Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team

Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team
Name	Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team
Formation	2010
Type	Non-profit
Headquarters	Remote / Global

Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team is an international volunteer-driven organization that applies crowdsourced geospatial mapping to humanitarian response, disaster risk reduction, and development, working with partners across sectors. It coordinates volunteer mappers, humanitarian agencies, and technology platforms to create and maintain open map data used by relief actors, academic institutions, and municipal authorities. The organization operates within networks that include mapping communities, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society actors to support situational awareness during emergencies.

History

Founded in 2010 after experiences with the 2010 Haiti earthquake and drawing on earlier projects such as OpenStreetMap and the Missing Maps initiative, the organization grew rapidly through volunteer campaigns, partnerships with Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement societies, and collaborations with academic groups like University College London and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Early response efforts connected remote volunteer teams in platforms pioneered by GitHub, Tasking Manager, and crowdmapping practices developed during the 2010 Pakistan floods and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Expansion in the 2010s included formal collaborations with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, World Health Organization, and regional bodies such as the African Union and European Commission to institutionalize open mapping in humanitarian operations. The organization has been shaped by influence from digital humanitarianism scholars, partners like Humanitarian Data Exchange, and funders including foundations associated with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency).

Mission and Activities

The group’s mission centers on enabling timely, accurate, and open geographic data for humanitarian decision-making through volunteer coordination and capacity building, engaging stakeholders such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Organization for Migration, Save the Children, and local municipal governments. Activities include crisis mapping during events like the 2015 Nepal earthquake, public health mapping during outbreaks coordinated with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Médecins Sans Frontières, and preparedness work for hazards monitored by agencies like United Nations Environment Programme and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The organization supports training programs with universities including Harvard University and University of Oxford, contributes to standards discussions with Open Geospatial Consortium and Humanitarian Data Exchange, and engages communities through partnerships with local NGOs and municipal authorities.

Mapping Projects and Initiatives

Major initiatives have included mapping slums and informal settlements in partnership with United Nations Human Settlements Programme and municipal authorities, health facility mapping aligned with World Health Organization datasets, and refugee camp mapping in coordination with UNHCR and International Rescue Committee. Campaigns such as the Missing Maps collaborative project have mobilized volunteers during crises including the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the 2019 Cyclone Idai response, while longer-term development mapping projects support partners like Oxfam, CARE International, and local community organizations. The group has also contributed to infrastructure mapping for post-conflict reconstruction involving actors such as United Nations Development Programme and participatory projects with indigenous communities and local councils.

Technology and Tools

Technical infrastructure leverages open data standards from OpenStreetMap, tools such as JOSM, iD Editor, and the OSM Tasking Manager, and satellite imagery providers that include commercial and academic sources used by partners like Planet Labs and Euroconsult. Integration with humanitarian information systems includes interoperability with ReliefWeb, Humanitarian Data Exchange, and geographic information systems such as QGIS and ArcGIS for bridging volunteer data to operational platforms used by United Nations agencies. The team also develops training materials, mobile applications compatible with Android devices, and workflow automation using APIs popularized by projects in the open source community and collaborations with research groups at institutions like University of Washington.

Partnerships and Funding

Partnerships span multilateral organizations such as United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and World Bank, international NGOs including International Rescue Committee and Mercy Corps, tech companies like Microsoft and Google, and academic partners such as University of Cambridge and Stanford University. Funding has come from philanthropic foundations like Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation, government aid agencies including USAID and UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and corporate sponsorships, while governance has incorporated input from regional chapters, affiliated non-governmental organizations, and volunteer community leadership.

Impact and Criticism

The organization’s impact includes improved disaster response coordination during events like the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan and enhancements to public health mapping used in outbreaks, influencing policy discussions at forums such as World Humanitarian Summit and contributing open datasets to repositories like Humanitarian Data Exchange. Criticisms have focused on data quality challenges noted in academic reviews by scholars from University College London and London School of Economics, concerns about sustainability raised by think tanks including Chatham House, and debates about data ethics and privacy involving organizations such as Privacy International and Amnesty International. Ongoing conversations address community ownership, representativeness, and the resilience of volunteer networks in protracted crises involving partners across the humanitarian, academic, and technology sectors.

Category:Humanitarian mapping