Andrew Hain: "I would like to congratulate the organising team in
Nairobi and the SotM Working Group for doing this. Giving the worldwide
community a broader understanding of the challenges of mapping Africa
and using maps there is positive step for OSM’s inclusiveness as a truly
worldwide map. "
I think we need to balance things out. There is a need to expose Africa
to different ideas but being pragmatic this won't be done in a day.
I think we also ought to recognise that travel within Africa is not
easy. Many African countries do not have direct flights to Nairobi and
even when they do exist they aren't cheap.
"inclusiveness" I think we need to recognise there are many barriers
here. First the cost of flights from say Cairo to Nairobi is close to
the cost of London to New York. Europe to Nairobi in general is more
expensive than a transatlantic flight. Thinking of where our members
live do they need a passport or visa? If it was in the EU or the USA a
higher proportion of members would not need a passport or visa. I seem
to recall yellow fever vaccine certificate is required and Ebola
outbreaks have occurred in neighbouring countries.
The Canadian government's advice for travel to Kenya is in the link.
Travel advice and advisories for Kenya
<https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/kenya>
Basically there is a credible risk of terrorist attacks in Nairobi, and
there have been some there already according to the web site. The crime
rate is high so basically you're living in a hotel and the conference
area. Sightseeing is not recommended.
In summation I think what we'll see is a SotM dominated by locals from
Kenya, attendees from commercial companies or others on expenses, and a
few more wealthy mappers than we would in other locations. Whether this
is good or bad I make no comment.
I note that the recent World/Scout/Jamboree got hit by high
temperatures, with global warming should the average expected
temperature be taken into account?
For future SotMs I might suggest starting with accommodation, many
universities have halls of residence available during the summer
months. Ottawa for example has halls with double beds and ensuites
plus there are lecture halls etc available. Meal plans can be purchased
which means that you're eating in the cafeterias true but many
conversations at SotM will take place outside the conference rooms and
over a meal is a useful place to talk.
I'd suggest running it over a weekend with the weekend free. That way
those on expenses can grab a bit of sightseeing and the airfares
typically are cheaper with a Saturday night stay. Plus you can run a
few more informal activities over the weekend.
The EU might be easier than the UK since britexit the UK is no longer a
free travel zone for EU citizens and the EU has trains which means a
lower average carbon footprint per attendee.
Note to Amanda realistically with the high crime rate and
"Women’s safety: Women travelling alone may be subject to some forms of
harassment and verbal abuse. Attacks involving sexual assault have
occurred." The LBGTQ side of things might be the least of your problems.
Have fun but do your risk analysis before attending and know what to expect.
Cheerio John
Amanda McCann wrote on 8/16/2023 12:00 PM:
I'm an out, queer trans woman. I presume this event won't be safe for people
like me?
It's illegal to be gay in Nairobi, and parliamentarians are proposing even
stricter, oppressive laws¹. Trans people are often lumped into the same group.
The last SotM CoC² said: “[we are] dedicated to providing a harassment-free
conference experience for everyone, regardless of … gender identity and
expression, sexual orientation, …. We do not tolerate harassment of conference
participants in any form”. This CoC wouldn't be possible in 2024, right?
I presume the advice from the SotM WG is that this event cannot for LGBTQ
people, right?
Oh, doesn't this go against the OSMF/SotMWG's safety policy?³
¹
https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/kenya-could-follow-uganda-east-african-nations-wage-war-lgbt-rights-2023-06-22/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-66079603
² https://2022.stateofthemap.org/codeofconduct/
³
https://wiki.osmfoundation.org/wiki/StateoftheMap_Organizing_Committee/StateoftheMap_safety_policy
On Mon, 14 Aug 2023 19:56 +02:00, Federica Gaspari <federica.gasp...@live.it>
wrote:
Dear all,
Get ready to meet and connect with old and new mappy friends from the
global OpenStreetMap community again!
The State of the Map Organising Committee is thrilled to officially
announce that the global conference of the OpenStreetMap community,
State of the Map (SotM), will be making its way to Nairobi, Kenya from
September 6th-8th 2024! This landmark event will bring together
passionate mappers, data enthusiasts, technologists, and community
members from all corners of the globe to celebrate the spirit of
collaboration and open mapping.
Following the good feedback for State of the Map 2022 Firenze, the
upcoming State of the Map 2024 will once again be held in a hybrid
format. Building on the valuable lessons and experiences from the
previous events, the SotM Organising Committee is committed to making
this edition even more accessible to everyone who wishes to partake in
this grand celebration of open mapping, sharing passionate voices with
the entire community.
Learn more about the SotM 2024 announcement on the OpenStreetMap blog:
https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2023/08/14/announcing-state-of-the-map-2024-september-6-to-8-2024-join-us-in-nairobi-and-online/
More details about the organization will be soon communicated.
Federica Gaspari on behalf of the SotM Organising Committee
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