My name is Aki Sato, a fourth-year undergraduate student at Aoyama Gakuin University in Japan. I’m a member of the Furuhashi Lab, where I focus on open mapping, GIS, and community-based projects. As part of our YouthMappers team, I’m leading the Japanese translation of the book Open Mapping towards Sustainable Development Goals to make mapping knowledge more accessible. We’ve also hosted our first online Mapathon and are planning a university-wide collaborative Mapathon this summer.Through mapping and translation, I hope to connect people and make mapping more inclusive for non-English speakers.

I’m Ark Arjun, a Geospatial engineer from Kerala, south of India. Started volunteering in OSM in 2012 and since then have been evangelising for open geo data. I am one of the core volunteers from OSM Kerala and India. I was leading the SotM Kerala event organising committee. I also volunteer at Wikipedia and various FOSS projects. I am a comrade of Open Data, Open Source Software. I am one of the founding members of Open Data Kerala. I am also the co-founder of GeoMinds.
More:
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/User:Arkarjun/Outreach
https://arkives.in/

Arnalie from the Philippines advocates for open data and is passionate about building inclusive spaces in the open mapping and open geo community.

She has been an Openstreetmap contributor since 2016, the same year she joined and became part of the OSM community in the Philippines. She is a supporter and ally of various communities and networks such as Geochicas, Women+ in Geo, and more. In 2023-2024, she served in the OSM Foundation Board focused on the community agenda. Currently, she works with the UN Global Service Center as Community Engagement Specialist for the UN Maps Programme.

I’m Bayazid Ahmed, a Computer Science and Engineering student at Eastern University, Bangladesh, and General Secretary of YouthMappers. Since starting with OpenStreetMap in May 2024, I’ve grown from local mapathons to global events like State of the Map Asia 2024, mastering tools such as JOSM, QGIS, and Overpass Turbo. For me, mapping goes beyond geography — it connects communities, tells stories, and tackles real-world problems. I’m passionate about using open data to support humanitarian efforts, promote sustainable development, and bridge cultures. Mapping is my way of making a meaningful impact one pixel at a time.

I'm a passionate geospatial enthusiast and a volunteer in the OpenStreetMap community, currently serving as Co-Chairperson of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) Community Working Group. Additinally , I am a certified drone pilot driven by a commitment to inclusivity. I aim to bridge the geospatial data gap, empowering underrepresented groups and individuals. Currently pursuing a Master's degree in Geoinformation Science, I continue to explore innovative solutions for a more equitable and representative mapping ecosystem.

Ben is a problem-solver who has a wealth of experience as an advocate, educator, and leader in the open data and open geospatial spaces—equally adept at developing technical solutions, leading capacity building initiatives, or developing communities of practice. He is a big believer in digital autonomy and right-to-own/repair.

You can find him at:
- https://learn-qgis.bnhr.xyz
- https://fb.com/bnhr.xyz
- https://fosstodon.org/@bnhrdotxyz
- https://civicliteraci.es

Benjamin Herfort is researcher at HeiGIT and Heidelberg University. In his PhD he has investigated questions of representation and data quality in OpenStreetMap from the perspectives of humanitarian and machine learning-assisted mapping in order to map what is not mapped. In his research and work he is furthermore dealing with the temporal evolution of OpenStreetMap data, MapSwipe and information from social media.

Benjamin works as a product owner at HeiGIT where he is developing open source tools and methods that incorporate geographic information systems for disaster management, humanitarian aid and climate action.

Brazil Singh is an OpenStreetMap enthusiast and advocate for open data from Bangladesh, with a strong commitment to making open mapping more accessible and inclusive. As an Open Mapping Guru and Leadership Fellow of YouthMappers, Brazil has led numerous community-driven mapping initiatives.
Brazil is an advocate for open data, and his projects often emphasize the importance of localizing training materials and creating structured mentorship programs for new contributors.
With a background in Computer Science and Engineering, Brazil combines his technical skills with his passion for community building to empower others in the OSM ecosystem.

