Updates from OpenStreetMap US - 2025

Communities United States
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Hi there! Welcome to the OpenStreetMap US Updates thread, where the OSM US team will regularly post about elections, new blog posts, project and program updates, and other goings-on at OSM US. Feel free to reply to posts with any feedback or questions!

There’s also the “Event Updates from OpenStreetMap US” topic dedicated to events like State of the Map US, Mapping USA, and Mappy Hours.

:heart: The OSM US team

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February Updates:

  1. Elections for the 2025-2026 OSM US Board of Directors opens today! If you are an OSM US member, keep an eye out for a voting link sent to the email associated with your membership. Elections close on Sunday, March 2nd!
  2. The blog post reviewing the 2024 OpenStreetMap US Community Survey is live.
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March Updates:

  1. Thank you to every OSM US member who voted in the 2025-26 Board elections! We’re excited to have newly elected Kiri Carini and Jazzy Smith, and re-elected Matt Whilden on the team. :tada:
  2. Happy one year of the Pedestrian Working Group! Check out co-chair Chad Blevins’ recent guest blog post on pedestrian infrastructure mapping trends.
  3. OSM US is looking to feature local mapping groups across the US in our 2024 Annual Report. If you have any photos or stories to share, email newsletter@openstreetmap.us.
  4. Upcoming Working Group Meetings:
    :mortar_board: The Education Working Group meets tonight, March 20th at 7:00pm EDT. RSVP and get the Zoom link via Meetup.
    :man_mountain_biking: The Trails Working Group meets next Monday, March 24th at 4:00pm EDT. Fill out this form to receive the calendar invite.
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April Updates:

  1. OSM US launched two new grant programs this month! :partying_face:
    :heavy_check_mark: OSM US Microgrants: to fund the community events, travel, and educational initiatives of OSM US members. The Spring application closes on May 5th. Learn more here.
    :heavy_check_mark: OSM US & Mapillary Camera Grant 2.0: we’re sending out 40 grant packages (including the 2025 GoPro 360 MAX camera and mounting accessories) to OSM and Mapillary contributors across the United States. Learn more here.
  2. OSM US Software Engineer Jake Low made some big improvements to OSMCha, making the site faster and more dependable. Read more about the update here.
  3. Upcoming Working Group Meetings:
    :mortar_board: The Education Working Group meets on Thursday, April 16th at 7:00pm Eastern! RSVP and get the Zoom link via Meetup.
    :man_mountain_biking: The Trails Working Group meets on Monday, April 28th at 4:00pm Eastern. Fill out this form to receive the calendar invite.
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May Updates:

  1. Check out the latest OSM US blog post: a Mapper Highlight feature on MapRVA, Richmond, Virginia’s local mapping group. Hear about their current projects, tips for starting your own meetups, and all about how they mapped the Richmond Water Crisis.
  2. The team is all hands on deck gearing up for State of the Map US in June, so be sure you’re caught up on the OSM US Events thread too! :lobster:
  3. Upcoming Working Group meetings:
    :mortar_board: The Education Working Group is this Thursday, May 15th at 7:00pm Eastern. RSVP through Meetup.
    :man_walking: The Pedestrian Working Group meets next Tuesday, May 20th at 3:00pm Eastern. Request to join the calendar invite through the Working Group Interest Form.
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June Updates:

  1. It’s State of the Map US this week and the OSM US team is on our way to Boston! We can’t wait for a whole weekend of everything OSM! :lobster: :partying_face:
  2. In case you missed it, OSM US Software Engineer Jake Low published a blog post detailing over 200 hours of work to make OSMCha run faster and more reliably.
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July Updates:

  1. OSM US recently published our 2024 Annual Report! :tada: Give it a read on our website.
  2. If you’d like to join a potential Maintainers Working Group hosted by OSM US, take this interest survey to let us know your thoughts. :technologist:
  3. The summer funding cycle of the OSM US Microgrants is open now through August 4th! These microgrants support the travel, community events, and educational initiatives of OSM US Individual Members.
  4. Upcoming Working Group meetings:
    :mountain_biking_man: The Trails Working Group meets next Monday, the 28th at 4:00pm Eastern. Request to join the calendar invite through the Working Group Interest Form.
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August Updates:

  1. Funding for the OSM US Charter Project Program ran out as of August 1st, meaning maintenance and technical improvements for commercial and high-volume users of MapRoulette, OpenHistoricalMap, and OSMCha will cease as OSM US staff focus our efforts on securing the functionality of these tools for the volunteer mapping community. Learn more about what this means in our recent blog post.
  2. OSM US recently announced the new Advisory Council, intended to support fundraising efforts and the organization’s long-term sustainability :tada: The Advisory Council is approved by the Board of Directors and has no official decision-making or fiduciary responsibility for OSM US.
  3. The most recent “Mapper Highlight” features OSM Utah, a long-running volunteer community improving OSM in the Salt Lake City area and beyond. Read all about the history of the group and their recent efforts to help out employees from a recreation district in the Park City area.
  4. Upcoming Working Group meetings:
    :technologist: The first meeting of the OSM US Maintainers Working Group is Monday, September 8th at 2:00pm Eastern. The goal of this new Working Group is to create an environment of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and support for developers in the OSM ecosystem!
    :man_walking: The next Pedestrian Working Group is Tuesday, September 16th at 3:00pm Eastern.
    :mortar_board: The next Education Working Group is Thursday, September 18th at 7:00pm Eastern. The group is leaving Meetup, so be sure to RSVP using the OSM US Working Group Interest Form.
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September Updates:

  1. The OSM US Tileservice is now generally available as a free resource for low volume and non-commercial use at the Starter Tier, and for high volume or commercial users at the Partner Tier. Learn more about the Tileservice in our most recent blog post, on the Tileservice webpage, or from the usage policy.
  2. Upcoming working group meetings (times given in Eastern Daylight Time):
    :graduation_cap: October 16th at 7:00pm: Education Working Group
    :man_walking: October 21st at 3:00pm: Pedestrian Working Group
    :man_mountain_biking: October 27th at 4:00pm: Trails Working Group
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October Updates:
If you’re ever looking for more in-depth updates from OSM US, subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

1.OpenStreetMap US’s latest blog post highlights recipients of the OSM US x Mapillary Camera Grant. Hear from grantees in Washington and Arizona about their ongoing projects and experiences with the program.
2. In partnership with the American Red Cross, OSM US is running Tasking Manager project #948 to map missing buildings and roads in the rural villages of Alaska affected by Typhoon Halong. The task is currently 47% mapped and 1% validated.
3. Upcoming working group meetings (times given in Eastern Daylight Time):
:technologist: November 10th at 2:00pm: Maintainers Working Group
:graduation_cap: November 13th at 7:00pm (rescheduled): Education Working Group

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