Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team announced today the 2016 HOT Summit, September 22 in Brussels — 1 day before State of the Map.
So if you are planning to attend State of the Map, submit a talk, or apply for a scholarship, think about making the HOT Summit too!
Remember, State of the Map proposals and scholarships have a May 21 deadline.
Some secondary services like the wiki may be affected by maintenance this weekend. Following this weekend, OpenStreetMap users may experience some slow uploads due to continued tuning after our recent database move.
On Monday May 9, our Operation Team smoothly moved the master OSM database server to Bytemark hosting, from Imperial College. Setting up multiple data center redundancy avoided further downtime due to planned power testing and maintenance at the Imperial data centre.
Over the weekend, we are switching some additional services to Bytemark, due to that power maintenance at Imperial. Primary OSM services will be operational, but the Wiki will be in read-only mode during this time. The slow uploads are a known issue, and are being addressed following the maintenance this weekend. More details on the talk mailing list.
The OpenStreetMap Foundation Board is looking for a detail oriented, part-time administrative assistant with a passion for open communities, who can help accelerate the work of the OpenStreetMap Foundation. Sharp organization and communication skills, and excitement for the mission of OSM will be helpful.
The role’s responsibilities will be to help prepare for meetings, tracking action items and votes; ensure excellent communication between our volunteer community members, working groups and the board; handle inquiries and communicate on behalf of the foundation; and organize our paperwork and publish routine matters.
Is this you? Or know a great candidate? You have until Friday, June 10 (extended!) to apply.
This is the full job posting. Email apply@osmfoundation.org with applications and any questions.
Early bird tickets for State of the Map 2016 are now on sale! Come register for this international gathering of the OpenStreetMap community. Move fast. We might sell out! 😉
State of the Map offers value for anyone excited about open location data. Our main conference days will feature nearly 50 talks, open spaces for gatherings, and exhibition areas where individuals and organizations can meet. Hundreds of OpenStreetMap community members are expected to attend and we want you there! Register now or if you need financial assistance, apply for a scholarship.
Here are your links:
The early bird catches the worm. Or “Le monde appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt.” The world of OpenStreetMap belong to those who get (tickets) early.
The Operations Working Group are in the process of planning some hardware moves as a result of maintenance at our primary datacentre. The plans are subject to change, but these moves are expected to take place on Monday 9th May (a week from today), and this will mean a period of read only operation lasting for up to 24 hours (into Tuesday).
The read-only period will mean the OpenStreetMap website and map is still available, but no map editing will be possible during this time.
The ‘2016 May server maintenance’ wiki page has some more technical details, and will be updated with more precise timing information as the plans are finialised in the coming days.
We’re putting out this announcement to give some advanced notice, but we appreciate some people will be wanting to know more about the exact timings of the read-only period. Please have patience. The Operations Working Group are busy making plans, and will aim to firm things up in the coming days.
OpenStreetMap is a world map of many people and places. And we want you all there for our upcoming State of the Map conference in Brussels.
Apply now for a scholarship and join us for State of the Map in Brussels!
Have you made an amazing map, written mappy code, contributed documentation, organized an event, or been an advocate for the OpenStreetMap community? Have you done it all? We want your voice as part of our international gathering. Don’t let the cost of travel stand in your way!
We use part of our State of the Map budget to assist individuals who may not be able to attend State of the Map for whatever financial reason. Support for one another is core to the mission of OpenStreetMap and our State of the Map conference. Scholarships help support the growth of a diverse and international map and an international conference. The point of our map is community, and we want you there.
Application can be found here.
We will carefully review every application and try to get you to Brussels. The scholarships cover full or partial cost of flights, travel expenses and accommodations. So let us know what you need and we will listen.
Your deadline: Sunday May 21, 2016.
Note: You can respond in English, en français, auf Deutsch, or in het Nederlands.
If you have any questions, concerns or want to provide additional information, please contact us at scholarships@stateofthemap.org.
Mappers are the network that provide the passion and the eyes on the ground, making OpenStreetMap the best map in the world. State of the Map brings mappers, programmers, practitioners, entrepreneurs, and policy makers together to connect and advance that map.
The OSM community invites you to submit session proposals at the 2016 State of the Map, by May 21.
This year, we are especially proud of the diversity of people and organizations helping to build, strengthen, and elevate the map; and those who are recognizing an open map’s potential to advance various missions. We’re excited to be growing our community of mappers and welcome applications for innovative and interactive sessions.
You are encouraged to submit proposals for 20 minute talks, 5 minute lightning talks, and 90 minute workshops that will result in progress and excitement in the world of OpenStreetMap. The deadline is May 21, 2016.
