DAVAO CITY — Davao online mappers are planning to launch a mapping party that would cover every nook and cranny of Davao City this July.
George Tujan, contributor to openstreetmap.org, says that the event would produce a more comprehensive online map of Davao City to be posted on the website.
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative project aimed in creating a free editable map of the world using crowd source technology. Crowdsourcing is a modern term for taking a task of a professional and outsourcing it to an undefined group of people or ‘crowd’ in the form of an open call.
Tujan explains that, in OSM, mapping is done by the community itself and is, hence, more comprehensive and detailed. He points out that it could include new landmarks, narrow alleys and small roads, details ignored by regular maps. Tujan says the aim is to map the entire planet with maps that people can use for free and without any legal obligations.
According to Tujan, OSM has the most comprehensive map of Davao City yet there are still many areas in Davao that have not been mapped. This lack gave birth to the idea for the mapping party.
Tujan said that these maps have benefits which could be utilized by local businesses. He said that businessmen could put the location of their businesses on the maps which would make it easier to find. It could be some sort of an advertising vehicle. The service is free as long as they credit the map contributors.
Already the group has had talks with the Davao City Tourism Operations officer Bong Aportadera on including local tourism spots as point-of-interests on the OSM online maps.
Engineer Marloue Pidor, one of the most prolific Dabawenyo contributors to OSM, says that a workshop on online mapping was held on June 20, Saturday at the DabaweGNU lab at Sobrecarey Street in Obrero.
After attending the workshop, mapper-wannabes would be invited to the mapping party on July 4. For the whole-day activity, mappers would be grouped into teams and each team given a Global Positioning System (GPS) to map their respective areas in the city. Each team would either be in vehicles, in bikes or would walk around the city.
Several groups and sectors have chipped in to sponsor the mapping event, particularly on the use of the GPS equipment. Pidor and Tujan are inviting Dabawenyos to join the mapping party, assuring that there are no registration fees to be collected.
Those interested to join the mapping party and workshop can log on to mapping.ideacampdavao.com for details. (PIA XI)
IMPORTANT NOTICE: INBOX is an archive of press releases, statements, announcements, letters to the editors, and manifestos sent to Davao Today for publication. Please email your materials to davaotoday@gmail.com. Davao Today is not responsible for the content of these
materials. The opinion expessed in these items does not reflect those of Davao Today and its staff. Please refer to our terms of use/disclaimer.
