Category Archives: OSMF

Posts about organisation of the OpenStreetMap Foundation. Working groups, the board, and other entities, and how we structure our organisation

OSMF at the State of the Map Latam 2025

On 4-6 September, we attended the State of the Map Latam 2025, the Latin American OpenStreetMap conference. This year marked the 7th edition, taking place for the first time in Colombia, in the vibrant city of Medellín. Medellín has been a model of urban transformation and community-led projects in the last couple of decades, with the conference venue being a perfect example of this. The Parque Biblioteca San Javier was the first Library Park to be built, a project aimed at bringing green, cultural, and educational spaces to the less affluent districts of the city.

Parque Biblioteca San Javier surroundings in Panoramax

Day 1

Day 1 started with the welcome speech by Juan Arellano and Andrés Gómez from the Organizing Committee. Afterward, we enjoyed a live performance of traditional Colombian dances, courtesy of Ballet Nacional El Firulete.

We at the OSMF had the privilege of conducting the first keynote presentation. Most attendees were unfamiliar with the Foundation and its role prior to the event, so attending events like this is a great way to spread awareness and diversify our membership.

The second keynote was presented by TomTom, one of the two event sponsors (the other being Geoapify). We thank all the sponsors who make this and other community events possible, as well as for their continuous support of the OpenStreetMap project.

In the foreground, a roll-up sign of the conference with sponsors and allies. In the background, two female dancers with colorful dresses inspired in the Colombian flag. — Ballet Nacional El Firulete dancing Cumbia¹

A man holding a microphone and giving a speech — Ballet Nacional El Firulete dancing Cumbia¹

After lunch, the program continued with the talk from Trufi, on how OpenStreetMap can be used for mapping Public Transport, and become the foundation of MaaS in the Global South. Informal transport is a common occurrence in many parts of the world, yet knowing where these routes go can be a challenge for both users and planning authorities. The day continued with a discussion on the future of Humanitarian Mapping after the stopping of USAID funding. Parallel to these two sessions, attendees could also take a guided visit to the neighbourhood around the event location, accompanied by social entities.

To conclude the day, we took part in the General Assembly of OSM Latam for three hours, which included a lengthy discussion on the challenges both the region and OSM face in the future. Following the official program, we continued to have dinner together and celebrated the 15th anniversary of HOT.

A cake lit up with flares, and a happy crowd around it — Happy anniversary!³

Day 2

The second day featured a diverse range of talks and workshops, with up to four sessions running in parallel! Since it is impossible to discuss all of them, we encourage you to explore the program and contact the authors of the talks of interest to you.

The topics discussed during the day were categorized into Governance and Community, Risk Management, OSM Data, OSM Tech, Informal Settlements, Amazonia, Academic Talks, and Workshops. Community partnerships are a cornerstone of the Latin American mapping community, where making a social impact and strengthening the social fabric are among the most important aspects of mapping, a characteristic that is very present in the day’s talks.

A group in chairs discussing. One woman has the microphone and is speaking. — Risk management panel discussion, showcasing experiences in Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador⁴

A group of people in a park with their smartphones, paying attention to the guide's direction. — Risk management panel discussion, showcasing experiences in Peru, Mexico, Colombia and Ecuador⁴

From gender representation in the OSM community to localized geocoding, from social justice slum mapping to student training and engagement, from indigenous mapping to infrastructure and risk mapping, from storytelling to public transport maps. A blog post cannot do justice to the use cases and social transformations the Latam community is creating. An engagement that is possible through the power and openness of OpenStreetMap.

We invite you to review the slides from each talk and workshop in this Commons category.

A table full of stickers, leaflets and sweets, with a crowd gathered around it. — Merchandise and snack exchange table. Shout out to the volunteers who make it all possible!⁶

After the event, we continued on to socialize and have dinner together.

Day 3

Day 3, the final day of the conference, started strongly, with four parallel talks already scheduled in the first allocated slot. This day featured more technical talks compared to day 2, with topics categorized into the following areas: Public Transport, OSM Tech, Governance and Community, Trees and Forests, Pedestrian Mapping, OSM Data and Use Cases, Academic Talks, and Workshops.

