About HOT

The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) sits at the nexus of participatory mapping, community-led development, humanitarian response, open data and tech.
HOT is an NGO that supports a dynamic global community of thousands of dedicated volunteers using maps and open data for humanitarian response and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Working with humanitarian and development partners like the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, UN agencies, governments and others, the HOT community maps in solidarity with those affected by or at risk of disaster; contributing the maps and data that aid workers need to do their lifesaving work.

Many of the technologies used to collect and analyze this data are proprietary or designed for high-income settings, leaving local communities with limited control over the information that shapes decisions affecting their lives.

HOT builds open source technologies to help solve that gap.

Objective of the Assignment

Objective 1: Create a proposal for the most field-appropriate and widely applicable file transfer approach, considering cross-platform restrictions (Android/iOS → Android flight controller. Android is the key target, while iOS is a nice to have).

Objective 2: Ensure reliability of the proposed approach across a wide range of scenarios and devices, with particular attention to low-spec devices commonly found in the regions we serve. Currently we estimate an ~30% connection success Android device → controller.

Objective 3: Implement what is required to roll out the proposed approach to our user base. Either an Android application (i.e. NDK), a thorough and well understood guide using existing tools, reliable WebUSB implementation, or any other approach explored.

Scope of Work

The work will involve a thorough assessment of available approaches, and testing in real-world conditions.

The implementation is flexible, but should be agreed on and approved by the Senior Tech Lead before being completed.

All programming languages, libraries, and packages used in this project need to be free and open source.

The developer(s) will work alongside the Senior Technical Lead at HOTOSM, with guidance from the start and regular check-ins.

Required skills and experience

Education

• Preferred: university degree(s) in any STEM discipline, but we are flexible on this requirement. Experience over education is key.

Experience

• At least 5 years of professional experience in software development.
• Experience in creating user-facing applications, with a particular emphasis on ease of use and targeting a large range of mobile device capabilities.
• Planning / organizational skills;
• Experience in Agile development methodology and sprint planning
• Great collaboration skills and responsiveness to modifications, revisions and edits as required, in consultation with supervisor
• Ability to prioritize, meet deadlines and manage time efficiently
• Preferred: knowledge of Kotlin, C++, or another language that would easily facilitate the approach.
• Preferred: working experience in development or humanitarian environment.

Language Requirements

• Advanced English language skills

Final products and deliverables

• The expected deliverable will be software code merged into the DroneTM code repository. Detailed deliverables are in the table below;
• Documentation for the methodology and test cases;

The maximum budget for this assignment is $10k and payment is initiated based on an invoice submitted by the developer(s) according to the following deliverables table, all taxes, local regulations and other expenses should be handled by the developer(s):

Deliverable

Full report

A full report posted on GitHub Issues/Discussions, explaining the possible approaches, trade-offs, and recommended approach.

Estimated work effort: 5 days (1 week)

Amount: USD 2,500

Approved pull request

An approved PR (pull request) to the Git repository, implementing the proposed approach, including any required build pipelines and artifact distribution.

Estimated work effort: 10 days (2 weeks)

Amount: USD 5,000

Field and scenario testing

Proven field testing and verifiable scenario testing on a mix of mobile device operating systems and specifications (across our user base).

Estimated work effort: 5 days (1 week)

Amount: USD 2,500

Interested developer(s) (individuals, organizations or teams) can send a maximum 1 page cover letter and CV(s)/portfolio(s) to sam.woodcock@hotosm.org by 11th of October 2026.

Note that applications made with generative AI / LLMs will be immediately discarded. The expectation is that the application and final deliverables will be written by the candidate in their own words.

HOT will invite only shortlisted applicants for an interview and preserve the right to start interviews as of application received date.