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# System prepended metadata

title: 'Notes: Meeting with Giga Maps Team'

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Organized by Mick Larson.
2025-10-22

Participants: Win, Antonia, Vince, Timeo

### Notes
* Giga Maps Team is a collaboration between UNICEF and ITO.
    * they facilitate and help with financing connectivity for schools, but stakeholders shoulder the cost
    * their goal is to map (and monitor) school connectivity
        * https://maps.giga.global/map
        * API and downloads: https://maps.giga.global/docs/explore-api
* Mapping
    * globally, whenever they're unable to utilize official (Education ministry)data, they default to OSM school data (nodes)
        * [name=Larson] OSMaPaaralan is the most comprehensive OSM school mapping project I've seen, but I only joined (Giga) last year don't know the reasoning for using CheckMySchool in PHL. It's the only private source in our database, instead of defaulting to OSM, and while the official data request is pending.
            * [name=Win]: CheckMySchool's original data was from DepEd
    * they try to convince ministries to release the data under an open license, compatible with OSM
    * school mapping collaboration only started in 2024, and on going efforts are happening (mostly) in Africa. 
        * They haven't completed any school mapping project yet.
    * they're looking to learn from the OSMaPaaralan experience, and work together with the community to update the OSM map, when the data is made available "soon."
    * they expressed interest in having the the `internet_access` key added to school features.
    * also interested in ways to validate features on the ground.

### Q&A
* imagery availability - they have their own access, but it's not something they can share with LoCos
* how is Giga involved in mapping work? Some mapathons, but mostly just sharing the data with local open data communities, and helping organize mapping activities.
* any comparison with CMS vs OSM data in PH? - no, they haven't made comparison.