I am a computer engineer from Imola, northen Italy. I work as front-end web developer at GELLIFY and study Artificial Intelligence. I am an open-source and open-data enthusiast and contributor and since 2017 I'm part of the OSM community both as a contributor and as a developer of visualizaion tools. This year I have been nominated vice-president of Wikimedia Italia, italian OSMF local chapter.

I'm Dan Jacobson / 積丹尼 , in Taiwan.
https://www.jidanni.org/ is my website.
I'm going to StoM 2025, and in fact plan to be in the Philippines for a whole month.
I'll be checking out the house addresses as I pass by, as I'm a big fan of house addressing systems.

A Wikidata and OpenStreetMap contributor from Taiwan. Start contributing to Wikipedia on 2005, and start contributing to OpenStreetMap in 2010. He is one of the co-hosts of the OpenStreetMap x Wikidata monthly meetup in Taipei. He is a regular attendee of Wikipedia Monthly Writing Camp in Taipei, assisting hosts to help solve other attendees' Wikipedia writing issues. In 2025, he starts to live-stream the community event online.

I am Dibikshya Shrestha from Nepal, former Secretary of the YouthMappers Chapter at GESAN and also the YouthMappers Leadership Fellow for 2024 current serving as Regional Ambassador for Nepal. As an Open Mapping Guru, I am deeply committed to the idea that every map edit contributes to shaping the future of someone, somewhere in the world. I aspire to work beyond mapping focusing on building connections with communities, promoting inclusivity, and leading with compassion and purpose. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge with the next generation, ensuring an inclusive and diverse approach while amplifying community stories through the leadership.

This workshop shares practical insights from managing remote mapping projects in the HOT Tasking Manager, specifically from the perspective of a fellow with project manager access. It is open to all, especially those curious about behind-the-scenes decision-making. Topics include setting mapping priorities with limited on-the-ground data, writing effective project instructions, responding to contributor feedback, and proposing new ideas like forming temporary validator teams. It also reflects on personal pain points and lessons learned in the process. Rather than claiming best practices, this session invites discussion and shared learning to improve how we manage collaborative

Emanuel Kombe is a GIS expert and head of the GIS unit at OpenMap Development Tanzania (OMDTZ), with a strong background in Geography and Environmental Studies. As an OSM Advanced Level mapper, he leads high-impact mapping projects, specializing in spatial data collection, analysis, and visualization. Emanuel is known for his contributions to the OpenStreetMap community and his use of open-source geospatial tools to support decision-making. His work spans diverse sectors, delivering high-quality, timely geospatial outputs that improve urban planning, environmental monitoring, and public services across East Africa.

Esther Judith Otieno is a Geospatial data and remote sensing analyst, currently working at the African Population and Health Research Center. She specializes in GIS mapping, earth observation, spatial data analysis and urban sustainability. Currently she is contributing to the IDEAMAPS project, Nairobi, and GIS in solid waste management project, Kisumu. Her passion is on using spatial data to empower sustainable urban development.

Faiza Waziha is a graduate student in Disaster Science and Climate Resilience at the University of Dhaka. Known as an Open Mapping GURU, she has contributed to numerous projects across Bangladesh and Asia, using OpenStreetMap (OSM) to tackle disaster risks and urban challenges. As a Climate Resilience Fellow (CRF), she led a capstone project mapping waterlogging and dengue risks in Dhaka’s informal settlements through community engagement. Faiza has participated in many national and international mapping events and trainings, and strongly advocates for inclusive, open-data-driven resilience efforts led by youth and marginalized communities.

Geoffrey Kateregga is the Community Projects Lead at Humanitarian OpenStreetMap, where he empowers local communities to contribute to open mapping initiatives. A co-founder of the OpenStreetMap Uganda and OpenStreetMap Africa communities, he is dedicated to fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing within the open mapping movement across the African continent.

Héctor began mapping in 2011 and joined Mapeado Colaborativo in 2016. With a Computer Engineering background, he pursued a master’s in Cartography and is now a PhD student at the University of Camerino, Italy, researching Open Data in the “ODECO” project. His research focuses on commercial companies in Open Data and interactions in tools like the HOT Tasking Manager. Passionate about transportation and urban mobility, Héctor enjoys travelling and exploring new cultures. In 2024, he joined the OpenStreetMap Foundation board.

