If you're new to OpenStreetMap, or maybe just know a little, then this session will fill you in on everything you need to know about OpenStreetMap. How did it start? How does it work? How can you contribute, and how can you use the data? What is this "Mapnik" think I keep hearing about and why do people always look at me funny when I say the license should be changed?

OpenStreetMap is not just a database or a web site; it is a living and breathing project with a huge community and a 15-year history. Rather than just showing a sequence of slides, this session will be a tour de force presented by many different individuals, where entertaining dialogue is interspersed with hands-on short demonstrations and explanations. Attendees will leave this session with a good idea of how OSM works, of how they can contribute to OSM, and of how to use its wealth of data for making their own maps or just counting post boxes in their home town. But they will also see that OSM is very much about human beings. They will learn how to become part of the community of map makers, code writers, and general activists that make OSM into the great success it is today.