Local First in a Diverse Democracy: India’s Decentralized Path to Hosting the First Regional SotM

Room: Talks II

Saturday, 16:30
Duration: 20 minutes (plus Q&A)

This event will not be recorded.

• ark Arjun

India’s OpenStreetMap community is characterised by its vast diversity and absence of a formal national body. Instead, independent regional groups drive mapping efforts, facing challenges such as funding restrictions and policy gaps. This talk highlights the “local first” approach, empowering regional communities to build sustainable mapping initiatives.

Using OSM Kerala as a case study, I will share how this community navigated legal and funding hurdles to successfully host India’s first regional State of the Map conference in 2023. The talk also explores how communities gained the trust of the government and spearheaded open data policies and releases. This will be a learning for how decentralised communities can leverage these developments to strengthen their impact.

This session offers valuable lessons for diverse democracies worldwide on fostering resilient and inclusive open mapping movements through local empowerment.

India’s OpenStreetMap community is unique in its decentralized, grassroots nature, lacking a formal national organization. This talk examines how regional communities in India, especially OSM Kerala, have embraced a “local first” approach to navigate challenges such as cultural diversity, legal constraints, and funding limitations. By focusing on regional empowerment, OSM Kerala successfully hosted India’s first regional State of the Map (SotM) conference in 2023, setting an example for other areas. This session will share practical strategies, experiences, and lessons learned in building resilient, inclusive mapping communities in a complex democratic landscape. It’s ideal for community organizers, mappers, and anyone interested in how decentralized efforts can drive large-scale impact in open geospatial data initiatives.