At State of the Map US 2025 this past June, the OSM US team had the chance to hear from maintainers of popular and emerging tools in the OSM ecosystem who expressed interest in additional opportunities to connect with each other. In response to this desire, OpenStreetMap US is excited to announce the Maintainers Working Group: an ongoing, dedicated forum for collaborating on tool functionality, sustainability, and interoperability.
Some topics we plan to discuss in the Working Group (based on responses from a recent survey) are:
- Managing burnout
- Navigating a project’s lifecycle
- Finding opportunities for collaboration between projects
- Sharing knowledge between primary developers and volunteers interested in contributing
The first meeting of the Maintainers Working Group is on Monday, September 8th at 2:00pm Eastern on Zoom, and you can RSVP here. Initially the Working Group will meet bi-monthly, with the option to adjust meeting frequency based on participant interest.
Participation is open to all, no matter the popularity of your project or if you’ve just contributed your first line of code. All are welcome to join the discussion, share your experience, and learn from others. As with all OpenStreetMap US Working Groups, attendees are expected to follow the OpenStreetMap US Code of Conduct. Hope to see you there!
Interested in connecting with other mappers, developers, and enthusiasts in the OpenStreetMap ecosystem? OpenStreetMap US hosts a number of working groups, including topics like pedestrian infrastructure, bringing OSM into the classroom, imagery, and more. All are welcome!