Honey is a GIS Specialist for the Asia Pacific Hub of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team. She is focused on the application of geospatial solutions to critical needs of frontline responders and communities, especially in the areas of climate and urban resilience. Recognizing the value of equal access to geospatial technology, she firmly advocates for free and open-source applications to close the gaps that usually hinder access to GIS. Her field of expertise lies in the adaptation of open mapping technologies for various stakeholders and in the development of scalable and localized geospatial solutions.

Ilya has been mapping OSM for a very long time. His attention span is very short, hence he also has written a lot of tools, including map editors, organized quite a few mapping parties in various countries, and wrote some wiki pages on surveying. He spend his free time either improving his Every Door app, or wandering in the city collecting hundreds of shops and amenities for the map.

Mr. Ivan Harris Tanyag is the Founder of Beyond the Map Policy Studio, a youth-led initiative in the Philippines focused on participatory mapping, spatial justice, and public policy. He serves as a Technical Specialist at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), conducting research under the Teacher Development Subcommittee of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II). His work appears in Socioeconomic Impacts of High-Speed Rail Systems (Springer, 2025) and The Routledge Handbook of Anti-Corruption Research and Practice (Routledge, 2025).

Associate Professor at the School of Computer Engineering at the Costa Rica Institute of Technology (ITCR). Coordinator of the academic network Experimental Laboratory of Computing and Communities (LabComún). Interested in how free geospatial software supports vulnerable communities to produce and manage open data for decision-making, making focus on involving undergrads in these processes.

I have been involved with the Free Software and Culture movement in Central America. I'm one of the maintainers of GPS data capture tool OSMTracker.

Johanes Petro is a GIS and Technical Project Manager at Open Map Development Tanzania with vast field experience supervising data collection for urban resilience with application of OpenStreetmap. Johanes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban and Regional Planning and has extensive experience managing various projects within and outside Tanzania, including Geoglam/Crop Mapping by Collecte Localisation Satellites(CLS) and TerraSphere, Mills Mapping and School Mapping by United Nations World Food Program(WFP), Ramanihuria by World Bank, Tanzania Rural Electrification (Tanzania Minigrid) - REA Phase III, Zambia off-grid, Lusaka Facilities, and Sanitation Programmes

Peruvian living in Colombia. Former mainframe programmer. Served in the Peruvian public administration. I created Blogsperu.com, first blogs directory in Peru. Then Global Voices Spanish Editor, building a team of volunteer translators and creating strategic alliances with other organizations. Volunteer translator for the OSM Foundation, part of HOTOSM since 2022.

Hi, I'm Julian. Currently, I am the Product Owner for the Smart Mobility Research Area at the Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology (HeiGIT) and a proud new member of the OSM community in Germany.

Mobility research and development for humanitarian aid distribution and last-mile delivery are a passion for me and, together with a great Team, I have the privilege of managing and growing the open-source routing ecosystem openrouteservice.

Kasozi Denis is a geospatial enthusiast from Uganda with a background in community mapping and open data. His mapping journey began in his first year at university through the YouthMappers network, where he rose to leadership positions within his campus chapter. Through YouthMappers, Denis gained hands-on experience with GIS, collaborated with diverse teams, and received travel grants to attend international workshops in Ethiopia and Kenya.

After university, Denis began volunteering with OpenStreetMap Uganda, where his community involvement earned him an opportunity to support a mapping project in The Gambia. He now works with RippleNami as a Quality Assurance Tester.

Laura is a Geospatial engineer working at the intersection of open data, free and open-source software, and sustainable development. Committed to building for impact, she harnesses the power of technology to drive positive change. She is an Implementation officer at Ushahidi, leading capacity building and technical support for the African Union Civic Tech Fund and data science for partner projects.