Note: You can respond in English, en français, auf Deutsch, or in het Nederlands.
We’re excited to read your ideas for State of the Map 2016!
State of the Map Organizing Committee
p.s. Sign up to our newsletter below to stay updated with the latest information.
This September 23-25th, we will hold OpenStreetMap’s 2016 State of the Map conference in Brussels, Belgium. Come make the most important gathering of open mapping enthusiasts a reality by sponsoring this amazing event. From scholarships to low-ticket prices to social events, the organizations that step up to support the State of the Map conference help create the future of the OpenStreetMap community and project. Sponsoring organizations are able to directly connect with the creators and developers of OpenStreetMap.
Help us create the best OpenStreetMap conference to date by sponsoring State of the Map. Download our prospectus, and to discuss your options, contact us at sponsors@stateofthemap.org.
As an organisation we’ve always prided ourselves in keeping up with commercial mapping companies’ innovations. That’s why OpenStreetMap is today announcing the launch of Coaster – the first product from Phaethon, the OpenStreetMap driverless car project.
OSMF Coaster (Image cc-by-sa OSVehicle on flickr)
Following in the footsteps of other map-providers-cum-car-manufacturers we recognise that cars without drivers are now within the realms of possibility, and we can develop them as a technology project, iteratively, starting from prototypes. Making use of our accurate road maps, this is a natural area for OpenStreetMap to move into. We expect to see the coaster driverless cars on real roads within the next two years.
We’re doing this the open source way, and the OpenStreetMap Foundation are working with the folks at OSVehicle who have developed the engine and chassis as an open licensed design while a team in Italy designed the stylish “NIKA” outer shell of this vehicle.
You’ll notice these prototypes feature a steering wheel. This will remain as a safety feature during a testing and data-correction phase, but naturally we’ll be removing the steering wheel when the coaster goes into mass production, as these cars will connect to OpenStreetMap’s data and will no longer need a driver!
OpenStreetMap is truly a collaborative endeavour, and we intend to build on that tradition by making driving with the OSM car a collaborative experience.
We have always believed that “the perfect is the enemy of the good”. We recognise that there are occasional errors in any map dataset, as Google has repeatedly demonstrated.
Our self-driving car breaks new ground by automatically correcting OpenStreetMap data based on your driving behaviour. Such “passive contributions” have the potential to greatly expand OSM’s contributor base, given that 97% of existing contributors are cyclists.
For example:
The car’s navigation unit will consume OSM “minutely diffs”. Not only does this ensure that drivers can enjoy up-to-the-minute map data, being able to navigate along new roads instantly without waiting for a monthly update cycle, it provides a virtuous feedback loop for OSM routing. For example, if an OSM contributor inadvertently deletes all the exit routes from a roundabout, such an error will be instantly noticed by any passengers in self-driving cars currently transiting that roundabout.
You’re probably keen to hop inside an OSMF Coaster. If so, leave a comment below saying “I want one!” and we’ll get in touch about prices and delivery of an early prototype. We will be running off a limited edition batch towards the end of 2016.
In the meantime there are a couple of ways you can help:
Firstly, our tests so far have revealed a few problems related to road lanes. Please review the lanes tagging information and ensure that lanes data is present and correct at the larger roads/junctions in your city. We’ll be refining this kind of data automatically following the process described above, but for safety reasons we recommend you add as much lanes data as you can to OpenStreetMap at this stage.
We expect our cars to be road-certified in various jurisdictions without too much trouble, but if we encounter any obstacles we will be calling upon local OpenStreetMap communities to lobby their governments to speed this process. Keep a look out for campaigns in your area.
Finally please note that the estimated timeframes may slip beyond 2016 for the delivery of prototypes. Also note that the photo at the top is for illustration only, and those ordering an early prototype will be receiving a coaster made with prototyping materials. Thank you for your understanding. We hope the wait will not be too long.
…and happy driving (or not driving we should say!)
Last week’s terrorist events in Brussels have been deeply shocking. They hit close for us who are organizing this year’s State of the Map in this beautiful city. We are fortunate to report that everyone involved in planning activities is safe. Now our thoughts are with those affected by the attacks this week in Brussels but also with the many victims of terrorism in the world.
OpenStreetMap is a global community and our mission to map the world tears down barriers and brings together people from all over the globe.
So now more than ever, we invite you to attend this year’s State of the Map to celebrate this spirit that stands in opposition of the terrorism that is trying to divide us today.
One map, one community – we’re looking forward to seeing you in September.
Your State of the Map organizing committee.
PS: We are monitoring the situation closely as Brussels is recovering from the attack and assess security measures at the conference. If you have any questions or concerns regarding State of the Map and the recent terrorist attacks, send us a line.
