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# System prepended metadata

title: Humanitarian OpenStreetMap strategy

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# Humanitarian OpenStreetMap strategy

## Preamble

The OpenStreetMap Foundation recognizes the importance of humanitarian endeavours to the OpenStreetMap project.

The OpenStreetMap Foundation wishes a stronger humanitarian OpenStreetMap ecosystem, strong from diversity and united by OpenStreetMap.

To that purpose, the OpenStreetMap Foundation seeks to offer neutral and level ground for cooperation between humanitarian OpenStreetMap actors of all sizes. That path towards that shall be explored by dialog with the implicated parties.

## The elephant in the room

From the idea of Openstreetmap's humanitarian potential, Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team has grown to an organization orders of magnitude more powerful than any other OpenStreetMap actor. Combined with the use of the OpenStreetMap brand, this has led to HOT in effect appropriating humanitarian Openstreetmap, leading to tensions.

In response to that, Humanitarian Openstreetmap Team has expressed willingness to reinforce cooperation with Openstreetmap at large. The Openstreetmap Foundation welcomes this opportunity for a re-energized dialog and will seize this opportunity for progress together.

## Initiating the dialog - taking stock of the state of Humanitarian Openstreetmap

Before discussing initiatives, we need to set up the dialog with the Openstreetmap Foundation's humanitarian partners.

To that purpose, the Board shall conduct a round of interviews with humanitarian cartography contributors and consumers of all sizes and origins.

| Interviewee | Organization | Relation to HOT | Board Member | Why? 
| -------- | -------- | -------- | --- | --- |
| Pete Masters  | HOT |  Staff | Jean Marc | Pete focused on how HOT de-occupies mapping spaces
| Pierre Béland | Independant | HOT Voting Member, disgruntled | Jean-Marc | Longtime humanitarian Openstreetmap contributor in many countries |
| Séverin Ménard | Independant | Former HOT Voting Member, Former Staff, Former Board Member | Jean-Marc | Active humanitarian, started a few local communities |
| Nicolas Chavent | Independant | HOT Voting Member, Former Staff, Former Board Member | Jean-Marc | Active humanitarian, started a few local communities |
| Claire Halleux | OSM Congo | Hot Voting Member | Jean-Marc | Got a thriving community running in Congo |
| At least one CartoNG person | CartoNG | - | Jean-Marc | Quiet org - let's have them express themselves |
