Tasking Manager

Tasking Manager
Name	Tasking Manager
Developer	Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team
Released	2013
Programming language	Python, JavaScript
Operating system	Cross-platform
License	GNU AGPLv3

Tasking Manager Tasking Manager is a collaborative mapping coordination platform used to divide geospatial mapping work into task grids, assign contributions to volunteers, and track project progress. It supports humanitarian response, disaster risk reduction, and development mapping efforts by organizing mapping tasks for communities such as Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, OpenStreetMap, Missing Maps, Médecins Sans Frontières, and Red Cross affiliates. The platform interoperates with mapping tools like JOSM, iD, Mapillary, HOT Tasking Manager, and integrates with datasets from organizations such as UN OCHA, World Health Organization, and World Bank.

Overview

Tasking Manager organizes mapping projects into discrete tasks, enabling distributed contributors to map areas in a coordinated manner. The system provides a web interface where project creators define project boundaries, upload reference imagery, and specify mapping instructions that often reference standards from OpenStreetMap and humanitarian mapping protocols used by Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and Missing Maps. Contributors claim tasks, perform edits using editors like JOSM or iD, and validate edits through workflows adopted by groups such as MapAction and HOT deployers. Analytics and progress tracking support reporting to stakeholders like UNICEF and International Rescue Committee.

History and Development

Tasking Manager originated to address coordination needs identified during responses to emergencies including the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, when mapping campaigns coordinated by OpenStreetMap contributors proved crucial. Development accelerated with initiatives led by Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and partners including Mapbox, Bing mapping imagery contributors, and volunteers from Missing Maps. The platform evolved through versions influenced by software projects like OSMCha and mapping repositories used by HOT Export Tool. Major milestones included migrations to Python web frameworks, adoption of continuous integration practices championed by contributors from Code for America and integrations tested during events such as Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team Mapathons.

Architecture and Features

The architecture combines a web frontend, backend API, and database components, typically built using Python web frameworks and JavaScript clients similar to stacks used by Mapbox and CartoDB. Core features include project creation interfaces, task grid generation, task claiming mechanics, validation workflows, and activity logging compatible with audit practices from organizations like International Organization for Migration. Integration endpoints allow export to formats consumed by QGIS, GeoServer, and visualization tools used by Esri users. The platform supports user authentication, role-based access controls influenced by models in GitHub, and notification mechanisms patterned after services like Slack and Mailchimp used by humanitarian coordination teams.

Use Cases and Applications

Common applications include rapid mapping during natural disasters such as the 2015 Nepal earthquake, public health mapping for outbreaks like the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, and infrastructure mapping for development projects funded by entities like the World Bank and USAID. NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders and Red Cross chapters use the platform to coordinate mapping of health facilities, road networks, and settlement extents. Academic research groups affiliated with institutions like University College London and Massachusetts Institute of Technology employ tasking instances for citizen science, disaster simulation exercises, and urban resilience studies. Corporate partners including Mapbox and imagery providers support imagery licensing and basemap updates for private-sector humanitarian support.

Governance and Community

Governance typically involves steward organizations such as Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, steering committees drawn from partner NGOs like International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and volunteer chapters associated with OpenStreetMap Foundation. Community-maintained contribution guidelines often align with standards from OpenStreetMap and coordination protocols practiced at Missing Maps events. Contributors range from individual mappers to institutional mapping hubs coordinated by groups such as MapAction and academic labs at University of Washington or University of Heidelberg. Funding and policy decisions have been influenced by grants awarded by organizations like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and partnerships with corporate donors.

Deployment and Integration

Deployments occur as public hosted instances managed by steward organizations, or self-hosted installations run by humanitarian clusters, municipal governments, and research consortia. Integration patterns include webhooks and APIs compatible with OSMCha, task export formats for JOSM and iD, and syncs with imagery repositories from Mapillary or proprietary vendors. Cloud deployments leverage providers such as Amazon Web Services and DigitalOcean, while containerized distributions mirror practices from projects hosted on GitHub and continuous delivery pipelines used by Travis CI or GitLab CI.

Security and Privacy Considerations

Security practices follow standards promoted by partners like Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team and include authentication, authorization, and secure handling of imagery and contributor data to meet expectations from UNICEF and privacy frameworks. Sensitive data handling—such as mapping of protected sites or personal data collected during field mapping—requires alignment with policies from International Committee of the Red Cross and national data protection laws like the General Data Protection Regulation when applicable. Operational security also addresses denial-of-service mitigation strategies used in humanitarian IT deployments and vulnerability management practices adopted by open-source communities including those around OpenStreetMap and Mapbox.

Category:Geographic information systems