It’s that time again! The time when we ask the OpenStreetMap US community to have the next State of the Map US. What’s State of the Map US, you ask? It’s only the biggest and best gathering of OpenStreetMap community members from around the world! Where we talk about our incredible community and its innovations over the last year. Check out the program from last year to see what it’s like.
We know you want it in your backyard, so we invite cities, towns, universities, etc. (a.k.a. place=city, place=town, amenity=university, residential=etc) to prepare a bid for the 2018 or 2019 conferences. Please see the details below so you can discuss and prepare with your colleagues.
The Calendar
- January 11: Official call for bids starts!
- January-March: The board (and previous organizers!) are available for consultation for interested bidding parties. Not that planning State of the Map US is (just) a party.
- February 16: Deadline! Letters of Intent should be sent in to board@openstreetmap.us by the end of the day.
- February 17-28 (because it’s not a leap year): Board feedback
- March 15: Deadline! Written Bid Proposals
- March 31: State of the Map US 2018 location announced!
Letter of Intent
To get started – some guidance on what we mean when we say “Letter of Intent”: We’re not looking for a complete bid with all the confirmed details of venue and budget. We’re interested in hearing from groups of people who are excited to work with the OpenStreetMap US board and the rest of the planning committee to build a successful event.
If you are interested in hosting State of the Map US 2018 (or 2019), send your Letter of Intent to board@openstreetmap.us by Friday, February 16th, 2018. As you prepare, please feel free to ask the Board, previous organizers, and the OpenStreetMap community your questions! Slack, email, Morse Code all work. Or do they…?
Letter of Intent Outline
The Letter of Intent should be a maximum of 3 pages and should include, though not limited to, the following information:
- Names of principal organizers and affiliations.
- Names of institutions, organizations, companies, communities, or otherwise that you foresee sponsoring and/or technically supporting the conference. We’re interested in local groups that might help make this event especially successful.
- Year and suggested date ranges for the conference.
- Where will we have it? Show evidence that you’ve chosen a venue that can accommodate our conference of 500-600 (and maybe more!) participants and 10 exhibitors. The space should include room for at least two parallel sessions, some breakout rooms, and lunch.
- No sleep til…? Indicate nearby affordable lodging for attendees. Keep in mind that State of the Map US attendees tend to be from out of town and don’t want to drive or walk very far each morning.
- How much? Not for you but for attendees. Give us a general sense of travel and lodging costs, particularly for international attendees.
- And because it’s not just about mapping – Provide some suggestions for local tourist attractions and social activities near the proposed venue site. Tourism=aquarium is one of my favorites.
We hope you will consider hosting State of the Map US. When doing that considering, know you are not alone. The State of the Map US board will help with leading program decisions, day-of logistics, accounting, ticketing, t-shirts, design, and more.
We are lucky to be coming off the heels of an amazingly well-run State of the Map US in Boulder and we look forward to working with you to make our next State of the Map US another collective success.
