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INTRODUCTION TO OPENSTREETMAP

جدول العرض

What We'll Cover

What is OpenStreetMap?

The map, the data, and the people behind it

Why Open Data Matters

Free, open, and used far beyond hobby maps

Humanitarian Mapping & HOT

Why Syria needs this, and the global network that helps close the gap

OSM Syria Community

Who we are, our goals, and what we do

How to Get Involved

Joining is open to everyone, everywhere

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PART 1 — THE BASICS

ما هو OSM؟

What is OpenStreetMap?

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative project to create a free, editable map of the world.

— Started in 2004, out of frustration with the lack of free-to-use map data

— Includes roads, buildings, addresses, shops, land use, natural features, and much more

— Run entirely by volunteers, with a lean governance structure under the OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF)

Anyone can add to it, anyone can use it — including OSM Syria.

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PART 1 — THE BASICS

أرقام رئيسية

OpenStreetMap, by the Numbers

10+ million

registered users worldwide

1,500 GB

of open map data

4 million

map changes made every day

Source: wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Stats · icons adapted from the Noun Project (Kiran Shastry, Milinda Courey, Vectorstall)

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PART 1 — THE BASICS

لماذا البيانات المفتوحة؟

Free & Open, By Design

Unlike closed mapping platforms, OpenStreetMap is published under an open licence — anyone can access, use, and share the data, as long as they:

Attribute

Credit OpenStreetMap and its contributors

Share-alike

Release derived data under the same open terms

Keep open

Never lock the data back behind closed doors

Used by organizations far beyond hobby mapping:

— Commercial — Meta, Snap Inc., Grab, Strava, and many others build products on OSM data

— Humanitarian & civic — HOT, MSF, IFRC, the UN, and MapAction use it for response and planning

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PART 1 — THE BASICS

مثال عملي

Free & Open, In Practice

Same neighborhood, two maps — Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya

Google Maps

OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap shows the clinics, schools, and water points people there actually mapped themselves.

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PART 2 — HUMANITARIAN MAPPING

لماذا يهمّ هذا سوريا؟

Why It Matters for Syria

Syria's maps are incomplete, outdated, and in many areas simply missing.

— Years of conflict and limited access for international mapping organizations left large gaps

— Damascus is missing roads on its outskirts

— Aleppo lacks residential-area coverage outside the city center

— Basic data — roads, neighborhoods, hospitals, schools — is missing where it's needed most

“Accurate, open maps are not a luxury.

They are infrastructure.”

They determine whether aid reaches the right place — and whether a clinic can be found.

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PART 2 — HUMANITARIAN MAPPING

الخرائط تنقذ حياة

When Maps Save Lives

On 6 February 2023, an earthquake struck southern & central Türkiye and western Syria, causing widespread damage and tens of thousands of fatalities.

2M+

buildings mapped

9,000

volunteers mobilized

10+

response organizations using the data

Volunteers used HOT's Tasking Manager to trace damaged areas from satellite imagery — supporting search-and-rescue coordination by AKUT/AFAD and the Türkiye Ministry of Health.

“Your OpenStreetMap contributions save lives.”

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PART 2 — HUMANITARIAN MAPPING

فريق OSM الإنساني

Behind the Response: HOT

The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team

An international nonprofit, founded in 2010 after the Haiti earthquake, that turns volunteer mapping into humanitarian action.

— Coordinates global mapathons and activates volunteers within hours of a disaster

— Builds and maintains the open-source tools that power the whole ecosystem — Tasking Manager, Field Mapping TM, the Raw Data API, and more

— Runs a network of regional Open Mapping Hubs and supports local communities like OSM Syria directly

OSM Syria is part of HOT's global volunteer network

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PART 2 — HUMANITARIAN MAPPING

كيف يتكامل كل ذلك؟

How It All Fits Together

Humanitarian mapping isn't one tool — it's an end-to-end pipeline that turns raw imagery into decisions on the ground.

