing the diversity of participants at SotM. A total of 17 female and 16 male grantees attended, resulting in a nearly gender-balanced group. Notably, there was strong representation of women within the OpenStreetMap community. Furthermore, 90% of the grantees hailed from Africa and Asia, underscoring the Foundation’s unwavering commitment to equitable global participation.
The diversity of applicants and grantees reflects the remarkable progress made by the OpenStreetMap community in expanding access to global events. Thanks to the Travel Grant Programme, many first-time attendees will now have the opportunity to share their experiences, projects, and local insights with the global OSM community in Manila.
The OSM Foundation and the State of the Map organizing team warmly thanks all applicants, reviewers, and sponsors whose support made this year’s programme possible. We look forward to welcoming everyone to State of the Map 2026 in Paris!
The State of the Map conference is the annual, international conference of OpenStreetMap, organised by the OpenStreetMap Foundation. The OpenStreetMap Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation, formed to support the OpenStreetMap Project. It is dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free geospatial data for anyone to use and share. The OpenStreetMap Foundation owns and maintains the infrastructure of the OpenStreetMap project, is financially supported by membership fees and donations, and organises the annual, international State of the Map conference. Our volunteer Working Groups and small core staff work to support the OpenStreetMap project. Join the OpenStreetMap Foundation for just £15 a year or for free if you are an active OpenStreetMap contributor.
OpenStreetMap was founded in 2004 and is an international project to create a free map of the world. To do so, we, thousands of volunteers, collect data about roads, railways, rivers, forests, buildings and a lot more worldwide. Our map data can be downloaded for free by everyone and used for any purpose – including commercial usage. It is possible to produce your own maps which highlight certain features, to calculate routes etc. OpenStreetMap is increasingly used when one needs maps which can be very quickly, or easily, updated.
Do you want to translate this and other blogposts in your language? Please email communication@osmfoundation.org with subject: Helping with translations in [your language]
Having hosted the Olympic Games, Paris is now preparing to welcome another international gathering centered on community, openness, and diversity. Like the sporting disciplines themselves, OpenStreetMap’s mapping covers a multitude of themes and territories. Nature and hiking enthusiasts will find a space for expression there, as well as professionals in the field of geographic data.
Join us in Paris from August 28th to 30th, 2026, for State of the Map!
This annual gathering brings together OpenStreetMap volunteers, professionals, and enthusiasts to share knowledge, showcase innovations, and highlight the impact of open mapping.
Whether you’re a seasoned contributor, a curious newcomer, or a professional in the field, SotM 2026 is a chance for you to connect with the global community, learn about the latest developments, and contribute to the growth of OpenStreetMap. Mark your calendars and be part of this extraordinary event!
Save the date! Stay tuned via our website, 2026.stateofthemap.org for more updates on speakers, agenda, ticketing, and how to get involved as the event draws closer.
The State of the Map conference is the annual, international conference of OpenStreetMap, organised by the OpenStreetMap Foundation. The OpenStreetMap Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation, formed to support the OpenStreetMap Project. It is dedicated to encouraging the growth, development and distribution of free geospatial data for anyone to use and share. The OpenStreetMap Foundation owns and maintains the infrastructure of the OpenStreetMap project, is financially supported by membership fees and donations, and organises the annual, international State of the Map conference. Our volunteer Working Groups and small core staff work to support the OpenStreetMap project. Join the OpenStreetMap Foundation for just £15 a year or for free if you are an active OpenStreetMap contributor.
OpenStreetMap was founded in 2004 and is an international project to create a free map of the world. To do so, we, thousands of volunteers, collect data about roads, railways, rivers, forests, buildings and a lot more worldwide. Our map data can be downloaded for free by everyone and used for any purpose – including commercial usage. It is possible to produce your own maps which highlight certain features, to calculate routes etc. OpenStreetMap is increasingly used when one needs maps which can be very quickly, or easily, updated.
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