From OSMCha to OpenHistoricalMap, from OSM and Wikidata integration to mapping with OSMTracker, from sidewalk mapping to Python, and from YouthMappers to Government collaboration. The exchange of technical knowledge is an important way to connect ideas and use cases with the tools that can bring them to life. Additionally, the engagement of the younger generation and governmental entities is crucial to the long-term sustainability of the data in the region.

A young man presenting by the screen. He is showcasing two different ways of mapping sidewalks, with side by side diagram comparisons. — Sidewalks as a separate geometry, or as attributes on the street?⁷

A lady talking on stage while presenting photos of mapping events — Sidewalks as a separate geometry, or as attributes on the street?⁷

A personal highlight of the day was the drone imagery workshop. Most Latin American countries lack high-quality government mapping imagery and, therefore, must rely on satellite imagery. But mappers took matters into their own hands to produce high-quality drone imagery to meet their surveying needs! And while the workshop was underway, we used the same drone to take the group pictures of the event; we were quite a crew!

An attentive group gathered in a circle on the floor, in the center a man explains with a laptop and a drone — Drone mapping workshop⁹

A crowd sitting on some steps, while waving at the camera in a happy mood — Drone mapping workshop⁹

The day then concluded with the event’s closure, which included the election of the venue for SotM Latam 2026. There was only one bid, but the attendees agreed it was a strong one. So see you in Mexico City in 2026, ¡órale!

A group of people presenting on a stage. The presentation states: ¡Nos vamos a México! State of the Map 2026 — SotM Latam 2026 bid election¹¹

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

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SotM-Latam-2025_Show5-9.jpg by Andrés Gómez “Angoca” under CC-BY ↩︎
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SotM-Latam-2025_OSMF2.jpg by Andrés Gómez “Angoca” under CC-BY ↩︎
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SotM-Latam-2025_15a%C3%B1osHOTOSM2.jpg by Andrés Gómez “Angoca” under CC-BY ↩︎
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SotM_Latam_2025_-_d%C3%ADa_2_-_imagen_20.jpg by Héctor Ochoa Ortiz “Robot8A” under CC-BY-SA ↩︎
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TallerMapeoTree_SotMLatam2025.jpg by Paul Dassori “Pdassori” under CC-BY-SA ↩︎
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SotM_Latam_2025_-_d%C3%ADa_2_-_imagen_13.jpg by Héctor Ochoa Ortiz “Robot8A” under CC-BY-SA ↩︎
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SotM_Latam_2025_-_d%C3%ADa_3_-_imagen_17.jpg by Héctor Ochoa Ortiz “Robot8A” under CC-BY-SA ↩︎
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SotM-Latam-2025_Panel8-2.jpg by Andrés Gómez “Angoca” under CC-BY ↩︎
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SotM_Latam_2025_-_d%C3%ADa_3_-_imagen_36.jpg by Héctor Ochoa Ortiz “Robot8A” under CC-BY-SA ↩︎
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SotM-Latam-2025_participantes-6.jpg by Andrés Gómez “Angoca” under CC-BY ↩︎
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SotM_Latam_2025_-_d%C3%ADa_3_-_imagen_43.jpg by Héctor Ochoa Ortiz “Robot8A” under CC-BY-SA ↩︎

Meet the new Core Software Engineer

Hello all! My name is Pablo Brasero Moreno, a software engineer and long-time enthusiast of Open Source Software and Open Data. I am honoured and grateful to have been selected by the OSMF as Core Software Engineer, thanks the funds provided by the Sovereign Tech Agency.

At a personal level, I grew up in Seville, Spain. In 2004 I moved to the UK and, after living for many years in London, England, now I’m established in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In my own time I explore Northern Ireland with my family, read sci-fi novels, listen to heavy metal music, attend concerts, play bass guitar (badly), and try to learn languages (even more badly, currently attempting Mandarin Chinese). Did I mention I have a B1 certificate in Esperanto?

