Spot the Box Initiative
Recent news reported the removal of USPS collection boxes across the US ahead of the 2020 election. What wasn't clear is how many and where. This past week, a group of OSM community members assembled to build a way to find out. Read more about this initiative and how to contribute in this post.

TeachOSM Mappy Hours for Teachers & Educators

TeachOSM has been facilitating Friday afternoon Mappy Hours for teachers as an extension of our ongoing collaboration with the American Geographical Society. It is an informal agenda that helps educators gain familiarity with OpenStreetMap and find ways to integrate open mapping in their classrooms. Recent sessions have touched on contributing to COVID-19 related HOT tasks, editing in Healthsites.io, MapWarper demos, MapRoulette as well as basic mapping technique. Since March, more than 60 educators have participated.

Fall Event ~ OpenStreetMap US: Connect 2020! 

From October 29 to 31, OSM US will host a free, virtual event to celebrate our community and all things OpenStreetMap. Connect 2020 will include an informal Mappy Hour Thursday, a half day of talks on Friday, and a day of workshops, birds of a feather sessions and mapathons on Saturday. We hope to make this an annual gathering that enables people from across the country to learn about OSM and network with fellow mappers through a combination of curated and community-led dialog. Interested in participating in the event? Submit a talk proposal, facilitate a session, or sign up to volunteer when you register.

OSM US Local Chapter Application Open for Comment

The OpenStreetMap US application to become an official Local Chapter of the OpenStreetMap Foundation is now open for comment. Do you support the application? Have a comment? We would love to hear from you! Please share your thoughts via the Talk-US mailing list, OSMF mailing list, or the Wiki page.  

Virtual Mappy Hours

OSM US hosts virtual Mappy Hours twice a month featuring a variety of topics and speakers. Thanks to our recent guests Martijn van Exel (MapRoulette) and Ian Dees (Imports). Recorded presentations can be found here. Be sure not to miss the next one on September 9!