Sparked by concerns about OpenStreetMap’s role in how the public accesses and recreates on protected lands, OpenStreetMap US volunteers, navigation app developers, national agencies and public land managers formed the OpenStreetMap US Trails Working Group in 2021. Bringing together a diversity of perspectives on trail mapping practices, trail safety, and protecting the environment, this group is working to address on-the-ground challenges, tagging schemes, authoritative data, and other topics related to mapping trails in OSM. Learn how this group is collaboratively developing solutions for responsible trail mapping in OpenStreetMap.
Speaker
Maggie Cawley
Maggie is currently the full time Executive Director for OpenStreetMap US, based in Baltimore, Maryland, working to support and grow OpenStreetMap US. She was a board member for two years and is part of the TeachOSM Steering Committee. With TeachOSM, she has developed curriculum around OSM and open source geospatial tools, and is a constant promoter of OSM into educational systems and processes. Her background includes work in urban planning, GIS analysis, project management, and field data collection.
More info
Trails Stewardship Initiative
The OpenStreetMap US Trails Stewardship Initiative is a collaboration of government, volunteer, and private sector stakeholders working to address issues in trail mapping, outdoor recreation, and public land management.
Next up in Out & About
Previous talkMaggie Cawley on the Nowhere Podcast
Hear from Maggie Cawley, Executive Director of OpenStreetMap US, about her encounter with federal land managers who weren’t happy about traffic on their land and how her team developed a solution that benefitted the avid hikers and outdoor enthusiasts while protecting sensitive or conservation areas.
