On Wednesday, April 24, UD GIS is hosting the third annual UD Mapathon. Everyone is welcome to attend, no experience needed. Mapathons are our way of getting more people involved, promoting free and open data, and garnering excitement about mapping. It is a way of ‘flexing our muscle’, that is to show we can make a difference through our network of volunteers. Mapping is done with OpenStreetMap, a free and online mapping tool.

When: April 24, 5:00 – 7:00 PM

Where: Morris Library, Rm. 116A

What to bring: Your laptop! Food and drinks are provided.

A Mapathon is an event where volunteers from all backgrounds work together to digitize satellite data in areas of need of humanitarian aid. We map with OpenStreetMap, a free and open online mapping tool, and use a task manager system to fulfill projects requested by aid organizations. At a previous Mapathon, we mapped in Tanzania to benefit AIDs prevention and treatment programs administered by PEPFAR and contributed over 1,000 edits! This year we will map areas of the Philippines facing food security issues and climate change impacts. From the project description: “Please help us map these priority areas where Food Security is influenced by poverty and access to infrastructure and vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change. We hope to complete these maps to prepare for the typhoon season. The map data will be shared with our cross sector data partners to help make more informed decisions about vulnerable communities.”

This Mapathon was organized due to the collaboration between Troy Saltiel, UD Information Technologies, the UD Library, and several campus environmental organizations including Epsilon Eta, EWB UD, Earth, Ocean, and Environmental Club, and the Geology Club.

For more information, visit the GIS Mapathon Web page.