On May 24, 2024, I led an “Introduction to OpenStreetMap (OSM)” training session at the Geography Department of the University of Laos in Vientiane. The session was organized with the help of Professor Sonnasack Phaipasith, who provided translation support and organized the venue and invited his students. We had 15 participants, all students of Geography - eight women and seven men.

This training was part of my assignment with the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team’s (HOT’s) Open Mapping Hub - Asia Pacific (AP Hub) Guru Fellowship program. The Guru Fellowship program is a program aiming to engage with and upskill OSM mappers to fully utilize their knowledge and experience in advancing the Open Mapping movement in the region. Within this Open Mapping Guru Fellowship program, I also organized a Happy Hours OSM mapping meetup in Vientiane as well as 2 online trainings about “Mapping Relations” and “Good practices of Tagging Names in OSM”.

For this in-person “Introduction to OpenStreetMap” training we met from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the University of Lao. We covered the basics of OpenStreetMap, how to use it effectively and explored how mapping and OSM skills can benefit young Geographers in building their career.

The training covered the following topics:

1. Understanding OpenStreetMap, Its Data, and Community We started with an overview of OpenStreetMap, including its website, wiki, and community. We also compared Google Maps with OSM to highlight their similarities and differences.

2. Accessing and Using OpenStreetMap I demonstrated various ways to access and use OpenStreetMap data. Participants explored the OSM website, Organic Maps, the QGIS plugin (quickOSM), the HOT export tool, Geofabrik, and Overpass Turbo. This session showed how versatile and accessible OSM data can be.

3. Contributing to OpenStreetMap One of the key parts of the training was learning how to contribute to OpenStreetMap using the iD editor and briefly showed the JOSM editor. These tools help users add and update map data, making it easy to contribute to the community.

4. Local Initiatives and Community Involvement We also talked about local OSM initiatives and how participants can get involved. I shared information about the Lao OSM community and HOT’s work, encouraging everyone to contribute to these efforts.

5. Skills and Opportunities for GIS Professionals The session wrapped up with a discussion on the skills needed and opportunities available for GIS professionals in Laos. This part was important for those looking to use their new OSM skills in their careers.

The “Introduction to OpenStreetMap (OSM)” training at the University of Laos was a great success and fun for everybody. With support from the Geography Department esp. Mr. Sonnasack Phaipasith, the participants learned about OSM and gained some practical skills they can use in the mapping community and their professional lives.

This training was a valuable step towards building a more connected mapping community in Laos and beyond.