Promoting community participation in thematic mapping processes by simplifying the free software tool OSMTracker for Android

Abstract

Social cartography empowers communities to create maps that represent their own perspectives about their surrounding environment. Thematic mapping aims at making visible physical space features corresponding to particular interests, for example: hydrants, accessibility, or public transportation. Information and communication technologies bring these mapping process to the digital realm, streamlining the management of maps and expanding its application opportunities. Free software tools for geospatial data and information management contribute to mapping processes by encouraging collaboration through the reduction of entry barriers, which can range from economical hurdles to data privacy related issues. OSMTracker for Android is a free software geospatial data capturing tool that runs on the Android operating system. The tool's user interface can be customized to match specific data capturing needs for different communities and purposes, making it widely used globally for thematic mapping. However, this customization requires specific technical skills, imposing a usability limitation for the tech unsavvy collaborators. This paper presents an improvement in OSMTracker to simplify loading and sharing custom buttons layouts. In addition, the paper discusses briefly the experiences of facilitating two mapping workshops carried out using the improved tool.