I have been involved in some capacity with Open Source Software since I first installed Linux in my computer in 1998, first contributing with Spanish translations (over email!), and later taking part in the OSS explosion brought by the creation of GitHub. I have worked with many technology stacks over my career, but for a long time the primary one has been Ruby on Rails. I have used Ruby in many environments, from helping clients bootstrap businesses out of napkin sketches, to participating in the architecture and growth of banking applications. Since 2019 I am a freelancer, and I cannot but feel so lucky to have been available at the time when OSMF announced this position.

Without being a huge contributor to OSM, I was aware of it at least as early as 2015, when I made my first edits while visiting Mexico. In the last couple of years I have started mapping playgrounds, as that strikes a balance between my interest to contribute and my family’s patience to wait for me while I fiddle on my phone.

I am not here to dictate what features should exist in the the OSM website, or what specific issues should be fixed. I am here to learn about the needs of the community, relieve the workload of the volunteers, support contributors new and old, provide reviews and guidance on software engineering questions, and overall help bring our collective vision of OSM to fruition.

You will be hearing from me soon, in the form of GitHub comments/issues/PRs, working with Minh Nguyễn with news and summaries related to development of the platform, talking to many of you directly in order to understand your points of view, and generally anywhere where I can help.

I cannot wait to working with and for y’all!

2025 OSMF Board Election – Online voting is open until 13 September at 16:00 UTC, when the Annual General Meeting will commence

Official OSM logo by Ken Vermette, CC-BY-SA 3.0 & trademarks apply.

Voting for the 2025 board election has started. You can read the board candidates’ answers and manifestos here.

Emails were sent to eligible OSM Foundation members today, and link directly to the voting page – listing each candidate in random order and allowing you to rank the candidates in order of preference.

Eligibility to vote

You are eligible to vote in the election if

you have been a member for the full 90 days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting (which will take place on 13 September 2025), and
your membership is not in arrears 7 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting, and
you are a natural person.

OpaVote voting email

If you are eligible to vote, the OpaVote email was sent to the email address associated with your OSM Foundation membership.

The subject of the email is: [OpenStreetMap Foundation] Voting on 2025 board election [some_random_letters]
The sender is: noreply at opavote.com

If you believe you should have received a voting email but can’t find it, please check your spam folder. If it’s still missing, send a message to the email addresses mentioned here.

Voting information and FAQ

You can find more information about voting and answers to frequently asked questions here. Please make sure to read the warning on the page before voting.

Deadline for voting: Saturday 13 September 2025 at 16:00 UTC,

The polls will remain open for one week, closing on Saturday 13 September 2025 at 16:00 UTC, when the Annual General Meeting (which you can join online) will commence. We kindly ask you to vote in advance.

Do you want to translate this and other blog posts in another language..? Send an email to communication@osmfoundation.org with subject: Helping with translations in [your language]

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OpenStreetMap at UN Open Source Week

by Minh Nguyễn
Core Software Development Facilitator, OpenStreetMap Foundation

In June, I had the privilege of representing OpenStreetMap as part of the Sovereign Tech Agency’s delegation at UN Open Source Week in New York City. Joining me was Sarah Hoffmann, who maintains several well-known OSM software projects. This was a unique opportunity to raise OSM’s profile among global institutional supporters of open source projects and promote best practices for fostering and sustaining authentic open source communities.

Among the open source projects represented at the event, OSM stands out as an open data project, giving us a special perspective on issues of governance and community-building. At the unconference-style “Maintain-A-Thon”, Sarah shared some of her deep experience as maintainer of Nominatim in discussing how to create accessible entry points for new contributors. A few steps away, I joined open source maintainers from around the world as we discussed our challenges in internationalizing our projects and communities to serve a more global audience.

(Meanwhile, Wikipedians onboarded a large group of new contributors at an editathon across the room. Maybe in the future we can carve out some space for a mapathon too.)

The UN’s Trusteeship Council room is full as an International Telecommunication Union official speaks before attendees at DPI Day.

As the discussion came around to topics such as contributor retention and developing governance models, I was struck by the familiar challenges that our various projects have faced, even though they’re in different fields and at such different stages of maturity.

