News — 30 June, 2025
HOT Tasking Manager: Major Highlights and Celebrations this 2025
In this blog, Ramya Ragupathy, the Tasking Manager's Product Manager, celebrates the amazing achievements that came through this year for HOT's flagship tool, with the launch of its fifth version after 15-years of existence and its recognition as a Digital Public Good.
A decade ago, I started my first steps towards digital humanitarianism by tracing roads and buildings in HOT Tasking Manager v2, taking part in the volunteer response for the 2015 Nepal Earthquake. I didn’t know much about mapping then, just that it felt like a small yet meaningful way to help. That moment was my first encounter with HOT and my first glimpse into how digital tools connect people in times of crisis. I still remember learning the basics of building mapping from fellow OpenStreetMapper Chetan Gowda, patiently guiding me through the iD and JOSM interfaces. Those early days were about finding my place in a global community, one node and one way at a time.
Kathmandu Living Lab OSM contributors activate one day after the 2015 Earthquake. Source: OpenStreetMap Wiki
In the years that followed, the HOT Tasking Manager, or TM, was always open in one of my browser tabs, becoming an integral part of my mapping toolkit. I extensively used the tool, participating in and running mapping projects for navigation, disaster response, and disaster preparedness. One of the most memorable projects I led was a cyclone preparedness mapathon for my hometown near Cuddalore. Later in 2018, I came on board full-time with HOT, diving into backend systems and data pipelines that powered HOT’s operations around the world. Joining HOT was a big transformation in my career, and it deepened my understanding of tech connecting people.
Since then, I’ve focused almost entirely on the Tasking Manager, first supporting the migration to v4, then eventually stepping into the product owner role. Today, I lead the product development of Tasking Manager and Field Tasking Manager, a relatively newer tool that aims to support full end-to-end mapping workflows.
This year has brought two milestones that are particularly meaningful to me, both professionally and personally, because they reflect years of growth, learning, and shared efforts: First, the launch of Tasking Manager v5 and second, its recognition as a Digital Public Good.
The launch of Tasking Manager v5 🎉
This April 2025, we rolled out v5 of the Tasking Manager, which is a major release not just in terms of technical upgrade, but also laying the groundwork for future upgrades for the mapping community. To put things in perspective:
HOT Tasking Manager Evolution as shown from its versions over the years and its different user interfaces.
With v5, the backend has been fully migrated to FastAPI and containerized infrastructure, unlocking several key benefits:
- Zero-downtime deployments
- Faster shipping of new features and fixes
- Improved performance during high-traffic events
- A solid foundation for more advanced functionality
We’ve already pushed several minor releases post-launch, deployed without any user disruption. All these would have required far more coordination and planning with multiple stakeholders in the past.
For all those leading several mapping projects and all the work that matters, often under tight timelines, this upgrade means more reliable, scalable support.
Tasking Manager recognition as a Digital Public Good 🌐
Our second milestone this year is our recognition as a Digital Public Good (DPG), which underscores our commitment to equity, transparency, and open access while serving the vulnerable communities across the globe.
This recognition also brings with it a responsibility to remain open, innovative, and inclusive. Our contributors come from diverse backgrounds with different needs, motivations, and skill levels. So our tools should always have intuitive workflows that meet people where they are and be an enabler in their efforts.
What’s ahead for HOT TM?
As we look ahead, our focus remains on designing our tools to meet the changing needs of diverse contributors. The upcoming Super Mapper framework is designed to recognize experienced mappers in a more advanced role. It is not just about mapping more, but mapping better and providing contributors to level up in ways that are personally rewarding and impactful for the community.
We’re also working on integrating the OSM Sandbox, an isolated environment where new users can practice mapping skills, experiment with tools, and learn without the fear of making mistakes on the live OpenStreetMap. This integration will also open up opportunities for research, training simulations, and workflow testing within Tasking Manager.
We’re pretty excited about how far we’ve come with the Tasking Manager and how much farther we can go. Every milestone we reach is a reminder that this is a shared journey, and we can’t wait to see how we shape the future together!