Fwd: OSM at DC Library Lab

[Katie Filbert]

To help get things started, I'm proposing a series of OpenStreetMap activities, inviting the OSM regulars (see below) and we'd like to teach about mapping to new people / anyone interested.

The requirements are minimal for this: wi-fi, and optionally being able to print out maps on letter-size paper.

The advantages of OpenStreetMap over Google Maps include:

* collecting more detailed and quality information, ranging from public art to sidewalk curb cuts; we're also integrating some of the city's GIS data
* anyone is free use the data in apps (pedestrian / disabled routing, etc.) and other uses
* potentially can help communities become better informed, as a citizen engagement project (e.g. like the http://mapkibera.org/ project in Kenya).

I'd be personally interested in finding ways to tie the current map data with historical info that the library has, to tell stories and the history of neighborhoods in DC.

Over the next week, I can reach out to more people in the tech community and continue to brainstorm about more project + activity ideas.

Cheers,
Katie

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Katie Filbert <filb...@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 17, 2011 at 3:28 PM
Subject: OSM at DC Library Lab
To: mapp...@googlegroups.com


WikiDC is partnering with the DC Public Library on a Library Lab (collaboration studio) project, which will run at the MLK Library from late August through the end of December.  

People (you!) are welcome to come to the lab, work on collaborative projects, related to digital humanities, technology, Wikipedia, mapping, digitizing and curating collections, hold workshops, and especially anything that involves the DC community and youth.

http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/LibLabs (more details)

We're still figuring out some details, welcome input, and volunteers.

Among things we'd like to do, we want to host a series of OSM mapping parties during the coming months.  For the mapping parties, we could pick various areas of the city (suggestions?) and come back to the MLK library or maybe branch libraries to enter data together. 

To move this beyond discussion, I'd like to set a date and want to know which of the upcoming weekends (Aug 27, Sep 3, Sep 10) is best for folks:

http://www.doodle.com/p7cagegbtubrb5dr

Also, more impromptu and informal gatherings to work on OSM and related stuff at the LibLab is welcome too!

Cheers,
Katie

PS - we're still planning some event in Baltimore (Wikis Take Baltimore + OSM Mapping) for late Oct or early November.


--
Katie Filbert
President, Wiki Society of Washington, DC Inc.
http://wikidc.org
filb...@gmail.com
@filbertkm / @wikidc

--
Katie Filbert
President, Wiki Society of Washington, DC Inc.
http://wikidc.org
filb...@gmail.com
@filbertkm / @wikidc

[Cooper, Ginnie (DCPL)]

Large WHITE BOARDS for the DCPL LIB/LAB are now available.  We will set them up just as soon as there is someone in the space….  And, Chris – have got any monitors there yet?  

Katie – your idea sounds GREAT!  And I see good collaboration opportunities with our TEENS projects and with WASHINGTONIANA (the local history dept in the library) 

 

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