How do we accommodate volunteers coexisting with paid developers and individuals coexisting with institutional partners?
How do we build a pipeline that transforms “takers” into “makers”?
How do we ensure that the community feels heard without allowing the project to fall victim to analysis paralysis?

It was fascinating to hear about the approaches that larger projects with institutional backing have taken, but our grassroots, decentralized structure would likely require some extra creativity. At least we’re in touch and can learn from each other going forward, since there are no magic solutions.

Just like at any OSM conference, the most interesting part was the hallway track. We had the privilege of meeting a number of representatives from open source program offices (OSPOs) in the public sector, civil society, and academia. Some had heard of OSM but only knew us as a map data vendor or some sort of alternative to Google Maps. It’s always fun to meet people who think they know about GIS and maps and introduce them to the very concept of a map rooted in a community. University OSPOs were particularly interested in our story, as OSM is a whole constellation of projects that use a variety of technologies. Here’s hoping something comes of that.

In the meantime, we have plenty of technical debt as well as some low-hanging fruit for improving how the projects run day to day. I’m excited about the opportunity to bring in a Core Software Engineer who over time can hopefully complement the irreplaceable efforts of our volunteers. Whether you’re a coder or not, there’s a place for you to thrive in OSM.

Apply to be the OpenStreetMap Core Software Engineer

We are not accepting applications for this role at this point. Thank you to all who have applied.

OpenStreetMap powers maps and services used by millions of people around the world every day. To better support the community that makes this possible, the OpenStreetMap Foundation is seeking a dedicated mid- to senior-level software engineer with a passion for open data, collaborative software, and digital commons.

The ideal candidate is proficient in modern Web development (frontend and backend), experienced with open source collaboration, and comfortable working in public repositories with community feedback.

Your main responsibilities will focus on the openstreetmap.org website and its underlying API-a critical part of the infrastructure powering a global mapping movement. Your work will directly support an ecosystem of tools used by tens of thousands of contributors monthly, producing map data relied upon by millions worldwide.

You will collaborate closely with the OSMF’s Core Software Development Facilitator (CSDF). This position is made possible through funding from the Sovereign Tech Fund.
We strongly encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, especially those underrepresented in open source and geospatial communities.

Scope of work

The engineer will primarily contribute to the openstreetmap-website, with responsibilities divided into the following two categories:

Core Responsibilities

Analyze and understand the existing architecture and codebase of openstreetmap-website
Collaborate with the CSDF and project maintainers to define and prioritize development goals
Design and implement features that enhance the platform and empower community contributions
Triage and resolve issues reported by users and review incoming pull requests
Over time, the engineer may assume responsibility for deeper infrastructural areas and contribute to the long-term maintainability of the platform.

Collaboration & Communication

Maintain open and frequent communication with the CSDF and project maintainers through GitHub, mailing lists, and real-time chat
Participate in public discussions, support issue triage, and assist in release planning
Help document development workflows, decisions, and architecture changes

Profile

Required Qualifications

Proficiency with Ruby on Rails
At least 3 years of professional Web development or related software engineering experience
Experience working with large-scale, production-ready codebases (OpenStreetMap serves as much as 13 TB of data, growing all the time)
Experience collaborating in open source projects, working in public repositories, and engaging with contributors
Willingness to learn and use technologies in the stack as needed (e.g., JavaScript, SQL)

Preferred Qualifications

Previous contributions to OpenStreetMap (as a mapper or developer)
Enthusiasm for engaging with users of open source tools and platforms
Strong technical communication skills, especially in asynchronous, text-based environments (GitHub, chat)
Have previous experience with geospatial software and/or data

Contracting structure

Location: Remote (global)

This freelance/contractor position is available immediately, at approximately 80% time. It is funded through the end of 2026 by the Sovereign Tech Fund. Continuation will be evaluated based on impact and future funding availability.

The person will work from their premises and set their own schedule. However, your working hours will need to overlap at least minimally with those of the CSDF, who is based in the UTC–7/8 time zone. As the OSMF is a global organisation, working with people in different time zones and handling related scheduling constraints is expected. Communication will be in English.

