Grace Arnold DH

For this project I decided to use both MapSwipe and OpenStreetMap as I have never heard of MapSwipe, but I had heard of OpenStreetMap, so I wanted to challenge myself in learning a new tool. I first I downloaded MapSwipe from the Appstore, I then login using my OpenStreetMap account, which I found useful in that I wouldn’t have to login to these with multiple accounts. I then did the tutorial which showed you how to use it. The app involves the user in identifying buildings and other structures using a traffic lights system meaning that green is for a building in that sector, yellow there may be a building and red if the images are blurred or unavailable for that section. There are many different mapping projects in MapSwipe from mapping building in Honduras to mobile homes in Arizona. I choose to map buildings in Honduras as it had very few participants and required a lot of work. So, I did a few turns of it to improve the overall score. For OpenStreetMap I login and run through some of the tutorials as I had used to site before, but it had been a while, I then when to the task section and picked Connemara in West Galway as it only a handful of contributors and I felt that it was one that I could do based on my skill level. I then choose different sections to map, and they were colour coded meaning white was still yet to be mapped, blue is ready for validation and green is finished. I then picked a white square and followed the instructions that were on the screen. 

I feel that I have contributed to many things especially MapSwipe as it is with British Red Cross and Médecins sans Frontieres. It helps find people after natural disaster and prevent any damage in future events. I think that having an app like this is good because anyone anywhere in the world can help these people without having to donate any money when they can’t, but they want to help people this way people can be helped. It can also give people skills that might not have as it is an easy-to-use app that has a in-depth tutorial that shows you everything you need to do and it can help some improve their IT skills. OpenStreetMap can contribute to many things it is used to show different parts of the country that people may have never seen before, and people are able to see those parts of the country. It can also help the government as they can use it to see where people are living see how local infrastructure is and if there is anything that they could do to improve their local area. OpenStreetMap also allows people to develop skills such as being able to use different software they have not used before. Also, it allows people to show evidence that they have experiences in that area as they can just link to OpenStreetMap and show people their progress and that they have put time and effort into improving their skills and they want to learn new skills and improve their work experience on tools or software. Both platforms allow to collaborate with people from all over the world as they give you the ability to communicate and ask questions of each other. In OpenStreetMap there is a element of peer review which I find useful as if you are not too sure on what you are mapping you can comment and ask another person to check your work and it also allows you to bounce ideas off each other as well and you can have discussions on what you are trying to map. In both your work also has real world implications that can impact on someone’s future and if they receive help in the future. 

I think that spatial and crowdsourced initiatives are something that are going to become more popular and more common especially in academic work. As they allow you to work with people from all over the world, with different socioeconomic, political and cultural background to work on the same project. Initiatives like these allow people no matter their skill level to participate in these kinds of projects and it may allow for funding and participation in their own projects they may have never received before. They also allow people to gain the tools that they may have not required or been able to require in the past. 

I have gained a new appreciation for initiatives like these as the impact of them allows us to create employment and help people develop new skills. They also allow people to know that they are safe from disaster especially in the case of MapSwipe. I also learned that the way in which we use these technologies can impact the work and the live of so many people. 

List of references 

OpenStreetMap https://tasks.openstreetmap.ie/explore

MapSwipe https://mapswipe.org/en/index.html