All disasters begin and end locally. HOT’s vision is to strengthen local resilience and preparedness.

Communities are challenged with the ripple effects beyond climate change itself, including floods, extreme heat, and food scarcity.

Individual citizens must have a role in identifying and understanding these risks. Gaps in training, tools, resources, and data availability exclude them as part of the solution. Because data and power are not evenly distributed in our world, those most impacted are left disconnected without access to solve their challenges.

It is urgent to take measures to mitigate the climate crisis that threatens the survival of 1 billion+ people. Open data and accessible software by and for communities are among the safest diagnostic and prevention tools to anticipate and cope with such consequences. HOT offers solutions that catalyze optimal, equitable responses.

Here are five projects in which HOT, global and local partners, and communities have worked together to generate OpenStreetMap data, create maps and models for decision-makers, and train community members and municipal employees to create and use geodata for climate and disaster resilience.

PhilAWARE

In the Philippines, PhilAWARE consolidated hazard information and alerts from various sources in one place to improve data quality and ease of sharing among the country’s disaster managers and communities. Learn more.

Ramani Huria

Ramani Huria, “Open Map” in Swahili, mapped Dar es Salaam and other large cities, including many places that had never been mapped, to inform flood prevention plans. OpenMap Development Tanzania combined exposure data and flood hazard data to analyze the risk of potential future disasters and improve flood mitigation plans. Learn more.

Open Cities: Mexico

In Mexico, HOT and local partner Co.Mapper trained municipal staff in Tulum, Mexico how to use OSM data and worked with community members to create a detailed map of critical infrastructure and disaster risks. Learn more.

Community Mapping for a Resilient Bamako

In Bamako, Mali and with support from the World Bank, HOT, OpenStreetMap Mali, and Croix-Rouge Malienne used OSM mapping to bridge the gap between waste, drains, and infrastructure to reduce flooding while engaging the local government, civil society, and the private sector in disaster response. Learn more.

Canoa de Tolda

In the Sao Francisco river basin, the Latin America & Caribbean Open Mapping Hub and Canoa de Tolda mapped communities along the river and model its flow. This data increased awareness of flood risks and empowered residents to advocate for their communities. Learn more.