Be a Map Giver!

Contrary to popular belief, the entire world is not mapped.  And, the parts of the world that are not mapped – Global South, informal settlements, refugee camps – are often the most vulnerable to natural and human-made disasters.

MapGive is a program from the US Department of State to seek volunteers to help identify and map features (road, buildings, houses) available from imagery for inclusion in Open Streets Map.  These open source maps can be invaluable in supporting humanitarian and development projects in regions where good geographic information is a rarity.

Here is an example of a digital humanitarian using MapGive to organize a mapathon to support the Ebola response efforts. [Mapping for a Cause: MapGive Ebola Outbreak Mapathon]

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