To apply for this position, please send your CV with a cover letter to the OSMF Personnel Committee at pc@osmfoundation.org.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The 2025 OpenStreetMap EWG Microgrant Program

Have a bold, brilliant idea that could improve the OpenStreetMap (OSM) ecosystem? Got a vision for the future of OSM? Then we’ve got good news for you: the OpenStreetMap Foundation is thrilled to launch the 2025 edition of our Engineering Microgrants program!

This program is designed to support community members working on software projects that strengthen the OSM platform and ecosystem. We’re setting aside a total of £30,000, which may be distributed across several innovative and impactful projects. The per-project limit is £6,000, but if your idea goes beyond that, don’t hold back! The Engineering Working Group (EWG) may explore other funding avenues through the Foundation to help bring ambitious proposals to life. As such, we’d still encourage you to apply.

What’s the Process?

It’s simple and fair:

Submit your project idea via our GitHub template. This ensures transparency and reduces the chance of any conflicts of interest.

Our independent jury will review, score, and help select winning proposals through a multi-round process. Each idea will be reviewed not only for its score, but also for feasibility and implementation potential.

Pro tip: Before you hit submit, we strongly encourage all applicants to reach out to software maintainers if your idea touches existing tools, projects, or platforms. This helps align efforts, avoid duplications, and possibly even uncover opportunities for collaboration. If you need help identifying any software maintainers, you can contact the Engineering Working Group or the OSM Foundation Board, or ask directly on the announcement thread, so you can be put in contact with the correct parties.

Got questions? You can reply to the announcement thread, reach out to the jurors, or message the EWG directly. Jurors might also contact applicants during the review process if clarification is needed,so keep your inbox open.

We’re excited to see what you all come up with and submit! Whether it’s a tool to improve mapping workflows, enhancements to core OSM infrastructure, or entirely new ideas that fill a gap—we want to hear from you.

Submit your idea today and help shape the future of OpenStreetMap!

OSM Foundation board elections 2025 – Nominate yourself by July 5

Official OSM logo by Ken Vermette, CC-BY-SA 3.0 & trademarks apply.

OpenStreetMap Foundation members will vote to elect a new board in September. There are seven seats on the foundation board and board members are volunteers. Board members typically serve for two years until their seat is up for re-election.

There will be at least three board seats available in this election: of Dani Waltersdorfer, Guillaume Rischard and Roland Olbricht, whose board terms are ending. The terms of Craig Allan, Héctor Ochoa Ortiz, Laura Mugeha and Maurizio Napolitano will continue.

The two main pages that have the information about the board election and the 2025 Annual General Meeting, which will take place on 2025-09-13, are:

OSM wiki: https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Foundation/AGM2025/Election_to_Board and
OSM Foundation website: https://osmfoundation.org/wiki/Annual_General_Meetings/2025

Submission of self-nominations is now open until 5 July at 23:59:59 UTC

Please check the eligibility criteria (also below) and “what the board is/is not, rules and responsibilities and why run“. You can create an account on the OSM wiki and you can nominate yourself by adding your name to the candidates’ table – edit the page here. Deadline: 5^th of July at 23:59:59 UTC.

A lot of the foundation’s work is done by the volunteers of our Working Groups, and if you want to help the foundation, you can also look at joining one of them.

Eligibility criteria

Any natural person may be elected to become a board member, provided that:

they have been a normal OSM Foundation member [1] or an associate member[2] during the full 180 days before the General Meeting, which will take place on 13 September 2025, and
have been a normal member for the full 28 days prior to the General Meeting, and
are willing to act as a board member, and
are permitted by law to do so.

[1] Normal members provide their full residential address and can vote on all issues. Their residential address may be disclosed to other members.
[2] Associate members provide just their country of residence - which may also be disclosed to other members - and can vote - but not on all issues. Additionally, they cannot be board candidates.

If you want to find out the type of your OpenStreetMap Foundation membership (normal or associate), please check the most recent approval/renewal membership email or email the volunteers of the Membership Working Group at membership@osmfoundation.org from the email account associated with your OSM Foundation membership.

Please note that you can change the type of your membership.

