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News — 29 October, 2012

Beginning Workshop Debrief

Last week we finished our Beginning OSM workshops for BPBD staff, local non-government organizations, and university in six provinces that are high risk for disasters. AIFDR and BPBD are mapping in these six provinces (East Java, West Java, South Sulawesi, West Papua, South Sumatra and NTT) to see if OpenStreetMap can become the platform for gathering valuable information in Indonesia. Here is what our team had to say about the beginning workshops

Debrief of Beginning Workshops:  Last week we finished our Beginning OSM workshops for BPBD staff, local non-government organizations, and university in six provinces that are high risk for disasters. AIFDR and BPBD are mapping in these six provinces (East Java, West Java, South Sulawesi, West Papua, South Sumatra and NTT) to see if OpenStreetMap can become the platform for gathering valuable information in Indonesia. Here is what our team had to say about the beginning workshops:

 

Roses:

  1. Offline Editor: We found out that most people are interested in using JOSM.
  2. More complete Maps: New buildings and roads are now traced.
  3. Participants: Most participants were heads of the BPBD Regency or other government agencies. Therefore, they might not be interested in collecting mapping data out in the field; however, they will teach and hand over the training documents to their staff.
  4. Enthusiasm: Trainers and participants still keep in touch (via Facebook, Twitter, and emails).

Thorns:

  1. Computer Skills: Participants had varying computer skills. For those with very basic skills, we needed to go through the steps slowly and thoroughly.
  2. Lack of GPS devices: Due to lack of GPS devices, not all of the participants were able to play around with the GPSes. (HOT is always looking for GPS devices. If you have spare ones please think about donating to our cause. Contact info@hotosm.org).
  3. Class Time: There was a little bit of difficulty getting participants in the classroom. Some participants did not attend the training full time due to work conflicts, while others enjoyed the coffee breaks a bit much.
  4. Range of Participant Levels: Participants ranged in computer skills, as well as occupations. Some of them were field workers and therefore enjoyed the mapping days, while others were administrative workers and had more experience with computers and delegating tasks. Sometimes this interfered with enthusiasm for certain aspects of training. For example, some participants were not interested in going out into the field-- whether it be because of the heat, sun, or traffic.
  5. Imagery complaints: Many participants wanted us to fix the imagery, especially the resolution and cloud coverage.
  6. Age: The training team is young-- most either recent college graduates or in their final year. Older participants therefore were a little bit skeptical of their knowledge and wisdom. Sometimes participants would ask questions seemingly to test the trainers’ knowledge.
  7. Internet Connection: In order to download and upload data we need a reliable, fast internet connection. Sometimes this was a problem.

Overall, the beginning workshops went well. We trained over 75 participants on the basics of JOSM. Now, they can go back to their cities and villages and collect data. It feels good to get the beginning trainings out of the way, but we now have a list of websites to continue translating and need to start preparing for intermediate trainings. Stay tuned for more information regarding those trainings!