OpenStreetMap on Linux & Kape

DabawenGNU's Linux & Kape (coffee) or L&K sessions has always been my favorite avenue for tech talk, conceptualized by a few years back it has given local FOSS advocates a powerful tool for spreading their advocacy or simply mingle with other people and be enlightened with what new FOSS related technology can offer. Its intended to encourage everyone to talk about their area of interest and expertise without the baggage of preparing formal and time consuming presentations.

I enjoyed every L & K session I've attended, that is why when Marloue and I were invited to talk about OSM and GIS I did not hesitate so set a schedule. Finally we can spark the interest of Davaoeños and get more local contributors to the OpenStreetMap project.

Due to time constraints we decided to focus more on OSM and clear up a few misconceptions as well. We also discussed some of the online services that made use of OSM as well as an overview of the Cloudmade's API and showed a sample application written in Delphi. Andrew was kind enough to document the session and even snapped a few photos while he's at it. Most of the participants were from the academe and we hope they will impart what they learned back to the classrooms so we'll have even more contributors.

OpenStreetMap is an amazing project its not just a simple online map but there is a wealth of information that can be derived and put to good use. Do take time to listen to the discussion, if you don't understand some of the words (as this is an informal session after all) feel free to shoot me an email. We'd like to thank Emmanuel Sambale for the presentation, he has done a lot for the OSM movement in the Philippines and we'd like to support that effort as well. (Videos on Andrew's blog)