2026-08-28 –, Tahiti Language: English
After several years of virtual Local Chapters & Communities Congresses, the LCCWG is bringing the Congress back in person at State of the Map. Whether you represent a formally affiliated Local Chapter, lead a local user group, or are just curious about how OSM communities around the world organize themselves, join us to swap stories, share what's working (and what isn't), and help shape what community support should look like.
The Local Chapters & Communities Congresses are gatherings of OSM community leaders and members organized by the Local Chapters and Communities Working Group (LCCWG). Since 2020, the Congress has been held virtually, giving us reach but inevitably limiting the kind of candid exchanges that make in-person community meetings valuable.
This session at SotM is designed as a working meeting, an open space for connecting, sharing, and learning. We want to use the time we have in the same room to: hear directly from community leaders across regions, surface the questions that matter most right now, and give people a chance to connect with others working on similar challenges.
You do not need to be part of a Local Chapter to join. The session is for anyone active in, or curious about, organizing an OSM community: local chapter leaders, informal user group organizers, YouthMappers chapter leads, HOT community members, event organizers, and OSMF members who want to better understand the ecosystem they support.
We will also share about LCCWG's ongoing work, including how to get involved and support the working group.
There are no requirements to attend and participate in this workshop; come as you are, ready to share and learn from each other!
Affiliation:OpenStreetMap Foundation
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.
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.
Michael is an OSM contributor since 2016 and currently works as Software Engineer at the European Commission Joint Research Centre. For the past 6 years, he worked for the United Nations Global Service Centre where he brought OpenStreetMap to UN Secretariat, Agencies and Peacekeeping missions. Previously he was 2018 YouthMappers Research Fellow and co-founder of PoliMappers, the first European chapter of YouthMappers. Over the years, he trained thousands of new OSM contributors from universities and local communities worldwide, especially in Africa and Europe.
Maggie has been spending her time volunteering with OpenStreetMap for more than a decade. She spent 10 years as a geospatial consultant and urban planner. Maggie currently serves as the Executive Director for OpenStreetMap US where she works to engage, support and grow the OpenStreetMap project and community across the United States through programs, advocacy, and the annual State of the Map US conference.