News
Call for Advanced Mappers: Post‑Disaster Mapping in Mokwa
A devastating flash flood recently tore through Mokwa, leaving homes destroyed and lives upended. We’re calling on advanced mappers to help tag building damage and update infrastructure using new satellite imagery to enhance analysis and impact.
Humanitarian GIS Reflections in Mid-2025: A Collaborative Approach to Geospatial Data
Amid severe funding cuts in 2025, humanitarian GIS practitioners are prioritizing collaboration to avoid duplication and leverage shared resources like OSM. Spatial data—particularly OSM’s open, community-driven model—offers a resilient framework for coordinated crisis response, combining local knowledge with global standards.
Demystifying Expert Mapping Through Modeling
Tim DeWinter, our Open Mapping for All Coordinator, invites you to explore how modeling can make expert OpenStreetMap skills more accessible to beginners and foster a stronger mapping community.
Datos que mueven ciudades: cartografía participativa para planificar el transporte en América Latina y el Caribe
Desde Zitácuaro hasta Salina Cruz, comunidades, universidades y gobiernos locales de México están generando mapas abiertos del transporte público. Esta estrategia nacional es liderada por el Equipo Humanitario de OpenStreetMap (HOT), en colaboración con Codeando México y Trufi Association, para digitalizar rutas, ayudar en esfuerzos de modernización del transporte, reducir brechas en la movilidad urbana.
OpenStreetMap Contributors Needed to Map Khartoum Ahead of New Radar Satellite Imagery
Over the past two years, conflict in Sudan has driven the country into one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Satellite radar coverage gaps have hindered efforts to assess damage to urban areas. With the launch of the Sentinel-1C radar satellite by the European Space Agency, that gap is beginning to close — but a comprehensive dataset of building footprints from OpenStreetMap (OSM) is essential to make this satellite data actionable.
Desmitificando el Mapeo Experto a Través del Modelado
Tim DeWinter, nuestro Coordinador de la iniciativa Mapeo Abierto para Todas las Personas, te invita a explorar cómo el modelado puede hacer que las habilidades expertas en OpenStreetMap sean más accesibles para quienes están comenzando y fortalecer así una comunidad de mapeo más sólida.
Mapping Freetown from Above: How a City and its Residents are Producing their Own Aerial Imagery Datasets
Freetown’s first citywide drone mapping project redefined urban planning by putting communities at the center — piloting drones, producing data, and shaping the future of their city.
OpenAerialMap v2: Acceso más rápido y mejorado a imágenes para el mapeo humanitario
OpenAerialMap está evolucionando para ofrecer un acceso más rápido y confiable a imágenes satelitales y de drones para el mapeo humanitario. Con una nueva infraestructura basada en STAC y herramientas modernas, HOT y Development Seed están reconstruyendo OAM para responder a las necesidades urgentes de mapeo actuales. Descubre cómo esta actualización mejorará la interoperabilidad, velocidad y usabilidad en los esfuerzos de respuesta y recuperación ante desastres.
I Joined HOT, Now What? A Roadmap for Tech Contributors
Community -in the broadest sense of the word- is a crucial component of the work we do at HOT. Since its formalization as an...
OpenAerialMap v2: Faster, Better Imagery Access for Humanitarian Mapping
OpenAerialMap is evolving to provide faster, more reliable access to satellite and drone imagery for humanitarian mapping. With a new STAC-based infrastructure and modern tools, HOT and Development Seed are rebuilding OAM to meet today’s urgent mapping needs. Discover how this upgrade will improve interoperability, speed, and usability for disaster response and recovery efforts.
Collaborating and Reaching Greater Impact in Emergency Response
Help.NGO and HOT collaborated to strengthen emergency response efforts through drone technology and open mapping. From hurricane recovery in Acapulco to forest fire assessments in Ucayali, their partnership accelerates access to critical post-disaster imagery. These joint actions enable rapid damage assessment, informed decision-making, and more effective humanitarian coordination.
Our Journey at Skoll World Forum 2025: a Time for Reflection and Collaboration in a New Era
The Skoll World Forum is over, but the reflections that came from it will definitely stay with us for a long time. Read more about what our Executive Director, Rebecca Firth, and Fabrizio Scrollini, Regional Director for the Open Mapping Hub –Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), learned during the week of April 1-4, 2025.
Mapeo Humanitario en Bahía Blanca: Colaboración ante la Emergencia
Respuesta rápida y efectiva tras las inundaciones en Bahía Blanca, Argentina. el LAC Hub activó a la comunidad de mapeo humanitario para generar datos clave para la atención y recuperación.
Sargassum Monitoring with Drones in Santo Domingo: Open Technologies to Tackle Environmental Challenges
HOT, together with the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data and the National Statistics Office of the Dominican Republic, organized a regional workshop on sargassum monitoring. The training focused on the use of drones and open technologies for generating geospatial data. Participants included representatives from civil society, academia, and public institutions. This experience strengthens Caribbean collaboration in the face of growing environmental challenges.
Innovando con MapSwipe: ciencia ciudadana para clasificar coberturas naturales
Un proyecto piloto que involucró a CONABIO y la Iniciativa Climática Mexicana junto a HOT explora el uso de MapSwipe para identificar coberturas naturales del suelo, mostrando su potencial para la ciencia ciudadana y el monitoreo participativo ambiental.
Mapeando Freetown desde el aire: cómo una ciudad y sus habitantes están produciendo sus propios conjuntos de datos de imágenes aéreas
El primer proyecto de mapeo con drones a nivel ciudad en Freetown redefinió la planificación urbana al poner a las comunidades en el centro: pilotando drones, generando datos y moldeando el futuro de su ciudad.
