OpenStreetMap
STATE OF MAP 2024, Nairobi Kenya -First Time in Africa🌍
You know that classic email that starts with “Congratulations! We are pleased to offer you…”? Well, on July 1st, I got one of those from Hot Open Summit, awarding me a scholarship to attend State of the Map Global in Nairobi! Thanks Hot Open Summit! Let’s stay connected, we’ve got Manila SOTM 2025 coming up! 🫡🫡🙏🤩
First thing I did? Downloading offline maps of Nairobi with OSMAnd and Maps.me , I had to get those OSM maps in my hand, ready to go. I was feeling chill, knowing I was all set for my trip to Nairobi.
From Dar es Salaam to Nairobi, the journey kicked off with 7 of us heading there in one bus. We had a fun group Hawa next to me, Innocent chilling at the far end, Anastazia, Amour, Kombe, and Benedict. I couldn’t wait to get there, and OSMAnd was the trip MVP, keeping us informed like a road-trip soundtrack “Are we there yet?”
State of the Map (SOTM) is always a blast. It’s where all the cool mapping folks come together, sharing experiences from their projects. Plus, it’s the best time to connect with your global OSM friends. I met up with awesome people like HotOsm Team, OSMF Team, Hirrary, Michael (FAO Somalia), Letwin, Geoffrey, Mariana, Pricida, Isaac, Walter, and Aquarina and many more. Some firsts at this SOTM: 1. First time it was held in Africa! 2. My first time participating! 3. I hosted a session for the first time (and honestly, I think I’m obsessed with the mic now definitely going to host more OSM sessions in the future).
The sessions, presentations, workshops, lightning talks everything was on point. I ran a workshop on “Exporting High-Quality Atlas Maps in Bulk by Leveraging OpenStreetMap Data in QGIS.” It was 🔥.
It was tough choosing which sessions to attend, but I couldn’t miss “The Worst and Best of OpenStreetMap in Ghana (Africa)” by Enock and “Women in OSM Tech - What Worked Best for Me” by Anastazia.
And the social events? We killed it! I hope y’all liked my dance moves #Dancing Group#. 😎
As always, whenever I’m in a new country, I’ve gotta validate some data. I grabbed my jacket, hit up OsmAnd and Maps.me, and explored Nairobi, checking out the local food. I’d heard a lot about Tusker, so I gave it a try, and even took a wild ride on a Matatu bus. Such an unforgettable experience!
Shoutout to my homies, my guru volunteers, the Hot Open Summit crew, and all the SOTM participants! See you soon in Manila for SOTM 2025!
Best Regards Johanes Petro Machela
osm: johanespeter9
+255716957044
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