OpenStreetMap US is turning 10! (that’s nearly 60 in dog years! woof!)
Who wants to host our birthday party?
State of the Map US is the biggest and best gathering of OpenStreetMap community members from across the country! Why not have it in your backyard? We invite cities, towns, universities, etc. (a.k.a. place=city, place=town, amenity=university, residential, etc.) to prepare a bid for the 2020 conference and help us throw a 10 year birthday bash to remember! Please see the details below so you can discuss and prepare with your fellow mappers!
Important Dates
- June 25: Official call for bids starts!
- June 25-July 31: The board, ED, (and previous organizers!) are available for consultation for interested bidding parties.
- August 2: Deadline! Letters of Intent should be sent in to team@openstreetmap.us by the end of the day.
- August 3-31: Board discussion and conversation with bidders to formalize proposals and solidify ideas.
- August 31: Decision by OSMUS
- September 7: State of the Map US 2020 location announced at this year’s State of the Map US in Minneapolis (September 5-8)!
Repeat - the deadline for proposals is August 2, 2019!
Letter of Intent
Please submit a Letter of Intent to signify your bid. What do we mean by “Letter of Intent”? This should be a general plan with the proposed venue, budget, and ideas for social activities, outlined below. 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. All ideas are welcome! If you are interested in hosting State of the Map US 2020, send your Letter of Intent to team@openstreetmap.us by Friday, August 2nd, 2019. As you prepare, please feel free to ask the Executive Director, the Board, previous organizers, and the OpenStreetMap community your questions via Slack, email, or carrier pigeon! You can also fill out the form here.
Letter of Intent Outline - Requirements
The Letter of Intent should be 1-3 pages and should include, though not limited to, the following information:
- Who? Names of principal organizers and any affiliations.
- How? 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.
- When? Suggested date ranges for the conference.
- Where? At least 2 viable venue options & estimated cost. Show evidence that you’ve chosen a venue that can accommodate our conference of 300-500 (and maybe more!) participants and 10 exhibitors. The space should include room for at least two parallel sessions, some breakout rooms, and lunch.
- Beep Beep! What are the options in terms of transportation & accessibility ?
- Zzzzzz… 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. Are their dorms? Hostels? Hotels? Airbnbs?
- $$$… Please provide a general sense of travel and lodging costs.
- Cake and balloons? Because it’s not just about mapping, please provide suggestions for local tourist attractions & social activities near the proposed venue site. What should we see in your town?
We hope you will consider hosting State of the Map US 2020! Know that you are not alone, and that a planning committee and the board will help with leading program decisions, day-of logistics, accounting, ticketing, t-shirts, design, and more. All ideas are encouraged! You can craft your own letter or fill out the form here.
We have had some incredible State of the Map US conferences over the years, and in total hosted more than 3,800 people in 10 locations.
State of the Map US Conference Locations
- 2010 ~ Atlanta, Georgia - 65 attendees
- 2011 ~ Denver, Colorado - 130 attendees
- 2012 ~ Portland, Oregon - 220 attendees
- 2013 ~ San Francisco, CA - 370 attendees
- 2014 ~ Washington, DC - 525 attendees
- 2015 ~ New York City, NY - 850 attendees
- 2016 ~ Seattle, WA - 500 attendees
- 2017 ~ Boulder, CO - 500 attendees
- 2018 ~ Detroit, MI - 350 attendees
- 2019 ~ Minneapolis, MN ~ 350+ attendees expected - join us!
- 2020 ~ Your town?
We look forward to working with you to make our next State of the Map US an event for the record books!