In her free time, Laura volunteers with tech communities. She currently sits on the OpenStreetMap Foundation board to support the OpenStreetMap community, a worldwide mapping effort to create and provide free geographic data to anyone, anywhere, with no restrictions.

Manoj Karingamadathil is a Kerala-based digital humanitarian, free software advocate, and citizen scientist. As director of the Sahya Digital Conservation Foundation and admin of OpenDataKerala, he promotes open access to biodiversity and civic data. An active contributor to Wikimedia, OpenStreetMap, and iNaturalist, he supports community-driven environmental monitoring and digital archiving/

I maintain the iD editor for the OpenStreetMap Foundation. I do also have a part time position at HeiGIT (Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology), where I contribute to software for academic research about OSM data. I'm responsible for overpass-turbo, the web interface for the Overpass API. See my user page on the OSM wiki for further OSM related projects I contribute to.

Md Atikuzzaman Limon, based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is a passionate mapper and Deputy Director at Eastern University. Since 2017, he has actively contributed to OpenStreetMap, HOT, Mapillary, and Missing Maps. As Communication Officer for YouthMappers at Eastern University, he engages young mappers in humanitarian mapping. He is also a member of CrisisMappers and contributes to platforms like OSM Wiki, Translatewiki, and GitHub, supporting global crisis response and map data improvement.

Michael works as UN Mappers Community Coordinator at the United Nations Global Service Centre, supporting the crowdsourcing activities of UN Maps, a programme to deliver geospatial products and capabilities to UN Peacekeeping missions worldwide. He is an OSM contributor since 2016 and he helped build many communities everywhere, especially in Africa, Europe and Asia. Previously he co-founded the first European chapter of YouthMappers and was awarded of the 2018 YouthMappers Research Fellowship. He has a MSc in Geoinformatics Engineering at Politecnico di Milano.

Micheal Kaluba is a Field Mapping and GIS Training Associate at OpenStreetMap Uganda and an active member of the Wikimedia Community User Group Uganda. He is passionate about using open data and collaborative technologies to map and document local knowledge, cultural heritage, and public resources across Uganda. He has been part of the OpenStreetMap community close to 10 years

Mikko is the regional community manager at Open Mapping Hub Asia Pacific/ HOTOSM, he is an open mapping advocate, and the founder of MapBeks, an initiative focused on inclusive mapping for LGBTQ+ and health communities. He currently supports grassroots mappers and mapping communities across Asia-Pacific region. He specializes in using Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) to strengthen disaster resilience, community action, and digital inclusion. An award-winning geospatial changemaker, Mikko has led youth-focused, gender-responsive, and climate-driven mapping programs, empowering volunteers to create life-saving data through OpenStreetMap and humanitarian mapping tools.

Minh is a longtime mapper and community organizer for OpenStreetMap and OpenHistoricalMap, focusing on the United States and Vietnam. On a typical day, you can find him roaming the streets of Silicon Valley, looking for quirky things to add to both maps. He has been the OpenStreetMap Foundation’s Core Software Development Facilitator since April, thanks to an investment from the Sovereign Tech Fund. He also volunteers as a member of the Software Dispute Resolution Panel, administrator of the OpenStreetMap Wiki, and advisor to OpenHistoricalMap.

Mohamed Haniffa Fathima Hasna is a passionate development professional with a strong foundation in Geographic Information Systems, environmental research, and programme management. She has worked extensively with the United Nations Office for Project Services, supporting national-level projects through spatial data analysis, stakeholder engagement and capacity-building. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography from Eastern University, Sri Lanka, and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Biodiversity, Ecotourism, and Environment Management. With a commitment to impactful change, Hasna combines technical expertise with a people-centered approach to contribute meaningfully to sustainable development goals.

Omran NAJJAR is the AI Product Owner in Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team with +17 year experience in software engineering, advanced data management and artificial intelligence. Omran holds a MSc Computer Science, Turkey (2020) and a MSc in Data Analytics and ISM, Germany (2023) with research focus on spatial and temporal analysis on OSM - Nepal. Omran has been working in humanitarian and development context since 2014, specialized in monitoring and evaluation and AI for social good. Currently, Omran uses that experience to pursue justice, ethical and open source tech to amplify the connection between human[itarian] needs and open map data.

