Last week we conducted a workshop at CIT University, which is in Gubbi, Tumkur District. We do such workshops at universities to introduce students to fundamental concepts of open data, open source software, and OpenStreetMap ecosystem.

In this particular workshop, students were introduced to OpenStreetMap, iD editor, the OpenStreetMap Tasking Manager, and Mapbox Studio.

Running the workshop

This was an introductory session - we began with a quick history of the OpenStreetMap project, basics on adding data and tagging various feature using the iD editor, and tying these concepts around fundamental on geography to enhance the understanding of the data on OpenStreetMap.

Next, we turned our attention to the OpenStreetMap tasking manager task, and tied it in with how the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team mobilises during a crisis. We asked students to use the tasking manager to make edits with a team of experienced mappers guiding them all along. Our thinking here is, by introducing students to tools like the tasking manager with a focus on fundamentals will pave the way for them to get involved and potentially contribute to OpenStreetMap when there is a HOT activation.

For the CIT workshop, we created a task in Tumkur and here is the outcome

We noticed a few errors were being made when our team was validating the edits during the workshop to ensure quality edits on OpenStreetMap.

Basic interactive style options using Mapbox Studio

After diving into OpenStreetMap, we turned our focus to showing students how they can visualize data from OpenStreetMap using the Mapbox Studio interface. The goal here was to introduce student to the basics of styling, creating multiple layers using OpenStreetMap data.

The outcome

During these workshops, what’s thrilling to see is the response we get to tools like OpenStreetMap. The experience of adding the first building or road in your village, and knowing that it is now a part of the global canvas used by millions of people is powerful.

We recently built this new tool which shows all amenities in a given area or between two points by dynamically spooling amenities using the overpass API. During the initial stage of the project, my initial though was just to have a POI map for Bengaluru but, we landed up building a map which shows POI’s around the world.

Check this out - POI finder using OpenStreetMap data, it’s a great outcome!

Map Features:

1. Find POIs within a radius of 1km for any point on the map.
2. Highlights all POIs within a radius of 1km for a route between any two points on the map.
3. Filter POIs based on type.
4. Using the Geocoding API, you can go to any place in the world and place a marker and it generates a buffer between the points.

We continue to think on ways to develop and improve this map. Thank you for reading!