— Imagery is captured by drone or satellite

— Remote mappers (often AI-assisted) trace features into OpenStreetMap

— Field teams verify and enrich the data on the ground

— Analysts turn the result into statistics, exports, and maps decision-makers can use

Source: docs.hotosm.org/diagrams — HOT's End-to-End (E2E) mapping solution

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PART 2 — HUMANITARIAN MAPPING

من الصور إلى الأثر

From Imagery to Impact

STAGE 1

Imagery

DroneTM

OpenDroneMap

OpenAerialMap

Satellite imagery

→

STAGE 2

Remote Mapping

fAIr (AI-assisted)

Tasking Manager

MapSwipe

Rapid → OSM

→

STAGE 3

Field Mapping

Field Mapping TM

ODK / KoBoToolbox

QField · ChatMap

Panoramax

→

STAGE 4

Data Insights

Raw Data API

ohsomeNow Stats

HDX · QGIS

uMap

HOT's End-to-End (E2E) mapping solution · Source: docs.hotosm.org/diagrams

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PART 2 — HUMANITARIAN MAPPING

الخرائط على الأرض

Mapping in Practice

Remote mapping

Tracing buildings from imagery in the iD editor

Field verification

Ground-truthing locations with phones and paper maps

Field data collection

Capturing structures with mobile survey apps

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PART 3 — OSM SYRIA

تعريف بمجتمع OSM سوريا

Introducing OSM Syria

A volunteer-run open mapping community, built around OpenStreetMap, that emerged in December 2024 — a moment of renewed openness in Syria.

— Brings together Syrians inside the country and in the diaspora around a shared love of maps, imagery, and open technology

— Deliberately flat — no hierarchy, no titles; everyone is equal in tasks, activity, and organization

— Open to anyone, regardless of nationality or location — though most activities are conducted in Arabic

— Sessions run both remotely, reaching the global Syrian diaspora, and in person inside Syria

Founding Volunteer: Omran NAJJAR · Active Since: December 2024

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PART 3 — OSM SYRIA

أهداف المجتمع

Community Goals

Build & maintain open maps

Support humanitarian response, connectivity, urban planning, and geographic data sharing across Syria

Grow the network

Expand the social network of people in Syria and the diaspora who care about maps, geography, and open technology

Train & upskill

Organize volunteer activities and free training sessions in mapping and geospatial technology

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PART 3 — OSM SYRIA

الأنشطة

Activities

•

Online Intro Sessions

Introduction to the OSM community, the project, and its humanitarian and development use cases

•

Mapping Sprints

Online sessions to map specific areas — schools, hospitals, roads, and neighborhoods across Syria's governorates

•

In-Person Workshops

Direct meetups and conversations inside Syria around mapping, open technology, and community building

•

Conferences

Participation in State of the Map events, and potential hosting of local mapping conferences

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PART 3 — OSM SYRIA

خريطة المجتمع

A Growing Community

Community members are mapped across Syria and the global diaspora — and the map keeps growing.

— Members based inside Syria, plus contributors in France, Türkiye, Lebanon, Germany, the United States, and Nigeria

— Live map updated regularly at umap.hotosm.org

100+

community members mapped

Syria + 6 diaspora countries

as of May 2026

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PART 3 — OSM SYRIA

دوري

My Role

Founding volunteer

Helped establish the community from the ground up — its structure, values, and open invitation to Syrians everywhere

Community organizing

Designed and led registration, meeting documentation, and communication infrastructure (Telegram, shared drives, records)

Bridge to HOT

Connected OSM Syria to HOT's global network, tools, and expertise for Syrian volunteers

Knowledge sharing

Led sessions on OSM tools, humanitarian mapping workflows, and satellite imagery interpretation

Representation

Represented the Syrian OSM community in wider OSM forums and international discussions

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PART 4 — JOIN US

Want to Get Involved?

Whether you're in Syria or anywhere in the world — if you love maps, geography, or open technology, the community welcomes you. Most activities are in Arabic.

Join OSM Syria Community

forms.gle/M9F5hz7itZdFDDBS9

Links

OSM Syria Wiki

wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Syria

Telegram Channel

t.me/OSMSyira

Community Drive

See link on najjar.biz/contributions/osm-syria

Meeting Notes

See link on najjar.biz/contributions/osm-syria

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