Submission of community questions to board candidates is now open

OSM Foundation members can submit questions to the board candidates on the OSM wiki until July 12 (“by end of day”, in UTC). An official set of questions, based on the community questions and questions from previous years, will be published on the page above by the facilitator, Brian Sperlongano, on July 26.

Resolutions proposed by OSM Foundation members

OSM Foundation members can submit resolutions and ask the membership to vote on them. The resolutions need to be supported by at least 5% of members eligible to vote, in order to be added to the ballots. Please read: Companies Act 2006: Members’ power to require circulation of written resolution. The deadline for providing the supported resolutions is the end of July 12 (in UTC).

How you can help

A few of the current and past board members have mentioned that the thought of being a candidate did not cross their mind until it was suggested to them. So, you might want to consider running for the board or suggesting it to others.

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Meet the new Core Software Development Facilitator

The OpenStreetMap Foundation Board has selected Minh Nguyễn as the Core Software Development Facilitator. Here’s Minh to introduce himself, some of his ideas and directions, and opportunities to connect. Welcome, Minh!

Hi, I’m Minh Nguyễn, an OSM contributor and community organizer from California. The OSMF has entrusted me with one of the positions funded through the recently announced Sovereign Tech Fund (STF) investment to facilitate the further long-term development of OSM’s software infrastructure. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve the OSM community in this way.

For those who don’t know me, I started volunteering for OSM way back in 2008, cleaning up errors in my hometown, Loveland, to cure a bout of homesickness. Then I got extremely carried away, adding little details here and there all over the Midwestern U.S., nurturing a little community of mappers in Silicon Valley, translating OSM into Vietnamese, and serving on the board of OpenStreetMap U.S. In parallel, I became a professional Mac software engineer, then helped build Mapbox’s open source, OSM-based map and navigation software for several years. But I never stopped being a mapper. I’ve also spent the last few years serving on the SDRP and OpenHistoricalMap’s advisory board and will continue in these roles.

When introducing OSM to my local community, I describe the project as infrastructure for the world’s maps. Naturally, this infrastructure has its own underlying infrastructure. Many of us rely heavily on the website frontend, API backend, and related tools while mapping, debugging our map data, and generally marveling at what we’re building together. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes to make the site run smoothly and supply data consumers with the artifacts they depend on. For example, did you know we have not one but two overlapping API implementations running simultaneously to eke out extra performance? These aspects of OSM are less glamorous than map styles or editors but no less important.

Our software architecture is very specific to OSM, so we’ve historically relied on a relatively small number of volunteers and their domain expertise. As an open source project, we want to expand this group and keep it open to newcomers. In conjunction with longtime contributors, I’ll be prioritizing better documentation, wrangling the issue backlog, articulating a clear vision and roadmap for the core software projects, and identifying opportunities for new developers to get started and gain a foothold. This will be essential as we later onboard another role tasked more directly with daily development tasks through the same STF investment. We’ll have more to share about that in the coming months.

Lately, anyone watching the core software projects closely will have noticed the pace of development picking up dramatically, but much of it still goes unannounced and unnoticed by the rest of the community. You’re going to hear from me pretty regularly as I relate the projects’ news and current affairs for a broader audience. It’s my hope that more of you in the community will be familiar with these projects, similar to your favorite renderer or editor, and hopefully for good reasons.

As I’m making the rounds introducing myself to those involved with the core software projects, it strikes me how many ideas there are about how to move them forward and how much these ideas overlap. Over the next few weeks, I’ll also be seeking feedback from the community about where we should be headed; watch the forum for more details. While I can’t promise anything concrete at this early stage, I’m hopeful we can weave a common future for these projects that allows OSM to thrive.

Notice to OSMF members: Change in membership handling regarding auto-renewals

Official OpenStreetMap logo by Ken Vermette, CC-BY-SA 3.0 & trademarks apply.

We want to notify OpenStreetMap Foundation members about an important recent change in the renewal process for memberships set to be automatically renewed via PayPal, and how it may affect you.

If you had enabled the automatic renewal of your membership via PayPal, you must have received an email from PayPal stating: “We stop all recurring payments of all members to prevent inadvertent double payment”. We confirm that, for the time being, OSM Foundation members will need to renew their membership manually.