Michael Osunga Otieno is a GIS specialist. He has extensive experience in mapping, data analysis, and applying geospatial tools for urban planning, disaster response, and public health. Michael develops dashboards and interactive maps that support evidence-based decision-making. A strong advocate of open data and community mapping, he empowers local stakeholders through training and collaboration. His research and technical contributions promote open geospatial science across Africa, advancing the use of technology to address humanitarian and development challenges.

I am an Assistant Professor of Teaching at the University of British Columbia. I teach geomatics across a range of graduate and undergraduate programs, but I mostly teach within several professional masters programs in the Faculty of Forestry. As a result, I have become increasingly involved with graduate education. Within my courses, I primarily teach geographic information systems and science, remote sensing, spatial analysis and statistics, cartography, and scientific writing. I am also interested in critical geography, history and philosophy of science, and epistemology, and I frequently incorporate these social, philosophical, and historical perspectives in my teaching.

Prativa Thapa, a third-year Geomatics Engineering student at Kathmandu University, has transformed into a leader in geospatial mapping through passion and dedication. In 2023, she made her mark by winning multiple mapathons, showcasing her skills. By 2024, she earned the prestigious OM Guru Advanced Mapper title and became a trainer, championing inclusive and interdisciplinary mapping across Nepal. Now, in 2025, as the Sole Mapping Lead for GES and President of KU YouthMappers, she leads Nepal’s first-ever Mapping Week under GES.
A first-time speaker at SOTM 2025, she will share her leadership journey and Global South perspective.

I am Rajendran Keerthana a dedicated GIS and community mapper based in Sri Lanka, passionate about leveraging geospatial technologies to empower local communities. With expertise in OpenStreetMap, digital inclusion, and disaster resilience, works closely with youth and women to build capacity through training in digital literacy and geospatial data analysis. Through initiatives such as YouthMappers and collaboration with NGOs, contributes to sustainable development by integrating cutting edge tools like AI and satellite imagery into community driven mapping projects. Committed to fostering resilient, informed, and digitally connected communities, participatory technology as catalysts for social empowerment and environmental in Sri Lanka.

Ramya leadsthe product development at the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), focusing on open mapping tools that enhance community resilience. With over a decade of experience in geospatial technologies, she has spearheaded global deployments of platforms like the Tasking Manager, and Field Mapping Tasking Manager (FMTM). Ramya is passionate about building inclusive, open-source solutions that empower local communities

An Active OSM Contributor from Uganda,
A Cartography and GIS Lecturer at the Institute of Survey & Land Management.
OSM Data Quality enthusiast and a member of the HOT QA&C working group.
Founder of the Optus Academy of Geoinformatics. A company that provides geoinformation training services for students in academia, and professionals that want to leverage the use of geospatial data in their daily activities.

An OSM contributor (SeverinGeo) since January 2010, Séverin has been implementing programs to create and support OSM communities in the South, training in OSM and free geomatics, and mapping territories in over 20 countries since 2011, first with HOT and then through the collective that has become Les Libres Géographes, of which he is one of the founders. He was also a member of the UN Mappers Crowdsourcing team between 2021 and 2024, in particular in charge of educational activities and content creation for the UN Maps Learning Hub. Volunteering for WeeklyOSM and the OSMF blog.

I am an Open-Source Enthusiast with over 7 years of experience in cloud infrastructure, DevOps, and AI tooling. As a Mozilla Rep and frequent speaker at State of the Map and global tech conferences, they specialize in building ethical, open-source solutions using Microsoft Azure, Kubernetes, and geospatial technologies. Passionate about community-driven innovation, they have led workshops across Asia and continue to advocate for open data and accessible AI in mapping.

I am a drone pilot, a geospatial enthusiast and a humanitarian. I like using geospatial technologies for social good. I am currently exploring ways in which I can combine spatial and environmental data to address socioeconomic and environmental challenges. I am a YouthMappers alumni and a top 50 Geospatial rising star in 2020.