Collaborative mapping for DRR with OpenStreetMap, uMap and WordPress. Case study: Maricá (Brazil)
2025-11-29 , Auditorium
Language: English

The city of Maricá, in the state of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), is historically affected by natural disasters, which mainly hit the less affluent areas of the city, where people who have fewer resources to deal with risks and damage. On the other hand, city halls in small and medium-sized cities don't always have a spatial data infrastructure or a Web mapping platform that allows for the integration of data layers related to disaster risk reduction (DRR). Given this panorama, a collaborative mapping platform is proposed, with layers related to DRR infrastructure. Seven areas vulnerable to disasters (neighbourhoods: Jardim Atlântico, Itaocara, Cajueiros, Mumbuca, Centro, Bananal, Jaconé), have been adopted as areas of interest (AOI) for this pilot project, which is an initiative of the Virtual Institute for Sustainable Development - IVIDES. org, in cooperation with the YouthMappers UFRJ chapter (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), chaired by Dr. Raquel Dezidério Souto, chairwoman of IVIDES.org and associated researcher of the Laboratory of Cartography of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (GeoCart-UFRJ). Throughout 2024 and 2025, various training sessions have been carried out in order to map the seven AOI collaboratively. In order to execute the project and provide interactive data visualization, two Web maps were created, one for the acquisition an initial mapping of data in OpenStreetMap (OSM) and the other for the display of validated data in a private environment, where changes by others can be controlled. The first Web map (for raw data mapping and visualization) shows layers with data retrieved dynamically from the OpenStreetMap database using Overpass API queries, which were included in the dynamic layers of a structure developed with uMap. In this first Web map [1] it is possible to check the coverage of existing data related to the research topic in OSM and the two more used editors for OSM - iD and JOSM, can be accessed to collaborate with data missing in these AOI. The second Web map [2], developed with the Leaflet JavaScript library and the WordPress content management system (CMS), with the “Leaflet map” plug-in installed and active, containing the layers with OSM data that have already been validated, plus the static layers that have been added with data from the public authorities, such as data on the sirens at the hydrological or geological warning and alarm stations, which issue alarms to evacuate areas before a disastrous event occurs. A total of 16 layers are being considered initially: Areas subject to flooding; Areas subject to mass movements; Classification of the coast as its vulnerability to the coastal erosion; Schools (public and private); Geological alert and alarm stations; Hydrological alert and alarm stations; Hydrological monitoring stations; Meteorological monitoring stations; Hydrants; Hospitals (public and private); Clinic centers (public and private); Hotels; Churches; Pluviometers; Villages and towns; and Localities. For the Web map project developed with the WordPress CMS, custom icons were designed, which can be found on the GitHub [3]. The icons were designed with a black border to make them more visible on the map. The files were formatted in Scalable Vector Graphics (.SVG) and Portable Network Format (.PNG). The second format was adopted for the Web map in WordPress, as it was better for visualization. The Web map project developed with uMap adopted simple symbols, which are present in its standard collection of symbols. Some aggregations are made for layers with a lot of data (with the clustering resource provided by uMap), in order to improve visualization and navigation on the map. The strengths of this methodology, developed for the city of Maricá, but which could be adopted by other municipalities, are that it relies on the collaborative effort of anyone minimally trained to map on the OSM and the socialization of information on disaster-prone areas with the population. However, some difficulties have been encountered, such as: i) some people have difficulty using programs and equipment needed to interact with the map; ii) weak Internet signals in locations far from large urban centers; iii) a lack of data for certain categories, such as data on the vulnerability of areas to disasters. All these difficulties have been encountered by many other researchers carrying out collaborative research and mapping. This initiative is related to the United Nations 2030 Agenda [4] and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [5], especially: SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages; SDG 11- Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable; SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts; and SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development. With the progress of this research, we hope to collaborate in providing information support, not only for prevention and mitigation operations, but also for consultation with the resident population, in order to contribute to DRR in the areas covered.
[1] http://u.osmfr.org/m/1013950/
[2] https://ivides.org/infomarica
[3] https://github.com/raqueldeziderio/leaflet_wp
[4] https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
[5] https://sdgs.un.org/goals

IVIDES DATA Owner (IT Consulting) - https://ivides.org/servicos. Chairwoman of the Virtual Institute for the Sustainable Development - IVIDES.org. Post Doctorate at UFRJ. D.Sc. in Geography by the Postgraduate Program in Geography of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Master in Population Studies and Social Research by the National School of Statistical Sciences (ENCE-IBGE). Bachelor in Oceanography from the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). Associated Professor at the Laboratory of Cartography - GeoCart/UFRJ. Editor for the Brazilian Portuguese in the weeklyOSM. Parecerist for 12 scientific journals and member of the editorial committee of two other. Main areas of activity: software development for Web mapping, PPGIS, PGIS, collaborative and participatory mapping, OpenStreetMap, Geoprocessing, Integrated Coastal and Marine Management, Sustainability Indicators, Population Studies and Oceanography.

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