It was like getting back to the start point for all of us, revisiting the basics of OSM with my in-person training in Grab last June 30 for the KartaView x OSM Philippines meetup event. It was a great event that allowed me and fellow mappers to share about our knowledge in Basic ID editor and other mapping methods while also contributing to map data in areas recently affected by the Mt. Kanlaon eruption in the Philippines.
Truth be told, a lot of the participants are already quite experienced when it comes to OSM, but this also provided me the opportunity to have a more hands-on teaching session with those that are still learning or still getting used to the Basic ID Editor. It was a great experience to be able to teach and guide more closely and watch our beginner participants progress and be able to contribute to the task, beginning with creating an OSM Account, to adding features through ID editor and saving their changes!
Aside from that, participants from Grab Philippines were also able to familiarize themselves with the function of OpenStreetMap and how it can help their projects in the future. Another great highlight of the event was how the Mapathon drove our participants to contribute a lot more to the Kanlaon Project. Over the short time we mapped, we were able to add more than 5,000 buildings across the project area which is an astounding number!
Honestly, it is my first time speaking to a large audience outside of our organization (UP Resilience Institute – YouthMappers) for trainings related with OSM, so having this in-person training conducted is really an unforgettable experience for me, and it also taught me how to communicate concepts in OSM better. I am eager to be able to conduct more trainings in the future especially as I further my involvement with UPRI YouthMappers during my final year in university.
I would also like to extend my great appreciation to all those involved in this training, especially members of the OSM Philippines community, Grab Philippines, and my fellows in UPRI YouthMappers.