For the past 11 years, Field Papers has been a favorite tool for the OpenStreetMap community, and for many, it was the entry point for participatory mapping. Since its development, Field Papers has been used as a tool around the world from mapping for disaster resilience in low-tech environments to teaching kids geography through hands-on learning.
Originally created by Michal Migurski at Stamen Design in 2011, over the years a who’s-who of NGOs, charitable foundations, and government agencies has contributed to the improvement of Field Papers through generous grants and in-kind development support. However, in recent years, Stamen no longer had the resources to continue to lead the development and maintenance of Field Papers, and was looking for a new home for the project. In early 2023, OpenStreetMap US stepped in as the new stewards of Field Papers on behalf of the OSM community. While it will now be under the umbrella of OpenStreetMap US, Field Papers will be maintained as a global tool available for mappers around the world.
In this presentation, we will review the history of Field Papers and its importance to the global mapping community, and talk about the transition of project stewardship from Stamen Design to OpenStreetMap US.
Speakers
Quincy is a mapper, developer, and traveler from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He currently supports community tools and websites as Technical Lead at OpenStreetMap US. Previously, he was a maintainer of the iD editor.
More info
Low-tech and offline, Field Papers lets you take OpenStreetMap anywhere. Create and print an atlas for your area of interest, mark it up in the field, then scan and upload your annotations for mapping next time you’re at a computer.
