Sam Colchester
StaffVoting MemberPartnerships & Training Lead
Bio
Sam became a Voting Member of HOT in May 2019. He discovered HOT through the Missing Maps Project in Edinburgh, early 2015. Sam moved to London in late 2015 and has supported the Missing Maps London mapathons ever since. Sam holds a Masters degree in Geospatial Analysis from University College London.
Posts
Data Gaps in Myanmar’s 2025 Earthquake Response: Demonstrating the Urgent Need for an Open Mapping Approach
Since the devastating earthquakes on 28 March 2025 in Central Myanmar, many international and local humanitarian actors, including the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), have been actively supporting the disaster response and recovery. Explore how HOT is working with mappers to address local data challenges.
Call for Case Studies: Demonstrating the Impact of Open Community Mapping in Urban Climate Action
HOT and its allies in the mapping and climate science community are working to establish open community mapping as a key strategy in addressing urban climate challenges. The initiative aims to publish research in leading scientific journals and influence the IPCC’s upcoming report. To bolster this initiative, HOT invites case studies showcasing the application of open community mapping in urban climate and development action. These submissions will be instrumental in advancing the global recognition of open mapping.
Validators: Experienced Mappers Making an Outsized Contribution
Validators serve an essential role in ensuring data quality and providing feedback to new mappers. Learn how validation works and how you can become a validator.
Shifting to virtual: adapting HOT’s global work for COVID-19
Although COVID-19 brings a number of obvious challenges to daily life for people across the world, the crisis has demonstrated the widespread desire to help by mapping to support COVID-19 responders worldwide.