Reason for the change

The Membership Working Group has decided to stop automatic email renewals via PayPal for all members for now. This decision was made because many payments do not register automatically, leading to incorrect reminder emails that confuse and annoy members and can result in double payments. Over the past two years, we have been unable to resolve this issue, and managing problems with automatic renewals requires significant volunteer time, which we currently lack.

While automatic renewals offer convenience and ensure that your membership remains active without any interruption, given the current challenges, we have had to disable this feature.

Manual renewal process

Until we find a proper solution, all membership renewals will need to be done manually. We understand that this may cause some inconvenience, and we appreciate your understanding. We have set up an automatic reminder system and you will likely receive automatic email reminders before your membership is due to end.

The automatic reminder emails sent four and two weeks before your membership ends, will contain a link which you can use to renew. You will also get additional reminders if you let your membership lapse, spaced out over several months.

Alternatively, you can renew via https://supporting.openstreetmap.org/#Membership-Categories. Please ensure that you:

Select the correct membership type.
Fill the email address associated with your OSM Foundation membership, if you have multiple email addresses.
Have the OpenStreetMap user name ready that shall fulfill the baseline activity requirement . If you have an Active Contributor Membership with your membership fee waived via mapping contributions (so you are not affected by this issue with auto-renewals), you still need to have at least 42 mapping days in the past 365 days at the time of your membership renewal.

To ensure that your membership remains active, we strongly advise you to:

Add a reminder about your need to renew the membership to your personal calendar, and
Check that you receive a confirmation email after manually renewing.

Questions about your membership?

If you have questions about your membership, please email us at membership@osmfoundation.org, from the email address associated with the membership. Please note that we are just a few volunteers, dedicating our free personal time to Foundation issues, so there might be some delay in the replies.

We need your help

Additionally, we are looking for volunteers to help with various tasks, including managing issues with membership renewals. You can read more information about what we do here. If you are interested in volunteering your time, please let us know at mwg@osmfoundation.org with subject “Helping the Membership Working Group”. Your support would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your continued support to OpenStreetMap and for your membership.

Best regards,

Michael Spreng,
Membership Working Group Volunteer

—–

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 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 a very small core staff are the primary support for the OpenStreetMap project. Join the OpenStreetMap Foundation for just £15 a year or for free if you are an active OpenStreetMap contributor.

Eight New Companies Joined the OSM Corporate Membership Program in 2024

The number of OSM-using companies joining the OSM Foundation Corporate Membership program has increased significantly in recent months.

In all, eight new companies joined and five increased their giving levels in 2024.

>> Read more about becoming a Corporate Member of OpenStreetMap

Starting from the top: Long-time OSM supporters, ESRI, Meta and Microsoft have joined TomTom at the Platinum giving level. The Platinum tier is suggested for companies for which map applications are core to their business; and/or they have a product that depends on OSM data and/or revenue in the hundreds of millions.

Five new names now appear as supporters at the Silver giving level: global gaming and AR company Niantic, QGIS, calimoto, Mapy.cz, and ioki. Silver is recommended for companies who use OSM data in a product or service and have revenue in the millions.

“OpenStreetMap Foundation’s community-driven approach helps keep the map of the world as accurate as possible. As map lovers and builders ourselves, we are excited to help support the OSMF mission” – Yennie Solheim, Niantic Director of Social Impact

E–Smart, which specializes in dynamic speed management, and LANDCLAN, offering location intelligence data and tools, are new joiners at the Bronze level. Interline, a transportation network consultancy, and Verso, developing route optimization software, both upgraded their membership from Supporter to Bronze.

And Infrageomatics, offering location intelligence derived from open source infrastructure data, has joined as new Supporting member.

The success of OpenStreetMap depends on organizations that make financial contributions, donations “in kind” such as hosting services and other resources, and hardware. These philanthropic investments help ensure site stability, support the maintenance of technical infrastructure, and help sustain OSM’s volunteer community.

The OSM community and the OSMF are extraordinarily grateful for the sustaining contributions of Corporate Members.